Who created it? When? Where? Who makes the best? What are acceptable ingredients? Which is most authentic?

Whether it’s French ratatouille, Italian ragu Bolognese, Mississippi ribs or New York reubens, regional specialties inspire passionate loyalties and provoke arguments that could rival a debate between Sarah Palin and Ralph Nader.

So it is with gooey butter cake. Few doubt that St. Louis gave birth to gooey butter cake. Who gave it birth is another story.

Indignant St. Louisans complain that the Food Network’s Paula Deen’s claim of ownership is false, and they have a long record of verifiably venerable St. Louis bakeries that made gooey butter cake for decades to prove it. St. Louis legend says that a German baker (probably in the 1930s) discovered the cake by happy accident, either reversing the proportions of flour and butter or simply using the wrong proportions for the filling/topping.

The website whatscookingamerica.net has testimonials from two St. Louisans who each claim that their father created gooey butter cake.

The first is from Richard Danzer, who wrote in 2006:

In late 1942 or early 1943, Johnny Hoffman of St. Louis Pastries Bakery… made what eventually turned out to be Gooey Butter Cake. … it was a mistake! He subsequently called Herman Danzer, my dad, and told him he thought he may have something and asked to come to my dad’s shop[Danzer’s Bakery] … to see if they could duplicate it.

… through many trials and errors [they] got it pretty good. The final batch they made, my dad suggested they add glycerin to get it really gooey. When [my mom, Melba

Danzer] tried it she said “this sure is gooey” subsequently, the name.

The information I have is from my mother who worked with him from 1939 to 1957. This is the best I can do, so the true story will remain a matter of conjecture.

The next came from Marilyn Koppe Galati in 2008:

My father, John Koppe, a St. Louis baker… developed the Gooey Butter Cake in the early 1940s. My father was a Master Baker, and he owned Koppe Bakery during World War II.

The Gooey Butter Cake was a smash hit with customers. The lines of customers spilled out the door and around the block. This cake was very gooey, rich, and exceptionally delicious! You could eat it with a spoon! The top was sprinkled with powdered sugar and the edge was slightly crispy to hold it together – almost like a pudding.

As far as I know, my father “created” the gooey butter cake. I was a child then and do not remember the year but it was well before 1950. There is no proof that I know of about the creator of the recipe, but it could have been an accident… my parents are deceased and no records were kept. It’s all just childhood memories. I… remember how the store would be packed with customers, and the popularity of the Gooey Butter Cake. The cakes produced today do not taste anything like dad’s.”

These days the base layer often is made with a cake batter – a variation developed to make it easier for home bakers that also often uses cream cheese in the filling. But there’s general consensus that the bakery originals used a yeast dough base. Everyone also agrees