Instructions: To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together. Pat into the bottom and sides of a greased 9- by 9- by 2-inch pan.

To prepare filling: In mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in egg until combined. Add alternately flour and evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well blended. Pour batter into crust-lined baking pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until cake is nearly set. Do not overcook. Let cool in pan.

Yield: 9 servings.

Testers note: This is a wonderful recipe that tastes just like a bakery cake.

Comments: "Gooey butter cake originated in St. Louis in the 1930s," the cookbook notes. "According to legend, a thrifty German baker added the wrong proportions of ingredients into his cake batter. It turn turned into a gooey, delicious mess that is now a St. Louis tradition."

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