Smearcase Recipe

By
Jessie Oleson Moore
Jessie Moore is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Jessie Oleson Moore
Jessie Oleson Moore is a freelance writer, illustrator, and founder of the award-winning website CakeSpy.com. She has published seven books, including CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life (2011), The Secret Lives of Baked Goods (2013), and Baking with Steel: The Revolution New Approach to Perfect Pizza, Bread, and More (2017).
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Updated May 13, 2019
20110919-165995-robotsmearcase.jpg
Photographs and original illustrations: Cakespy

If you ask me, a baked good had better be great to get away with an exceedingly unappetizing name like Smearcase.

And happily, it is—this little-known Baltimore specialty, introduced to me by Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime, is sort of like a thinner-crusted cousin to the pride of St. Louis known as Gooey Butter Cake. A dense, cakey crust encases a big ol' smear of gooey cream cheese-based custard filling; when sliced into squares, it's sort of like cheesecake condensed into a bar cookie form.

Note: While not strictly traditional, I added a handful of lightly roasted walnuts to the top of my Smearcase, with delicious results.

Recipe lightly adapted from the version found on Coconut & Lime.

Recipe Details

Smearcase Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 2 hrs
Serves 24 squares
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 2 cups flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup melted butter

  • 2 large eggs at room temperature

For the filling:

  • Two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon flour

  • 12 ounces evaporated milk

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

  • Ground cinnamon, for the top (optional)

  • 1/2 cup nuts such as walnuts or pecans, for the top (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Have a 9-by-13-inch ungreased pan at hand.

  2. Make the crust: Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Add the oil and eggs; beat on low speed for a few minutes until a dough forms (closer to a dough than a cake batter). Press into the pan, spreading it evenly over the bottom and at least halfway up the sides.

  3. For the filling: Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a separate (or cleaned) bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, then add the flour, evaporated milk, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix until smooth; the batter will be quite thin.

  4. Pour the filling over the crust in the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts, if desired. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until the fillilng is slightly puffed and set. The cake should not brown.

  5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a clean, dry and hot knife to cut the cake into 24 equal squares, cleaning the knife between cuts.

Special equipment

9x13-inch pan

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
225Calories
13gFat
24gCarbs
5gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories225
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g16%
Saturated Fat 7g37%
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 173mg8%
Total Carbohydrate 24g9%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg1%
Calcium 91mg7%
Iron 1mg4%
Potassium 101mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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