BAKING is usually a precise art. But in St Louis, it was a faux pas that resulted in one of the American city’s most cherished baked foods: The gooey butter cake.
It was the 1930s and the Great Depression was in full force — ingredients were precious and food couldn’t be wasted.
So when a German-American baker accidentally swapped the quantities of flour and butter around for his traditional cake batter, he had to chuck it in the oven and flog it.
Luckily, the sticky outcome was very much to locals’ taste — and it quickly became a symbol of St Louis.
This sums up the city in a nutshell.
The place encompasses a happy-go-lucky attitude, and gooey butter cake is just one of many joyous accidents to have occurred here.
Take toasted ravioli, for example. The popular dish, found on many restaurant menus, was initially created by a St Louis chef who mistakenly dropped pasta into frying oil.
Then there’s the waffle ice cream cone. It was popularised at the 1904 World’s Fair when a server who, having run out of tubs, transformed a neighbouring vendor’s waffles into cone-shaped vessels for his scoops.
This was my first visit and you’ve probably already guessed that I didn’t go hungry.
Until recently, most UK holidaymakers would have passed through this area on the famous Route 66, but last month, British Airways launched direct flights to St Louis in Missouri from London Heathrow.
Just make sure you pronounce it “Lewis” to avoid another faux pas.
The city’s shining star landmark is the Gateway Arch, at the edge of the Mississippi River.
It’s the tallest man-made monument in the USA — 630ft — and offers wonderful panoramic views of the city from its peak.
As well as toasted ravioli and gooey butter cake, St Louis is also the home of Budweiser beer.
Although the original recipe is thought to have been invented in the Czech Republic, where it was sold as Budweis, St Louis is the confirmed birthplace of the Budweiser version — adapted to suit the American palate.
The Anheuser-Busch brewery is still churning out bottles of the stuff today, and you can tour its massive vats, learning about the fermenting process, or even visit its famous Clydesdale horses — which have starred in many a Super Bowl ad.
All of the tours are decent value, too — starting from $15 (£11) for a 75-minute tour of the brewhouse, including a free beer.
If you’re more of a cocktail fan, head to Midtown.
Here, you’ll find None Of The Above on the pedestrianised Foundry Way — a sexy underground speakeasy serving unusually savoury cocktails that pack a punch.
Soak it all up with some barbecue from Salt + Smoke (there are several venues) or tuck into a sophisticated example of toasted ravioli at Katie’s opposite the baseball stadium, where the atmosphere is always thumping on game day.
The sports scene is big here, so try to catch a game — baseball, hockey, soccer . . . take your pick.
And if you’re a fan of street art, venture to The Walls Off Washington on Washington Avenue, home to some 33 murals by local artists.
Or book a room at the 21c Hotel.
With incredibly stylish bedrooms and a modern art museum on the second floor that’s open 24/7, it’s great for those early jet lag mornings.
Temperatures in St Louis reach highs of around 33C in summer, so I’d recommend cooling down with a famous “concrete” from Ted Drewes on Route 66.
These tubs of frozen custard were so named because of their stiff consistency.
Servers will hold the tubs upside down to prove how solid they are.
Or opt for a gooey butter cake ice cream — Clementine’s does some of the best (the small chain has several stores dotted around the city).
Whoever thought to combine creamy vanilla gelato with chunks of soft and sweet golden butter cake is a genius.
Or was that just a happy accident, too?