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Butterscotch cake cut open on a wood board.
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5 from 21 votes

Butterscotch Cake

This butterscotch cake is a brown sugar layered cake full of homemade butterscotch sauce inside the cake batter. It is full of butterscotch frosting, drizzled with extra butterscotch sauce, and topped with a butterscotch drip.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time25 minutes
Decorating Time1 hour
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 738kcal

Ingredients

Homemade Butterscotch Sauce

  • ½ cup Unsalted butter
  • 1 cup Brown sugar dark is best
  • 1 cup Heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Cake

  • 1 cup Unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups Brown sugar packed light or dark
  • 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup Butterscotch sauce cooled before using
  • 4 Large eggs room temperature
  • 3 ½ cups All-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 cup Buttermilk room temperature

Butterscotch Ganache

  • 1 ½ cups Butterscotch chips
  • ½ cup Heavy cream
  • teaspoon Salt

Butterscotch Frosting

  • 2 cups Unsalted butter room temperature
  • 5 cups Powdered sugar sifted
  • ¼ cup Butterscotch ganache
  • 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Homemade Butterscotch Sauce

  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Then, add the brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Mix together using a rubber spatula.
    ½ cup Unsalted butter, 1 cup Brown sugar, 1 cup Heavy cream, ½ teaspoon Salt
  • Let it come to boil, do not stir it at all during this point. Let it boil for 5 minutes. If you stir it, it will become grainy. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the sauce into a bowl and let it cool completely.
    1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottoms of the cake pans with 8-inch parchment paper circles and spray again.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
    3 ½ cups All-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon Salt
  • In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on high speed for 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla and butterscotch sauce. Mix on medium until combined. Add the eggs one a time and mix until just combined.
    1 cup Unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups Brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, ½ cup Butterscotch sauce, 4 Large eggs
  • Add ⅓rd of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk and mix on low speed. Mix until they just start combining before adding the next. Add another ⅓rd of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk. Finish with the rest of the dry ingredients.
    1 cup Buttermilk
  • Pour the cake batter evenly into each cake pan. Bake for 24-28 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Let the cakes sit in the hot pans for 10 minutes. Transfer the cakes onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Butterscotch Ganache

  • In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the heavy cream and salt and heat until it starts to bubble. Add the butterscotch chips. Turn to low heat. Mix using a rubber spatula until the chips are melted and it is creamy.
    1 ½ cups Butterscotch chips, ½ cup Heavy cream, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
  • Pour the ganache into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

Butterscotch Frosting

  • In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Using a mixer, beat the butter on high speed for 3 minutes.
    5 cups Powdered sugar, 2 cups Unsalted butter
  • Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
  • Add in butterscotch ganache, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low until combined. Then, switch to high speed and beat until creamy.
    ¼ cup Butterscotch ganache, 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon Salt

Assembly

  • Use a serrated knife or a cake leveler to cut the domes off the cakes so they are even.
  • Place the 1st cake layer down and spread ¾th cup of frosting. Pipe a border of frosting around the edge of the cake. Spread ½ cup of butterscotch sauce over the cake.
  • Repeat with the second layer. Place the last layer of cake down with the bottom of the side of the cake facing up. Do this part quickly and freeze for 10 minutes
  • Spread a light layer of frosting over the cake and freeze for 15 minutes.
  • Frost the rest of the cake. I used a cake scrapper to decorate the cake as a semi-naked look. Freeze for 10 minutes.
  • Heat the ganache back in the microwave, so it is melty. Make sure it is room temperature before applying to the cake. If it is too hot, it will drip everywhere. Place the ⅓rd of the ganache into a piping bag, and pour the drip on the edge of the cake.
  • Pour the rest of the ganache on top of the cake.

Notes

NOTE: Make the butterscotch sauce and the cake layers ahead of time. This will make things so much easier for you!
Flour- Make sure flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cake.
High altitude baking- Add an extra 3 tablespoon of flour.
Pull out dairy ingredients 2 hours before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 738kcal | Carbohydrates: 110g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 530mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 1610IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg