Butterscotch Cake

This butterscotch cake is a fluffy and moist brown butter, brown sugar cake with a hint of cinnamon and frosted with a luxurious whipped butterscotch ganache. Top with a butterscotch drip and a pinch of sea salt flakes. 

Why you’ll love this butterscotch cake 

• I used butterscotch chips so it’s really easy. (I know I normally make everything homemade lol but I really wanted to try out a butterscotch ganache from the chips) .
• Butterscotch chips can be SUPER sweet so I balanced it with a brown butter cake, made with brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon. It’s the perfect balance.
• It uses a butterscotch ganache instead of a buttercream. I really see no point in adding the extra powdered sugar since it’s already so sweet and this way you get a stronger flavor as well. 
• The cake recipe is very forgiving and allows for many substitutions and dietary restrictions. 

What is butterscotch?

Butterscotch is essentially caramel sauce made with brown sugar. & brown sugar is actually just granulated sugar with a touch of molasses. So I guess butterscotch is caramel with a little molasses (and few changes in how it’s made).

I would have normally made my own butterscotch sauce at home for a cake like this, however butterscotch can be kind of iffy and I really wanted to experiment with a whipped butterscotch ganache. So I used butterscotch chips for this recipe but I do a chocolate chip cake that uses homemade butterscotch sauce.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes and I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour (and cocoa) is so often over measured. 
• Baking Powder: I used just baking powder here. If you only have baking soda, you can just use 1 tsp of that instead. 
• Sugar: I used brown sugar in the cake. I don’t recommend cutting any out as it affects the texture and the flavor of the cake.
  • Light or dark brown sugar works for the cake. 
• Butter: I like to use salted butter in my cakes but you can also use unsalted butter. Dairy free butter also works well.
  • I browned the butter for the cake portion and I definitely recommend it to balance the sweetness of the butterscotch. 
• Oil: I recommend using a neutral oil like sunflower, vegetable or canola oil. 
• Eggs: make sure to use room temperature, large eggs.
  • Pop them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
• Sour cream: I love the combination of sour cream and milk for cakes. The sour cream can be replaced with plain yogurt or greek yogurt. Make sure they are unsweetened.
• Milk: I use whole milk or 2% milk but any milk works fine, even dairy free milk. 
• Vanilla: I like to use vanilla bean paste in the buttercream and pure vanilla extract in the cake. Artificial vanilla works or real vanilla beans work as well. 
• Cinnamon: I use ground cinnamon, any kind works. 
• Cream: Use heavy cream or whipping cream to make the ganache. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Start by browning the butter by heating a stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. It will melt, bubble, foam and then the milk solids will toast and settle on the bottom. Allow the brown butter to cool back to room temperature. I like to refrigerate it and stir every so often (or make it the night before).

Make sure to read my whole post on browning butter if you haven’t done it before. 

Step 2: Make the cake by creaming the cooled brown butter with the sugar for 1-2 minutes. Then add the oil and beat at full speed until it’s pale and fluffy. 

Step 3: Add the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next egg. Then add the vanilla and sour cream, mixing just until they’re combined. 

Step 4: Add half of the dry ingredients, followed by the milk and the other half of the dry ingredients. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well so it’s evenly mixed.

Step 5: Distribute the batter evenly among the tree cake pans. You should get about 14-15 ounces in three 6 inch cake pans. 

Step 6: Bake for about 30-35 minutes. When the cake is done baking, it will release itself from the edge of the pan and spring back when you press on the center. Flip the cakes over onto a cooling rack or a tea towel right away and allow them to cool to room temperature. 

Step 7: Make the butterscotch ganache by placing the butterscotch in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Heat the cream in a saucepan and pour it over the butterscotch chips. Cover the bowl for 3-5 minutes to allow them to melt.

Step 8: Stir the ganache gently until it’s completely melted and smooth. Allow it to cool to room temperature. You can also refrigerate it but make sure to stir it every 10 minutes or so, so that it cools evenly and doesn’t harden around the edge. 

Step 9: Once the ganache has cooled, remove about ¾ cup (6oz) and set that aside. Use the whisk attachment on the electric mixer to beat the rest of the ganache at full speed until it’s pale and fluffy. Scrape the edge of the bowl, add the butter and beat again until the ganache looks shiny. Don’t over-beat, just until it looks shiny like buttercream.

Step 10: To assemble the cake, spread a layer of whipped butterscotch ganache onto the first layer of cake. Repeat with the next layer and then place the third layer on top. Make a little crumb coat by frosting the outside super lightly and then refrigerate the cake for 15-30 minutes.

Step 11: Use the rest of the whipped ganache to frost the cake. I like to place it all on top and work my way down the sides of the cake with an offset spatula. Once the cake is covered, use a cake scraper to smooth out the ganache. Then run the cake scraper under super hot water and go around the ganache really slowly and gently to get it as smooth as possible. Refrigerate the cake for 15-30 minutes again.  

Step12: Reheat the reserved, un-whipped butterscotch ganache, for about 10-15 minutes, just until it’s a little runny. Spread the ganache on top of the cake, allowing it to drip off the edge. If it’s too runny, it’ll run down quickly, if it’s cooled too much it won’t drip. If it’s right in the middle, it’ll run off the edge but still let you create those swirls on top. Top with a pinch of sea salt flakes. 

How to make a butterscotch drip

Drips are simple to make. Just follow the same process as making chocolate ganache with a few differences in how it’s used:

• The level of “drip” you’ll get depends on how cold the cake is and how warm/runny the ganache is. 
• I like to make sure the cake is chilled when you pour the drip on top. 
• Work quickly so it doesn’t set before it’s done dripping off the edge.
• For a waterfall drip, pour the ganache on top of the cake, while it’s still a little warm and runny and use an offset spatula or a spoon to spread it out to the edges, allowing it to fall off of the cake naturally.
• For a more uniform drip, allow the chocolate to cool slightly more so it’s not quite as runny. Then place it in a piping bag with a small tip and pipe the drips along the edge of the cake. Then spread the rest on top, being careful not to ruin the drips on the side of the cake.
• For something in between, like I did here, allow the ganache to cool slightly so it’s not super thin and runny, then apply the same technique as the waterfall but the ganache will set quicker because it’s not as warm. Then use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to create some swirls on top as it’s setting. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make ahead

To make the cake ahead of time you can make the cakes even a month in advance. When you remove them from the oven, let them cool for about half an hour and then wrap them individually  in plastic wrap. Then place them in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. 

Bring back to room temperature before frosting. If you frost them while they’re frozen, the whipped ganache will set way too quickly from the cold cake and make it difficult to spread. 

To make the ganache ahead of time just follow the instructions until it’s done, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for a few days. Bring back to room temperature before assembling the cake. 

Ganache can be sensitive to temperature sometimes so I prefer to use it fresh as I don’t like to refrigerate it. To save time, make it the night before and allow it to cool overnight at room temperature. Then assemble the cake in the morning. 

How to store finished cake

I usually just cover it with a cake dome or place it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for 1-2 days. 

Refrigerate for an additional up to a week but I recommend freezing it to keep it more fresh.

To freeze the whole cake, refrigerate it until it’s firm. Then wrap it in plastic wrap so it’s completely covered. Then wrap it in aluminum foil and freeze. 

To freeze slices, place the slices in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. 

Bring it back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving. 

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.

If you make this butterscotch cake, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B