Butterscotch Cake with Butterscotch Drip

Serves 12

30 mins prep

30 mins cook

30 mins Chill Time

60 mins total

This butterscotch cake has tender moist brown butter cake layers, a silky smooth butterscotch buttercream, and homemade butterscotch sauce that is so easy to make! It’s topped off with a butterscotch drip, salty crunchy pretzels, and chocolate curls. It’s the perfect cake, filled with warm and comforting flavours.

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Butterscotch Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to simmer and simmer for 3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir gently so that it doesn’t burn.

⅕ ½ butter

⅕ 1 brown sugar

⅕ ¾ heavy cream

⅕ 1 pure vanilla extract

⅕ ½ sea salt

Remove from heat and pour into a heat safe container to cool completely. Refrigerate once it reaches room temperature.

Brown Butter Layers

Melt butter in medium saucepan stirring constantly, on medium low heat. The foam will subside as the butter browns. Keep stirring, watching the whole time. The milk solids (little white bits at the bottom) will slowly caramelize and turn a golden brown colour. It will smell like toasted nuts and caramel. Once it starts foaming again and there are golden brown bits, remove from heat and pour into a heat safe bowl or container.

⅕ ¾ unsalted butter

Let the brown butter come to room temperature and then refrigerate until it becomes thick but still spreadable. Stir it occasionally to incorporate any hard bits on the edges back inside. Use an ice water bath, stirring every minute to speed up the process.

Grease three 6” round baking pans with cold butter and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. See notes for different sized baking pans. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Once thickened, combine brown butter, oil, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat until increased in volume and becomes very light. Scrape down the bowl to blend evenly.

⅕ 2 vegetable oil

⅕ 1 brown sugar

⅕ ¼ sea salt

Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, blending well between each addition. Add sour cream and buttermilk, blending well. It’s ok if the mixture separates.

⅕ 2 large eggs

⅕ ½ sour cream

⅕ ½ buttermilk

⅕ 1 pure vanilla extract

Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the same bowl. Replace whisk attachment with paddle attachment and fold on low speed until a smooth batter forms. Alternatively, use a spatula to fold.

⅕ 2 all purpose flour

⅕ ¼ baking soda

⅕ 1 baking powder

Distribute evenly into baking pans, smoothing the tops. Use a scale for the most precise measurements.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted through the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before flipping over on a cooling rack. Use a knife or spatula to help release the edges of the layers. Let cool completely before frosting.

Butterscotch Buttercream

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer until very light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. Use a paddle attachment for a very smooth buttercream.

⅕ 1 butter

⅕ 2 powdered sugar

Gradually add in the butterscotch, beating until very fluffy and light. Add in the freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste. Stop adding when you are happy with the flavour. This will help balance the sweetness of the frosting.

⅕ ⅔ butterscotch sauce

⅕ 1-3 freshly squeezed lemon juice

Gradually add heavy cream and beat until it becomes fluffy. To make the frosting extra smooth, beat on low speed with a paddle attachment to remove any large air pockets.

⅕ 3-5 heavy cream

Assembly

Assemble the cake by placing a dollop of frosting onto the bottom of the cake plate or stand. Place the first cake layer down. Add a layer of buttercream. Drizzle butterscotch on top. This is my preferred, less riskier method.

For a thicker butterscotch layer, pipe a thick border around the cake and spoon a few tablespoons of the butterscotch into the middle. Chill completely before placing the next layer of cake on top or the butterscotch will come out the sides and the layers will slide around.

Repeat until all of the cake layers are used up. Cover the sides and top with a very thin layer of frosting (crumb coat) and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Frost the sides and top with a thicker layer of frosting, smoothing with a bench scraper and/or a spatula. Cover the bottom half with crushed pretzels. Place back into freezer for 10 minutes to firm up the frosting.

⅕ 1 pretzels

Fill a piping bag with butterscotch sauce and snip the end off. Pipe drips of butterscotch at the edge of the cake. Fill in the top of the cake with a very thin layer of butterscotch and smooth with a spoon or spatula. Place back into the freezer for 10 minutes so that the drips set.

Use the remaining frosting to pipe a border on top of the cake. I piped a rope border using a Wilton 1M tip. Sprinkle crushed pretzels and chocolate curls on top of the cake.

⅕ 1/2 chocolate curls