Butterscotch Cake

The rich, buttery, sweet flavor of butterscotch shines in this homemade Butterscotch Cake recipe, complete with butterscotch frosting and butterscotch ganache!

I know that I typed “butterscotch” a lot in that first paragraph, but this layer cake truly is ALL butterscotch. That classic deep, sweet, buttery flavor is in every layer and every element of this dessert.

If you are a butterscotch fan, then this Butterscotch cake is going to be your new favorite thing. It’s also a great option to make for a special birthday or a holiday party.

Love Layer Cakes? Try making this amazing classic Red Velvet Cake, an Easy Banana Cake, a Chocolate Sunflower Cake, or a Funfetti Layer Cake. My chocolate Ding Dong Cake is completely decadent too!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Easy Step-by-step Instructions– Don’t be intimidated by this layer cake recipe! It’s easy if you follow each step, and the resulting cake will be totally worth the time.
2. Sweet Butterscotch Flavor – There’s butterscotch in every part of this cake. Butterscotch pudding flavors the cake while also making it moist and tender. The frosting and ganache drip feature melted butterscotch chips.
3. Easy to Decorate – I added a little bit of a piped icing border on my butterscotch cake, but you can skip that if you like! A ganache drip is easier than it looks, and I’ll show you exactly how to make it.

Key Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this Butterscotch Cake Recipe:

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt – These are the dry ingredients for our scratch butterscotch cake recipe.
• Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar – Because we want this cake to have a rich flavor, both brown and white sugars are included in the batter.
• Unsalted Butter: Soften the butter before mixing up your batter.
• Eggs and Milk: You need a few eggs to make a cake! I suggest letting your eggs come to room temperature before adding them to any baked goods recipe. Milk adds needed moisture.
• Butterscotch Pudding Mix: This gives the cake its amazing flavor! Be sure to buy instant pudding and not cook and serve.
• Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla makes all baked goods taste better.
• Butterscotch Frosting: A classic American Buttercream but with the addition of melted butterscotch baking chips.
• Butterscotch Ganache: To make the sweet and pretty drips, more butterscotch chips are melted with heavy cream to make a thick sauce.

Do you know what else you can make with a bag of butterscotch chips? Butterscotch Haystacks or Magic Seven Layer Bars!

How To Make Butterscotch Cake

Get ready by preheating the oven to 350°F/180°C, and lightly greasing and lightly flouring three 8-inch round cake pans. You can also use parchment paper rounds if you prefer.

1. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
2. Cream: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and instant pudding mix until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes on medium-high speed).
3. Mix Batter: Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. And Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour in half the flour mixture and mix well, followed by half the milk, then repeat until all flour and milk have been added.
4. Bake: Divide the batter equally between the three prepared pans and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out and cooling completely on a wire rack

Make the Frosting and Ganache

1. Melt Butterscotch Chips: These chips don’t melt quite as easily as chocolate chips do, so keep an eye on them during the process. Add 1 ½ cups of chips to a microwaveable bowl. Use the microwave, heating at 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until the chips are smooth. Alternatively, you can use a double boiler. 
2. Whip: Whip the butter for 2 minutes, then add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then add the melted butterscotch chips (they should be cooled down mostly at this point) and mix again.
3. Combine: To finish the frosting, add the heavy cream and vanilla, and whip until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
4. Make Ganache: Heat milk in a small saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Remove from the heat and add ½ cup of butterscotch chips. Let stand for two minutes, then stir until the mixture is smooth. Let the ganache cool for at least 20 minutes.

Assemble the Layer Cake

1. Layer the Cakes: Level the cakes using a serrated knife. Then place the bottom layer on a cake plate and spread a layer of frosting on top. Add the next layer followed by another layer of frosting and finally the top layer of cake.
2. Crumb Coat: Frost the outside of the cake with a light layer of frosting, then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Frost and Drip: Frost the outside of the cake with a thicker layer of smooth frosting, then return to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. When the cake is cold and the ganache is cooled down, drip the ganache on the sides of the cake with a spoon, then add the remaining ganache to the top of the cake and smooth it into an even layer.
4. Finish: If you have enough frosting left, add it to the top of the cake using a piping bag fitted with an open star tip.

Recipe Tips

• Avoid Overmixing: an overmixed cake batter will turn into a tough cake after baking. Mix ingredients just until combined. 
• Measure Correctly: I have some tricks for making sure you’re measuring your ingredients correctly! When baking, it’s important to accurately measure everything to get the best results in the end. 
• An Offset Spatula will help you to smooth out the frosting easily.
• Don’t make the butterscotch frosting ahead of time. While you can usually whip up refrigerated buttercream to get it smooth again, this frosting will have hard spots from the melted butterscotch chips if you try to do that. Instead, make the frosting after the cakes have cooled, and just before you’re ready to assemble the cake.
• It’s important to let the ganache cool down to room temperature before trying to create the drip.
• It’s also very important to let the cakes cool before icing them. Buttercream on warm cakes is a disaster, trust me!

Storing Tips

Store your cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.

Before enjoying a slice of butterscotch cake, let it sit out at room temperature for a bit so that the frosting softens.

You can freeze the cake layers, but not the frosting for this recipe. Wrap each layer with plastic wrap and place it into an airtight container before freezing for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw fully before stacking.

FAQs

If you love butterscotch, you are going to go nuts for this ultimate Butterscotch Cake! Make sure you pin the recipe so you don’t lose it!