My daughter has been swept up in the cupcake craze. Now it’s turning into an all-out baking obsession. Finding half a bag of butterscotch chips in the pantry, she came up with the idea for a butterscotch cake. Using our old familiar stand by cake recipe, we just substituted butterscotch for chocolate. Maybe it’s the difference between butterscotch and chocolate or maybe it’s because the chips were old but it took them a long time to melt and then it took longer than we expected for the cake to bake.
For the frosting, we continued to tweak our buttercream recipe. We’ve added more sugar/syrup and let it get a bit hotter before adding it to the eggs yolks. It’s resulted in a stiffer frosting that’s easier to spread and isn’t as likely to turn out too soft.
It is a bit of butterscotch overload. The frosting is just divine. I think it’ll be great with chocolate. I’m already thinking ahead to slathering it on a chocolate cake, along with pecans or walnuts.
First, the cake:
Ingredients:
-Butterscotch Chips, 6 ounces or half a bag
-Light Brown Sugar, 1 cup
-Milk, 1/2 cup
-Egg Yolk
-Cake Flour, 2 cups
-Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon
-Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
-Butter, 1/2 cup, room temperature
-Sugar, 1 cup
-Eggs, 2, separated
-Milk, 1/2 cup
-Water, 1/4 cup
-Vanilla, 1 teaspoon
Directions:
Combine 1/2 cup milk and one egg yolk. In small saucepan combine brown sugar and milk/yolk mixture. Add butterscotch and heat over a low flame, stirring occasionally, until the butterscotch is melted and it starts to thicken.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 and prepare two 9″ round cake pans. I use Pam for baking in nonstick pans and it works great.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk it together.
Cream one stick of butter until it’s very light and fluffy. Gradually add the white sugar and continue beating until it’s fluffy.
Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time.
Combine the milk, water and vanilla.
On low to medium speed, mix in about a third of the flour mixture followed by a third of the milk mixture. Continue adding in thirds and mix just until it’s well-blended.
Beat the egg whites until they’re stiff.
Gradually mix in the butterscotch custard just until it’s blended. Fold in the egg whites.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 30 minutes or more, until a tester comes out clean.
Cool cakes on a wire rack until they’re completely cool.
Now, on to the frosting. It’s just a few basic ingredients but they sure combine into an amazingly rich confection. Try not to each too much of it before you get it on the cake.
You’ll Need:
-Egg Yolks, 12
-Unsalted Butter, 1 1/2 cups or 3 sticks
-Sugar, 3 cups
-Water, 1 1/4 cups
-Butterscotch Chips, 12 ounces
Dump the sugar into a small, heavy saucepan and pour in the water. Don’t stir. Heat over medium heat and just let it cook but keep an eye on it.
Separate the eggs and put the yolks in the mixer bowl.
Beat the yolks on high speed until they start to lighten and thicken.
Check the temperature of the syrup and take it off the heat at soon as it reaches 252.
Immediately add the syrup to the yolks, pouring it slowly while beating at high speed. Continue beating until the mixture is thick and completely cool. It’ll take 20 minutes or so.
Cut each stick of butter into four or five chunks. On medium speed, beat the butter in one chunk at a time.
Carefully melt the butterscotch in the microwave. Heat for 20 seconds or so then stir, repeating until it’s melted.
Gradually beat the butterscotch into the buttercream.
Once the cake and the frosting are completely cool, start frosting the cake. Strips of wax paper under the edges of the cake keep the plate clean and neat. Spread a generous amount of frosting over the bottom layer.
Place the second layer on top and spread the sides with a thin layer of frosting. Dump a bunch more on top and spread to the edges. Remove the wax paper.
Refrigerate for just a bit before serving. Enjoy!