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Square slice of butterscotch cake on a white plate.

Butterscotch Cake with Butterscotch Frosting

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: butterscotch cake, butterscotch frosting
Difficulty Level: Beginner
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 15 servings
Calories: 704kcal
Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream
This butterscotch cake is a rich cake with a deep butterscotch flavor made with dark brown sugar, then covered in a creamy butterscotch frosting.
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Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour (measured correctly: spooned into the measuring cup and leveled off - don't scoop and pack the flour into the cup)
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) box butterscotch instant pudding mix, reserve 1 tablespoon for the frosting
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
  • 1 ⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)

For the frosting:

  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature (3 sticks)
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips, melted (measure before melting)
  • 1 tablespoon butterscotch instant pudding mix (reserved from the cake batter earlier)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • Grease or spray a 13x9 inch pan and set aside.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and package of butterscotch pudding mix (making sure to reserve one tablespoon of the mixture for the frosting). Whisk well and set aside.
  • In another bowl, add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk well.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the room-temperature butter and the brown sugar.on medium-high for about two minutes.
  • Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter and sugar. (Add in ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix on medium just until combined. Add in ½ the milk mixture, mix on medium just until combined. Continue with another ⅓ of the flour mixture, mix, then the last of the milk mixture mix, then the last of the flour mixture and mix.) Mix only until well combined. Mixing for a couple minutes at this point will cause the cake to come out dense.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again only for about 10 seconds.
  • Bake at 325 degrees F for about 45-50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle will come out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no liquid batter.
  • Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack completely before adding the frosting.

For the frosting:

  • Melt the butterscotch chips for about 20 seconds at a time. Mix until smooth and set aside to cool a bit before making the frosting.
  • Add the butter, and cooled down, melted butterscotch chips to a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
  • Add three cups of confectioners sugar and beat on medium until smooth.
  • Add in 2 tablespoons of milk plus vanilla extract and the last two cups of confectioners sugar plus the salt and beat again until smooth.
  • Add in the tablespoon of butterscotch pudding mix and mix well.
  • If the buttercream is too thin, mix in another cup of confectioners sugar. If it's too thick, add in another tablepsoon of milk and mix well.
  • Spread frosting onto completely cooled cake.
  • See the notes section for best way to store this cake, serve it and for more questions.

Notes

How to Store: Keep this cake covered well for up to a day at room temperature, then cover it well and store in the refrigerator for up to six days.
How to Serve: This cake is best served at room temperature. Add a slice to a plate and heat in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill off or let the cake sit out until closer to room temperature and serve. 
For other questions: Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which should answer other questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, other pan sizes etc.
Nutritional values are an estimate.
*This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon

Nutrition

Calories: 704kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 79g | Vitamin A: 1047IU | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg