Triple Butterscotch Cake {With Easy Homemade Frosting}

I love desserts that are flavored with butterscotch (which should be fairly obvious from the composition of this recipe.)  Butterscotch cake.  Butterscotch frosting.  Butterscotch sauce.  A trifecta of the trademark salty-sweet-caramelized-creamy flavor makes this incredibly rich layer cake perfect for your next special occasion.

Video: Watch My Butterscotch Cake Come Together!

And refer to my Step By Step Photos, below, to do this yourself (you've got this!)

The Trio That Creates this "triple" Butterscotch Cake

I believe that good things come in threes, as evidenced by components of this cake.

1. Butterscotch cake layers: Three moist cake layers flavored with dark brown sugar, vanilla, and a splash of bourbon. Chopped toasted pecans add a little crunch.
2. Creamy butterscotch frosting: This light and fluffy frosting is one of my all-time favorites (I feel like I say that about all of my frostings....but trust me, this one is good!) It starts with a nutty brown butter mixed with dark brown sugar, cream, butter, and a little more bourbon. I love that this frosting is so easy to spread, swirl, and pipe, making decorating a breeze.
3. Homemade butterscotch sauce: SO much better than any store-bought sauce, this sweet and salty homemade version surprisingly easy to make. Not only it the sauce drizzled between cake layers, it is spread on top of the frosting, creating a decorative butterscotch drip over the edge of the cake.

Top Tips for Baking Your Best Butterscotch Cake

1. Mix well: For best results cream the butter, oil, and brown sugar for as long as directed, as this creates a light and fluffy cake texture. It also ensures the sugar dissolves slightly into the butter, leading to a finer, more even crumb.
2. Watch your baking time: An overbaked cake is most likely a dry cake. Start checking for doneness a few minutes before the suggested time, as all ovens are a bit different. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
3. Dissolve the sugar!: When preparing both the buttercream and the butterscotch sauce, be sure to stir the initial butterscotch mixture constantly until the brown sugar has dissolved.  Otherwise, the mixtures will probably have an unpleasant, grainy texture.

Ingredient Notes and Special Equipment

Please check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for specific quantities.

Butterscotch Cake Layers Ingredient Notes

• All purpose flour: Substitute equal amounts of a reputable gluten-free flour blend for a GF cake.
• Unsalted butter: Use room temperature butter so it blends easily with other ingredients.
• Dark brown sugar: Give the cake, frosting, and sauce their deep, rich butterscotch flavor. Dark brown sugar works best for this, but in a pinch you can substitute light brown sugar.
• Oil: Choose a neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, canola, or safflower oil.
• Large eggs: Use room temperature eggs, as these blend easily help to aerate the batter.
• Whole milk / sour cream: Both help to keep the cake moist. Low fat alternatives may be substituted but I do not recommend fat-free.
• Vanilla extract / bourbon: Add extra flavor to the cake. If you don't want to use bourbon, use 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract instead of 2 tsp.

Butterscotch Frosting and Sauce Ingredient Notes

• Heavy cream / whipping cream: Either option is fine for both the frosting and the sauce.
• Salt: Don't skimp on the salt in both the frosting and sauce! Salt creates a flavor contrast in recipes that are on the sweet side.
• Corn syrup: Corn syrup is helpful when dissolving sugar crystals for the butterscotch sauce. If you don't like using corn syrup in recipes, you can omit it. Just make sure the graininess is gone from the texture of the brown sugar mixture before continuing.
• Powdered sugar: I recommend 2 to 2-½ cups, but you can add a little more depending on how stiff...and sweet you want your frosting. I aim for a fluffier texture that still holds its shape when piped.

Recommended Special Equipment

• Stand mixer: Or a handheld mixer and a large mixing bowl.
• Nonstick baking spray: Recommended for all of my cake recipes -- one of my favorite tools that prevent cakes from sticking to pans.
• 9-inch round cake pans
• Parchment paper or parchment rounds: Help to prevent cake from sticking to pans. If you don't have rounds, trace the pan onto parchment paper and cut out your own rounds!
• Cake boards / cake drum: Optional, but nice to have for storing cake layers and for transporting a cake if you don't want to use a plate.
• Serrated knife and/or a cake leveler: Helpful for cutting domed tops and making flat layers.
• Cake turntable: Makes decorating much easier by rotating the cake while you frost it.
• Bench scraper or icing smoother: Helpful for smoothing icing.
• Offset spatulas: Also useful for smoothing icing.

Step By Step photos and Instructions

Make the Butterscotch Cake Layers

1. Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.  Spray three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray and then line them with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the butter with the brown sugar and oil until very light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. 

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat in the bourbon and the vanilla.

5. WIth the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter in two additions, adding the milk after the first addition and the sour cream after the second addition. Mix until the ingredients are well combined and the batter is smooth.  Mix in the chopped pecans.

6. Divide the cake batter among the baking pans (I measured about 3-¼ to 3-½ cups each.) Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers emerges clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. Laet cake cool in pans for 10 minutes, and then invert them onto a cooling rack or cake boards to cool completely.

Prepare the Butterscotch Frosting

1. Cook one stick of butter (8 tbsp) in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Cook, swirling occasionally, until it turns deep golden brown and fragrant, about 6 minutes.  Add the brown sugar, cream, and salt, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 3 minutes longer. 
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat it at high speed until the bowl feels cool to the touch, 8-10 minutes.  Beat in the bourbon or rum.

3. With the mixer on medium speed, add remaining butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until incorporated.  Continue to beat the mixture until it is smooth and creamy.  Add enough confectioner's sugar to the mixture to achieve a thick and spreadable consistency. 

Make the Butterscotch Sauce

1. Place the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and there is no graininess left in the texture. 
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently (about 210-215℉ on an instant read thermometer).  Remove the mixture from the heat and mix in the cream.  Return the saucepan to the heat and cook for 2 minutes more, until smooth and slightly thickened; let cool to lukewarm.

How to Decorate Your Butterscotch Cake

Place one of the cake layers on a cake plate or a cake drum. If the top is rounded, you can use a serrated knife or a leveler to flatter the layers, but the layers should bake up fairly flat. Spread the layer with some of the butterscotch frosting and then drizzle the frosting with a thin layer or butterscotch sauce. Spread the saucein an even layer over the buttercream with a knife or an offset spatula.

Place the second layer on top of the first and repeat with the frosting and the sauce. Top with the third cake layer.

Coat the entire cake with a thin layer of the frosting (top and sides.) This is your "crumb coat", which will seal in any loose crumbs before adding your final coat of frosting. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Add a second thicker layer of buttercream to the top and sides of the cake. Use an icing smoother or an offset spatula to smooth the top and sides (if you have them.) Chill 15 minutes.

Create the decorative butterscotch "drizzle": Using a small spoon, drop small pools of the lukewarm butterscotch sauce around the perimeter of the cake, as shown in my Step By Step Photos in the post. Use the back of your spoon to gently nudge the sauce down the side of the cake making a drip design. Try to create varying lengths in the drips.

Fill in the center of the top with a thin layer of remaining butterscotch sauce, smoothing with the back of the spoon or an offset spatula. Use any remaining frosting to pipe decoratively around the top of the cake, then sprinkle the top with chopped pecans. Chill until about 30 minutes prior to serving.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Storage

The finished cake will keep for 3-4 day, covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container and chilled in the refrigerator.  Allow the cake to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to slicing serving. Slices can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Wrap slices individually in plastic wrap and then seal them in a freezer bag or container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Make Ahead

• Cake layers can be baked, cooled, and frozen for up to two months. Wrap individual layers tightly in plastic wrap and then foil or a freezer bag. Defrost layers overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before frosting.
• Frosting can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days before using. Let the frosting sit at room temperature for at least one hour, and then re-whip it with your mixer before frosting the cake. The frosting can be frozen in an airtight container for up to one month. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.
• Butterscotch sauce will keep for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator (and tastes great over ice cream!) Store it in an airtight container and reheat it gently in the microwave or stovetop.

Troubleshooting and FAQs for your Butterscotch Cake

How can I fix Grainy Butterscotch Sauce?

Grainy butterscotch sauce usually happens due to crystallization of the sugar. Here are some suggestions for fixing it:

1. Reheat Gently – Return the sauce to low heat and stir continuously to help dissolve sugar crystals.
2. Add Liquid – Stir in a splash of cream, milk, a few tablespoons of corn syrup or water while whisking to smooth it out.
3. Strain It – If the texture remains grainy, strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any undissolved sugar or solids.
4. If your sauce is beyond saving, you can try blending it with an immersion blender to break up the crystals.

To prevent grainy butterscotch sauce in the future, you can add a tablespoon of corn syrup or honey to the brown sugar mixture before cooking, which will help prevent crystallization. A generous pinch of cream of tartar also works.

Why Did my Cake Layers Turn Out Dry?

These cake layers should be nice and moist, with the addition of butter, oil, sour cream and milk. If your cake layers are dry, here are some potential reasons:

1. Overbaking: Start checking for doneness a few minutes before the suggested time. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
2. Too much flour: Use a kitchen scale for precise measurements. If using cups, spoon the flour into the cup and level it off instead of scooping directly from the bag.
3. Improper storage: Wrap cakes tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.

Check out Some More of my Favorite Celebration Cake Recipes

• Wolf Cake
• How to Make a Taylor Swift Cake
• Hummingbird Cake with Bourbon Buttercream
• The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe {Only One I Ever Make!}
• Homemade Confetti Cake Recipe

Tried this recipe and loved it? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or give it a review!