This. Cake. My absolute favorite all-butter bundt cake covered in butterscotch sauce is... what is the right word? Really freaking fantastic. ("freaking", by the way, is not the right word.)
Even better, both the Butterscotch Cake and Homemade Butterscotch Sauce are super easy to make. The cake will be out of the oven, dripping in butterscotch sauce and ready to eat in under 90 minutes.
Why This Recipe Works
The problem I'm having right now is that I actually made this butterscotch bundt cake last week and there is none left. Which means, I can't eat a slice while writing about it and am having to restrain myself from abandoning my computer to bake another one. I'm not sure I have that much self-control.
The struggle is real people. Here's what I love about this cake:
- Butter is awesome. This is an all-butter cake drenched in butterscotch sauce, and tastes exactly like you'd expect it to: rich, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
- Both the bundt cake and the butterscotch sauce are easy to make. Whip up the simple cake batter, scoop it into a bundt pan and let it bake. White the cake is in the oven, make the butterscotch sauce, which only takes about 15 minutes.
- Even people who say they don't like butterscotch will love this cake. My youngest daughter accepted a slice of this cake with the words, "I don't really like butterscotch, but I'll try it." After a couple of bites she asked for more butterscotch sauce, and after finishing her slice, asked for a second.
- Bundt cakes are awesome. Layer cakes are lovely. But, when you want to make a beautiful cake that's also quick and easy, bundt is where it's at baby. Baking this butterscotch cake in a bundt pan was a no brainer. The doughnut shape makes it so that each slice is coated on all sides with butterscotch sauce.
Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe
- Butter! This is a butter cake and the batter includes plenty of it. Feel free to use salted or unsalted butter depending on how much salt you tend to like in desserts. The most important thing about the butter is that it be at room temperature when you start to mix up the cake batter. The sugar won’t fully incorporate into the butter until the butter is at room temperature. Here's how to bring butter to room temperature quickly.
- Granulated sugar. You'll need 2 cups of white sugar.
- 4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks. The extra yolks add flavor and richness to this cake. It's also important that the eggs be at room temperature when added to the batter.
- An entire tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. Don't use imitation vanilla extract in this recipe. Use the good stuff.
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- Salt, baking powder, and baking soda
- Buttermilk. Buttermilk adds flavor and makes this cake incredibly soft and tender. As with the butter and eggs, bring the buttermilk to room temperature before adding it to the batter.
- 2 cups of butterscotch sauce. Pour butterscotch sauce over this cake after you pull it from the oven, while it's still warm. The warm cake absorbs the sauce, making every bite a rich, sticky, butterscotch lovers dream. In addition to covering the entire cake with butterscotch sauce, I recommend serving each slice with an extra drizzle.
How to Make this Butterscotch Cake
Remember how I said this cake was easy to make? There's basically 4 steps to mixing up the batter:
#1. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until it looks light and fluffy. This will take 3-4 minutes.
#2. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. After adding an egg, let the mixer whip it into the butter and sugar before adding the next one. Pour in the vanilla and mix for another few seconds to incorporate it.
#3. Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda) to a separate bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
#4. Add the flour and buttermilk to the batter in alternating additions. Add ⅓ of the flour, then ½ the buttermilk. Add another ⅓ of the flour and then the rest of the buttermilk. Finally, add the rest of the flour.
After each addition, mix on low speed just until the ingredients are about 90% mixed in before adding the next addition.
That's it. Scoop the batter into a bundt pan and bake. While the cake bakes, make the butterscotch sauce.
I'm just going to warn you now. The problem you're going to have here is the gap of time between when the butterscotch sauce is ready and the butterscotch cake is still baking. You're going to find yourself eyeing every edible thing in your kitchen and considering whether you should smother it in butterscotch sauce.
When the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then, set a plate or a serving platter over the top of the pan and quickly turn the whole thing over. The cake will plop out of the pan onto the plate.
Cover the cake with butterscotch sauce while it's still warm. The warm cake will absorb the sauce, making it rich and gooey, and so moist and buttery it will melt in your mouth.
Pro Tips for Making the BEST Butterscotch Cake
#1. Be sure to properly prepare the bundt pan so the cake will not stick. All the nooks and crannies of a bundt pan can make it super difficult to get a cake out of the pan if it's not properly prepared.
- Use a paper towel to cover the inside of the pan with vegetable shortening or softened butter. Either will work, but I prefer to use shortening because butter can cause the outside of the cake to get a bit too brown.
- Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of flour inside the bundt pan. Shake the pan around so that the flour sticks to the shortening and covers the entire inside of the pan.
#2. How do you know when the cake is done baking? This is a very moist cake, which can make it a bit difficult to tell when it's done baking. Here's how to tell when the cake is ready to come out of the oven:
- Stick a toothpick in the center of the cake and immediately pull it out.
- Look at the toothpick: If you don't see any evidence of raw batter, the cake is done. There might be some cake crumbs sticking to the toothpick. As long as they look like cake crumbs and not like raw batter, you know the cake is ready to be removed from the oven.
Be patient if the butterscotch cake takes longer to bake than the time specific in the recipe. Differences in oven temperature, altitude, weather and humidity can all affect how long it takes a cake to bake.
More Delicious Bundt Cake Recipes:
📖 Recipe
Butterscotch Bundt Cake
My absolute favorite all-butter bundt cake covered in butterscotch sauce. Even better, this Butterscotch cake will be out of the oven, dripping in butterscotch sauce and ready to eat in under 90 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (2 sticks; 226 grams) butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (.5 ounce; 14 grams) pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) table salt - OR 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
- 1 cup (8 ounces; 227 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 cups butterscotch sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F (163° C). Coat the inside of a 10-cup (9 or 10 inch) bundt pan with vegetable shortening or butter. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of flour inside the pan and shake it around so that the entire inside of the pan is thoroughly greased and floured. Tap out excess flour.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until very light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating on medium-high for 20 for seconds after each addition to incorporate each egg into the batter before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda to a separate bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and buttermilk to the batter in alternating additions: ⅓ of the flour, ½ the buttermilk, ⅓ of the flour, ½ the buttermilk, ⅓ of the flour. Beat each addition on medium-low speed just long enough to incorporate it into the batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If you haven't already made the butterscotch sauce, make it while the cake is baking.)
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Place a plate or serving platter over the top of the bundt pan and gently flip the cake over so that it's resting on the plate.
- Use a pastry brush to coat the cake with approximately 1 cup of butterscotch sauce. I like to do this in several layers, allowing some of the sauce to soak into the cake before coating it with another layer. Some of the sauce will pool around the bottom of the cake. Just scoop this up and pour it over slices as you serve.
- Serve with an additional 1 cup of butterscotch sauce for drizzling.
Notes
Coat the cake with butterscotch sauce while it's still warm.
Brushing butterscotch sauce over this cake while it's still warm encourages the cake to absorb as much of the delicious sauce as possible.
Can you use prepared butterscotch sauce in this recipe instead of making it from scratch?
Yes! This recipe for homemade butterscotch sauce is quick and easy and SO delicious. But, you certainly don't have to make the sauce from scratch. If you prefer, pick up a jar or two of prepared butterscotch sauce from your local supermarket instead. Heat it to room temperature so that it's a pourable consistancy before pouring it over the baked cake.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1/12 of the cakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 489Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 560mgCarbohydrates: 74gFiber: 1gSugar: 50gProtein: 8g
Rachel says
Can this be made ahead, i want to make this for a holiday party? If so would you add the butterscotch sauce in layers to let it soak In? And then bring the extra cup to serve at the party?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Rachel! Yes - you can make this cake up to 3 days ahead of time. I would suggest doing exactly as you're thinking - go ahead and soak the cake in butterscotch after you bake it and then bring some extra sauce to the party for serving. Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Baking! xo
Kimberly says
I recently found your website via Pinterest and have enjoyed reading through your recipes. I plan to make the Butterscotch Cake, Caramel Cake and your Italian Buttercream (Caramel) this week. You’ve done an amazing job with directions, tips, and the site in general - gorgeous pictures! Hopefully, my cakes will turn out as lovely as yours!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Thank you so much Kimberly! I'm so excited that you're going to make the Butterscotch and Caramel Cakes this week - they are two of my favorites. Are they for a special occasion? Please let me know if you have any questions along the way, and I'd love to hear how they come out for you! Happy baking! xo