This easy butterscotch pudding cake bakes up soft and tender with a generous layer of rich butterscotch sauce. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream and toasted pecans for an irresistible cozy dessert.
This butterscotch pudding cake is one of those wonderfully simple desserts that delivers far more than you’d expect from the effort involved. The soft brown sugar cake is delicious on its own, but the real treat is the generous pool of warm butterscotch sauce ready to spoon over every serving.
Even better, there’s no separate sauce to make. Brown sugar and boiling water go right on top of the batter, and the oven takes care of the rest. Add ice cream and toasted nuts, and you’ve got a pretty irresistible dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Butterscotch Pudding Cake
- It makes its own sauce. There’s no separate butterscotch sauce to prepare — the sauce forms underneath the cake as it bakes.
- It’s wonderfully easy. The batter is quick to mix, and the rest is mostly a matter of layering everything in the pan.
- The flavor is rich and buttery. Dark brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and just enough salt create plenty of butterscotch flavor without making the cake overly sweet.
How to Make Butterscotch Pudding Cake
The batter comes together quickly, and then the assembly gets a little unusual. Don’t worry — the layers of brown sugar and water are exactly what create all that butterscotch sauce underneath the cake.
Make the batter. Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine them just until mixed. Spread the thick batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Add the topping. Sprinkle the brown sugar and salt evenly over the batter. This layer will eventually make its way underneath the cake to help form the sauce.
Pour boiling water over the top. Slowly pour the water over the back of a spoon so it gently covers the surface without disturbing the layers. Don’t stir! As everything bakes, the cake rises and warm butterscotch sauce forms underneath.
Bake and rest. Bake until the cake is puffed and springs back lightly in the center. Don’t be concerned if you see some bubbling around the edges — that’s exactly what you want. Let the cake rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so the sauce can settle and thicken slightly.
Tips for Success
- Use dark brown sugar. Its deeper molasses flavor is key to giving this dessert its rich butterscotch flavor.
- Don’t stir after adding the water. Keeping the layers intact allows the cake and sauce to form as they bake.
- Use boiling water. Have it ready when you assemble the cake so you can pour it over the topping while it’s still very hot.
- Don’t wait for the sauce to look set. The cake itself should be baked through, but the sauce will remain fluid and spoonable.
- Give it a few minutes before digging in. That short rest makes the sauce a little thicker and also saves you from serving dangerously hot spoonfuls of butterscotch!
Serving Suggestions
This cake is especially good served warm with vanilla ice cream. Scoop each serving into a bowl, making sure to get plenty of sauce from the bottom of the pan to spoon over the top.
For a little crunch, finish with toasted chopped pecans. They’re completely optional, but that combination of butterscotch, vanilla ice cream, and toasted pecans is hard to beat.
Storage and Reheating
Once the cake has completely cooled, store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The cake will gradually absorb some of the butterscotch sauce as it sits, so it will be at its sauciest when freshly baked.
Reheat individual servings gently in the microwave until warm. The leftover cake is still soft and delicious, although you won’t have quite as much free-flowing sauce as you did on that first day.
An Easy Dessert with a Big Payoff
There’s a lot to love about a dessert this easy that comes out of the oven with its own sauce ready to go. But what really wins me over is how good it is — the tender cake, rich butterscotch, and that extra spoonful from the bottom of the pan. Add ice cream, and I will happily call that dessert perfection.
More Pudding Cakes to Try
Butterscotch Pudding Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (200 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the topping:
- ¾ cup (150 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) boiling water
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Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
- Whisk together the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, milk, and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir just until combined. The batter should be thick but smooth.
- Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
To make the topping and bake:
- Sprinkle the brown sugar and salt evenly over the batter.
- Carefully pour the boiling water over the back of a spoon so it covers the surface without disturbing the batter.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is puffed and the center springs back lightly when touched. The sauce will still be bubbling around the edges and underneath the cake.
- Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.
- Serve warm with your desired garnishes.
Notes
- Dark brown sugar: I recommend dark brown sugar for the richest butterscotch flavor.
- Boiling water: Pour the water gently over the back of a spoon to cover the batter without disturbing it. Do not stir after adding it.
- Serving: This cake is best served warm. Spoon the sauce from the bottom of the pan over each serving and add ice cream, toasted nuts, or another garnish if you like.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave. The cake will absorb some of the sauce as it sits but will still be soft and delicious.
One Comment on “Butterscotch Pudding Cake”
Butterscotch pudding cake with its own sauce is pure comfort. Pecans and ice cream on top sound perfect. Great recipe.