Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Tons of sweet, complex butterscotch flavor.
Texture: The cake is moist and tender without being too delicate, while the glaze is rich and luscious.
Ease: Simple and straight forward.
Pros: Beautiful and scrumptious cake, perfect for fall!
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Yes.
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I feel like butterscotch is an underutilized flavor in the world of baking. Caramel, specifically salted caramel, seems to get all of the love and attention.
Caramel is the Marcia of sweets, while poor butterscotch is the Jan. I think it’s time to change that a little.
Butterscotch is equally as delicious and usually even easier to make or incorporate into baking from scratch. Take this Butterscotch Bundt Cake for example.
Its cake base is made from a high ratio of brown sugar to granulated sugar, which lends that complex deeply sweet flavor that I crave so often. The glaze is where the true butterscotch flavor shines. It’s so easy to make. We basically combine butter, brown sugar, and cream in a saucepan and cook it for a few minutes. No thermometer required, no difficult steps.
The only thing you have to be wary of? The glaze thickens and sets fast, so it needs to be poured onto the cooled cake soon after making. If it sets before you can use it, just reheat until it’s nice and pourable again.
I added just a hint of cinnamon to this cake as well to accentuate how perfect it is for autumn baking. It smells like an absolute dream while baking! If you want to give this recipe a go, be sure to read through my baking tips below first.
Bundt Cake Recipe Tips
Bundt Cake Pan
This recipe calls for a 10-inch bundt pan with a 10 to 12 cup capacity. I used this Wilton Bundt Pan with success. If you’re using a nonstick pan, be sure to hand wash it gently to preserve the nonstick coating. Even if the manufacturer says you can place in the dishwasher I would avoid it. I find hand washing extends the life of the pan and the integrity of the nonstick coating, which is so important with bundt cakes!
Make Ahead & Storage
The bundt cake can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can use a pretty cake stand with a glass lid to cover your cake if it’ll be on display, or a plastic cake carrier which works better for transporting.
How to Prevent a Bundt Cake from Sticking
There are a few tips to prevent your bundt pan from sticking horribly to the pan so you can get as clean of a release as possible. Of course, it’s not the end of the world if a few pieces stick because the glaze can disguise this a bit. I’d suggest watching the below video completely so your bundt cake never sticks:
Tip #1: Use a good quality nonstick bundt pan without any scratches or damage to the nonstick coating. See more about the pan just above. The first time I made this recipe it released from the pan perfectly. I used my go-to bundt pan which I’ve had for years. The second time I used a friend’s bundt pan and it stuck to the pan a little. That’s why I recommend following tip #2 below if you ever have trouble with sticking.
Tip #2: Coat your pan in whatever way works well for you to get a clean release. If you experience sticking, then generously coat your bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray OR melted shortening only. Use a pastry brush to really get into all of the nooks and crannies with the grease, including that center column. Do this just before you pour your batter in, so the grease doesn’t have time to slide down the sides and pull in the bottom of the pan. If you feel the need to flour your pan, a nut flour like almond flour works best.
Tip #3: Once you remove the pan from the oven, let it rest right side up for a few minutes, then flip it onto a wire rack to cool some more. The upside-down position will help the cake slowly release from the pan, and it might just release on its own without much effort from you. The wire rack will prevent condensation from building on the cake itself due to the residual heat, which is why you should avoid doing this on a flat surface. Once the pan is cool enough to handle you can use a small plastic offset spatula (don’t use metal which may scratch the nonstick coating) to gently loosen the cake from the pan if needed before flipping onto your cake stand or serving platter.
If you make and enjoy this Butterscotch Bundt Cake, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram, tagging #handletheheat, so we can all see your creations!
More Bundt Cake Recipes You’ll Love:
Butterscotch Bundt Cake
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 1/4 cups (286 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (227 grams) sour cream
For the icing:
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Thoroughly grease a ten-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or melted shortening. To ensure the cake won’t stick, use a pastry brush to spread the grease into all the nooks and crannies.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium high speed until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla then the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Add the sour cream and flour mixture in alternating additions, beating between each addition, until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and tap against the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake until golden brown, with a cake tester coming out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Flip the cake in the pan onto a wire rack and allow to cool for about 30 minutes before removing from the pan entirely.
Make the icing:
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar, salt, and cream and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the sifted powdered sugar. Drizzle over the cake immediately. Let stand for 20 minutes, or until the icing is set, before serving. Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Photos by Sarah Fennel.
Made this cake today and it was easy to make and very delicious. The cake was light, moist and had a lovely hint of cinnamon flavour. My only issue (and the reason for the 4 stars) was the icing. I think the instructions should have said to cool the cake completely or let the icing sit a minute before drizzling it over the cake. Mine ran right off. I saved the day by scooping up what went off and putting it back on the cake once it was cooler. It wasn’t the prettiest but it was delicious.
Hi Tessa, this bundt cake if one of my favorites. I’ve made it a few times now but have a question. In your icing directions you say to use 1/2 cup packed brown sugar but have 100 grams in parentheses. I believe 1/2 cup packed brown sugar may be closer to 200 grams. Do you mean 1/4 cup packed brown sugar or should the gram measurement be higher? I’ve been using 1/2 cup packed brown sugar in my icing which hardens quickly and doesn’t flow down my cake as in your photo, but still tastes great.
I’ve made this throughout the last year for colleagues and friends the first time went over so well, it’s requested now for birthdays depending what the birthday person feels like and what I’ve made last. But this one is popular. I broke the cake once getting it out of the pan unfortunately following your specific coating directions and that just didn’t work for my pan.. now I generously just use butter and lightly flour it too just to be safe. But maybe it’s just my cheap pan. The recipe is lovely and I get raves about it every time. My husband even asked for the glaze for another banana cake I made instead of the glaze that recipe came with so this cake and the glaze are pretty unstoppable. Thank you!
When do I add butterscotch chips???
Thank you for a quick and easy, delicious buttery, light and moist cake recipe. My family loved it.
Hi Tessa, thanks for another amazing recipe that I can’t wait to try.
I have a silicon bundt “pan” and have good luck with it releasing cakes as I can maneuver it back more than a traditional metal bundt pan. Is there any difference I should be aware of when baking in this silicon bundt pan as compared to a metal one?
moist delicious cake! I made it non dairy and it came out great!
You have your cook time listed as 25 minutes, but in the directions it says 50 minutes to an hour. Please advise. Thanks.
Just finished making this! Your instructions are so easy to follow, and the cake came out perfectly!
One question, for the icing, when do you add the salt? I sifted it in with my powdered sugar but I wasn’t 100% sure.
Oh wonderful, so happy to hear that! Yes, that’s right. I’ve just corrected the recipe to reflect that 🙂
I have to admit that I’m a sucker for butterscotch as well. I mean, it contains butter, so… 😀 This cake looks scrumptious, Tessa!
Yes!!!!! I’ll be making this this weekend, sounds and looks delicious!!!
You have a typo: The only thing you have to be weary of? I believe you mean wary. Weary means tired; wary means to show caution. 😀