This easy butterscotch cake recipe is made with an eggless cake base, crunchy cashew caramel praline, and whipped fresh cream frosting. You can turn this into butterscotch pastries too.
1cup(242 grams) unflavored yogurt, homemade or store-bought
⅓rd cup (67 ml ) flavorless oil
1teaspoonbutterscotch essence
2tablespoonswater
For butterscotch praline
½cupgranulated white sugar
1tablespoonbutter
A drop of butterscotch essence
⅓cuproasted cashewssee notes
For the whipped cream frosting
1½cupnon-dairy whipping creamsee notes
½teaspoonbutterscotch essence
A drop of yellow food color
For decoration (Optional)
Few shards of reserved praline
Some caramel sauce drizzle
Flowers
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180C /350 f for at least 15 minutes.
Preparing the pan for baking
Brush the pan on the base and side with oil and dust with flour.
Line one 7" cake pan with parchment paper.
In a bowl add sugar and yogurt.
Cream the sugar and yogurt until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Add flavorless oil, water, butterscotch extract, and whip well until oil is emulsified.
The oil should completely blend in and not float on the top.
In another bowl sift all dry ingredients and give it a quick mix.
Now, slowly add sifted flour fold into the wet ingredients a little at a time.
Fold the dry ingredients in the liquid ones with a spatula or whip it with a hand blender/stand mixer until lump-free and smooth.
Do not over mix.
The batter should be medium consistency.
As yogurt consistency differs, add 1 tablespoon extra water if needed.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C /350 f for 30 -35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with fewer crumbs and not sticky batter.
(Refer to the notes) for a cooking time in different baking pans.
Take it out of the oven.
Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes undisturbed.
Now loosen the sides with a butter knife and invert it onto a cooling rack.
Loosely cover it with muslin or dishcloth and let it cool completely before wrapping and storing it in the fridge.
If you plan to level, slice, and decorate the cake then refrigerate it overnight or at least for 6 hours before proceeding to the next step.
Butterscotch Praline
Line a dish or flat pan with parchment paper.
Keep it ready before starting the caramel process.
In a wide heavy bottom pan, add sugar.
Switch on the gas on medium flame.
Do not stir or move until the sugar starts melting or sugar will crystalize.
On the first sight of sugar melted, pick up the pan and start swirling.
Lower the flame and let it melt.
Pick up the pan and swirl around frequently for even melting of sugar.
Once all sugar is melted you can use a spoon to mix constantly.
When the sugar turns light golden brown, add butter and a drop of butterscotch essence and mix well.
Be careful as the mixture will bubble rapidly. Keep stirring to avoid burning of the sugar.
Let it cook for 3-5 seconds.
Don’t let it turn too dark or else it will taste bitter.
Once it turns amber in color and caramelized, turn off the flame and take the pan off the gas.
Quickly stir in chopped cashews.
Now work faster before the caramel cools down.
Take out the caramel on the parchment-lined surface and spread it thin.
I use one more parchment paper to cover the praline and roll it thin with a rolling pin.
Once it’s rolled to approx. ⅛th “thickness, take off the top parchment paper.
Let the praline harden at room temperature.
It will harden once it’s cooled completely.
Break the praline in small pieces.
Reserve a few big pieces for decoration.
Crush the rest with a rolling pin as shown in the photos.
Store in in an airtight container, in a cool dry place until use.
Whipped Cream
Chill the whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes.
In the stand mixer, add cream and essence.
Start the mixer on low speed for a minute.
Then increase the speed to medium and whip for 8-10 minutes.
Make sure to stop in between and stir the cream with a spatula.
Whip until you see stiff peaks.
Refrigerate until use.
Alternatively, You can use a big bowl and handheld electric mixer with wire whisk attachment.
Do not use a beater attachment.
Assembling the cake
Lay the cake layer on a cake board or any dish you plan to keep it on.
Slice it with a leveler or a serrated knife to get even layers.
Scoop a generous amount of frosting on each layer.
Spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
Top it with a good amount of prepared butterscotch praline.
Repeat this process with another layer.
Now that the layers are piled up, crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting.
Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.
Remove the cake and add one more layer of frosting.
Pipe borders with the desired piping tip.
Top it with butterscotch or add decorations your way!
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before cutting.
Always keep this cake refrigerated until serving.
Notes
Please go through the entire post for frequently asked questions.
Useful tips to follow
In any circumstances do not touch the caramel while handling.
Roast the nuts for few minutes if they aren’t pre-roasted.
Let the cake completely cool before slicing.
I like to refrigerate the cake base covered in foil overnight or at least for 6 hours before slicing.
Crumb coat is optional but recommended. It seals the crumbs and makes the final coat easy so do not skip it.
Whenever you are working with whipped cream frosting do it in a cool room and work fast.
Do not use a beater attachment to whip cream. Use a whisk.
Shelf life and storage
Always keep the whipped cream frosted cake in the fridge until served.Stays good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Possible Substitutes
For the cakeUse any white sugar of your choice, not confectioner's sugar. Use plain yogurt of your choice. I have used homemade yogurt here which is not as thick as Greek yogurt. If using Greek yogurt then increase the water by 2 extra tablespoons and reduce the yogurt by 1 tablespoon. Cornstarch and white cornflour are the same. Swap cornstarch with an equal amount of all-purpose flourFor the pralineYou may swap roasted cashews with toasted almonds.Substitute for the frostingI have used Pastry Pride non-dairy whipping cream.The non-dairy frostings are available online or in leading grocery stores. They already have sugar and stabilizers so you do not need any mascarpone. Just whip as directed. For homemade sturdy whipped cream frosting follow my recipe below.Sturdy Mascarpone Frosting
Recommended pan size to make a cake -
It all depends on whether you like tall cakes or flat cakes.For standard size cakes -Two-layer 6” round cakeTwo-layer 7” square cake1.5 times the recipe for two-layer 8" cakeEasily double the recipeDouble the recipe for a 9” two-layer round cake or a 9*13 quarter sheet pan.As well as for three-layer 8” round cakeFor tall cakesThree-layer 6 “round cakeFour-layer 6” round cake (Thin pastry-like layers)
Cooking time depends on pan size used
If you are using a single 6”, 7” or 8” or a loaf pan then cooking time will be between 32-45 minutes.If you are dividing the batter between two pans then it will be between 25-30 minutes.