Cooking with Thas is celebrating its second anniversary and this is the 250th post…
This day, two years ago in Chicago, I started this blog with the sole intention of keeping a track of and sharing my recipes with everyone. At that time I honestly never thought that I would come this far with 250 recipes and a fan page on Facebook. I owe big time to those people who constantly inspired me, supported me and encouraged me with all their heart. Most sincerely, my gratitude first and foremost goes to my dear mom and my darling hubby, then to all my readers/fans/well wishers/fellow bloggers/chefs; without you people I wouldn’t have reached this far.
Thanks a bunch to each and every food lover out there for your support.
Kitchen has been one of the places I love to hang out, inhaling the aroma of the spices, mesmerized by the colors and putting together all the flavors, at the end of all the cooking fun a platter with delicious food will be ready to indulge in.
When I first started off, for a few days I was skeptical whether I would be able to post at least one recipe/week. As days passed by, my Picasa album started to flood with food pictures and I had many word documents of the “tried”and “soon to try” recipes. Both cooking and blogging is relaxing to me and I find extreme pleasure while doing these two activities. I hope I’ll stick to this passion throughout my life and continue to share my recipes with everyone.
When I saw the pictures of Butterscotch Pecan cake on my Picasa, I knew that the recipe for this cake is going to be the apt post for the blog’s second anniversary. I had made this cake two months ago to surprise my friend on her birthday. Well, I did surprise her and she felt extremely happy for making her feel special on her big day.
I got this recipe from Martha Stewart’s website. Whenever I want to make a cake, I go to her website, most of the recipes have worked well for me.
For making the cake I followed the recipe without adding the rum, but for the butterscotch sauce I only made half the amount of what is mentioned, it was good enough to spread the top of each cake. If you are making a three layer cake, you’ll be using all of the frosting. If you are making only 1 or 2 layered cakes, reduce the amount of ingredients accordingly.
I love butterscotch flavor, that’s the main reason why I picked this recipe. Loved the cake, butterscotch sauce and the frosting. While making the frosting and sauce you would feel that it’s going to be too sweet, believe me it wasn’t that sweet as it looks like. In fact the cream cheese in the frosting compensated the sweetness of the brown sugar. Also, do try with brown sugar only then you’ll get the butterscotch flavor. Pecans sprinkled over the cake did give a crunchy and nutty flavor to the cake. You could use any nuts if you prefer.
Butterscotch Pecan Cake:
Made for my friend’s birthday I reduced the candles to 12 to put a smile on her face, lol.
For making 3 cakes:
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil cooking spray, for pans
- All-purpose flour- 3 3/4 cups
- Baking powder- 1 1/4 teaspoons
- Baking soda- 3/4 teaspoon
- Coarse salt- 2 1/2 teaspoons
- Unsalted butter, softened- 10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks)
- Packed dark-brown sugar- 2 1/2 cups
- Eggs, room temperature- 4 large
- Pure vanilla extract- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
- Buttermilk, room temperature- 1 1/4 cups
For making Butter scotch Sauce
- Packed dark-brown sugar- 1/3 cup
- Butter, cut into pieces- 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons)
- Light corn syrup- 1/4 cup
- Coarse salt- 1/8 teaspoon
- Heavy cream- 1/4 cup
For making Frosting:
- Unsalted butter (1 stick left whole, 2 sticks cut into small pieces, softened) – 12 ounces, (3 sticks)
- Packed dark-brown sugar- 2 cups
- Heavy cream- 1 cup
- Coarse salt- 1/2 teaspoon
- Cream cheese, softened- 20 ounces
- Confectioners’ sugar, sifted- 1/2 cup
For garnishing the cake:
- 2 cups pecan halves, toasted and chopped, plus more halves for garnish
Instruction
Making the cakes:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Coat three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment, and coat parchment.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla.
- Reduce speed to low.
- Add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with buttermilk.
- Raise speed to medium-high, and beat for 2 minutes.
- Divide batter among pans.
- Bake cakes until golden brown and a fork inserted in centers come out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Transfer pans to wire racks, and let cool slightly.
- Invert cakes onto racks. Let cool.
Make the frosting:
- Melt 1 stick butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until dark golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add brown sugar, cream, and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a mixer bowl, and let cool.
- With machine running, add remaining butter, a few pieces at a time, and beat on low until incorporated.
- Raise speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes.
- In another bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Add brown-butter mixture to cream cheese, and beat until smooth.
- Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours (or overnight, beating on low speed before using).
Make the butterscotch sauce:
- Mix sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and whisk in cream.
- Return to heat, and cook for 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
To assemble the cake:
- Trim tops of 2 cake layers and top and bottom of third (this will be the middle) to create flat exposed surfaces.
- Brush the butterscotch sauce on cut sides. Let cool.
- Spread 1 cup frosting on 1 layer, then place middle layer on top, sauce side down.
- Spread 1 cup frosting on middle layer, then place third layer on top, sauce side down.
- Spread 1 cup frosting on top and sides.
- Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Using an offset spatula, spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake.
- Press chopped pecans on sides, and garnish top with halves.
- Transfer cake to a serving plate or cake stand.
- Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours (or up to 2 days, covered).
- Vegetable oil cooking spray, for pans
- All-purpose flour- 3¾ cups
- Baking powder- 1¼ teaspoons
- Baking soda- 3/4 teaspoon
- Coarse salt- 2½ teaspoons
- Unsalted butter, softened- 10 ounces (2½ sticks)
- Packed dark-brown sugar- 2½ cups
- Eggs, room temperature- 4 large
- Pure vanilla extract- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
- Buttermilk, room temperature- 1¼ cups
- Packed dark-brown sugar- ⅓ cup
- Butter, cut into pieces- 1½ ounces (3 tablespoons)
- Light corn syrup- 1/4 cup
- Coarse salt- 1/8 teaspoon
- Heavy cream- 1/4 cup
- Unsalted butter (1 stick left whole, 2 sticks cut into small pieces, softened) - 12 ounces, (3 sticks)
- Packed dark-brown sugar- 2 cups
- Heavy cream- 1 cup
- Coarse salt- 1/2 teaspoon
- Cream cheese, softened- 20 ounces
- Confectioners' sugar, sifted- 1/2 cup
- 2 cups pecan halves, toasted and chopped, plus more halves for garnish
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Coat three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment, and coat parchment.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla.
- Reduce speed to low.
- Add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with buttermilk.
- Raise speed to medium-high, and beat for 2 minutes.
- Divide batter among pans.
- Bake cakes until golden brown and a fork inserted in centers come out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Transfer pans to wire racks, and let cool slightly.
- Invert cakes onto racks. Let cool.
- Melt 1 stick butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until dark golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add brown sugar, cream, and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a mixer bowl, and let cool.
- With machine running, add remaining butter, a few pieces at a time, and beat on low until incorporated.
- Raise speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes.
- In another bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar on medium-high until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Add brown-butter mixture to cream cheese, and beat until smooth.
- Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours (or overnight, beating on low speed before using).
- Mix sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and whisk in cream.
- Return to heat, and cook for 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Trim tops of 2 cake layers and top and bottom of third (this will be the middle) to create flat exposed surfaces.
- Brush the butterscotch sauce on cut sides. Let cool.
- Spread 1 cup frosting on 1 layer, then place middle layer on top, sauce side down.
- Spread 1 cup frosting on middle layer, then place third layer on top, sauce side down.
- Spread 1 cup frosting on top and sides.
- Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Using an offset spatula, spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake.
- Press chopped pecans on sides, and garnish top with halves.
- Transfer cake to a serving plate or cake stand.
- Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours (or up to 2 days, covered).
