Old-fashioned butterscotch cake is moist, tender and bursting with warm brown sugar sweetness. This butterscotch sheet cake is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Easy butterscotch cake is baked from scratch and topped with homemade butterscotch frosting for layers of sweet, buttery goodness.

close-up view of a slice of butterscotch cake with a bite taken out of it.

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When it comes to classic, old-fashioned desserts a few flavors stand out.

Chocolate never goes out of style. Peach and strawberry are ideal in the spring and summer.

Butterscotch is warm, sugary and indulgent any time of the year.

Growing up, a few of the older folks in church would stock their pockets and purses with Butter Rum Lifesavers.

They were a fan favorite amongst the kids in the congregations and would generally keep our mouths occupied during the sermon.

Thanks to those little hard candies, butterscotch became a flavor I associate with good times and good people.

I don’t carry hard candy, but I do bake and I regularly make this easy butterscotch cake for potlucks and entertaining. It’s my little nod to a pleasant childhood memory.

This old-fashioned butterscotch cake recipe is made with simple ingredients and has a rich, warm flavor.

Like my buttermilk sheet cake, it’s a crowd-pleasing favorite that yields many servings.

The butterscotch cake recipe is simple to follow, comes together quickly and will leave everyone with a smile on their face.

More Old-Fashioned Desserts You’ll Love:

overhead view of a plate with a slice of butterscotch cake on it, and the pan of remaining cake is next to the plate.

Butterscotch Cake Baking Tips

Making butterscotch sheet cake is pretty straightforward, but it never hurts to have a few tips to help everything go smoothly.

Use room temperature ingredients. Butter, eggs, milk and buttermilk should all be brought to room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before baking unless otherwise noted. Everything will mix together beautifully.
Measure correctly. Especially when measuring dry ingredients use a spoon to fill the measuring cup then level with a knife.
Use cake flour. Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour. As you mix the batter, less gluten forms which means your cake is softer and fluffier.
Don’t overmix. Overmixing the batter also cases gluten to form and the key to that soft and fluffy texture is less gluten. Mix until the ingredients are just incorporated.
Cool the cake completely. Warm cake is delicious, but you will have a better final product if you let the cake cool completely before frosting.

a slice of old-fashioned butterscotch cake rests on a dessert plate. The pan of remaining cake is in the background.

How to Make Easy Butterscotch Cake

It’s really easy to make butterscotch sheet cake.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

For the Cake:

Cake Flour
Dark Brown Sugar
Baking Powder
Salt
Butter
Vanilla Extract
Eggs
Buttermilk

For the Frosting:

Butterscotch Baking Chips
Butter
Powdered Sugar
Milk or heavy cream

mise en place view of all ingredients needed for making butterscotch cake with butterscotch frosting

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe card is available below)

Prepare the equipment. First, you’ll preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray or butter and set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients. Next, you’ll whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

two photos; one shows dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; the other shows those ingredients whisked together

Mix the wet ingredients. Next, you’ll mix together butter, vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk until combined in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer.

Mix the batter. Then, with the mixer on low speed (or by hand with a spatula), gradually add the flour mixture into the large bowl of wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

two photos; one shows dry ingredients added to the bowl of wet ingredients. The other shows those ingredients all mixed together to form a batter.

Bake. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

butterscotch cake batter in a baking dish, ready to be baked

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove cake from oven and and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Prepare the frosting. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add butterscotch chips and stir until completely melted and smooth.

two photos; one shows butterscotch chips added to melted butter in a saucepan; the other shows those two ingredients mixed together with a spatula until smooth.

In a medium mixing bowl (or in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the remaining butter until smooth.

Add in 3 cups of powdered sugar and the milk (or heavy cream), mixing until crumbly.

two photos; one shows butter and powdered sugar and milk in a mixing bowl; the other shows those ingredients mixed together with an electric mixer until crumbly.

Add melted butterscotch chips and beat on high speed until smooth and creamy.

If needed, gradually add up to 1 more cup of powdered sugar, mixing until your desired consistency is achieved.

two photos; one shows melted butterscotch added to the butter/powdered sugar mixture; the other shows an electric mixer beating it all together to form frosting.

Frost the cake. Last, you’ll spread the frosting over the top of the cake (I like to use an offset spatula), slice, and serve.

close-up view of a slice of homemade butterscotch cake, topped with butterscotch frosting, cut from the pan.

Notes and Adaptations:

Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own. Add 1.5 Tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then add enough milk to measure 1.5 cups. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, then use in place of buttermilk. You can also mix a bit of sour cream with milk to make buttermilk.
You can use vegetable oil instead of melted butter in the cake, if preferred.
If you don’t want to make a single layer cake, you can use two round cake pans to make additional cake layers. You’ll likely need to decrease the baking time–I’d start checking them around 22-25 minutes. I’d recommend doubling the frosting in that case.

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: Approx. 16-20 Servings

Butterscotch Cake

Name: Butterscotch Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: For the Cake:; 3 cups cake flour; 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar; 1 tablespoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup butter, melted; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 4 eggs, at room temperature; 1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature; For the Frosting:; 1 cup butterscotch baking chips; ½ cup butter, softened to room temperature; 3-4 cups powdered sugar; 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

This old-fashioned butterscotch cake is the perfect dessert for a crowd!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cake:
3 cups cake flour
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
For the Frosting:
1 cup butterscotch baking chips
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray or butter and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), mix together butter, vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk until combined.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven and and allow to cool completely before frosting.
To prepare frosting, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add butterscotch chips and stir until completely melted and smooth.
In a medium mixing bowl (or in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the remaining butter until smooth.
Add in 3 cups of powdered sugar and the milk (or heavy cream), mixing until crumbly. Add melted butterscotch chips and beat until smooth and creamy.
If needed, gradually add up to 1 more cup of powdered sugar, mixing until your desired consistency is achieved.
Spread frosting over cooled cake and serve.

Notes

Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own. Add 1.5 Tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then add enough milk to measure 1.5 cups. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, then use in place of buttermilk. You can also mix a bit of sour cream with milk to make buttermilk.
You can use vegetable oil instead of melted butter in the cake, if preferred.
If you don't want to make a single layer cake, you can use two round cake pans to make additional cake layers. You'll likely need to decrease the baking time--I'd start checking them around 22-25 minutes. I'd recommend doubling the frosting so you have enough for a layer cake.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 541Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 307mgCarbohydrates: 108gFiber: 0gSugar: 88gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.