Extra-Special Butterscotch Rum Cake

Finally, a chance to sit down, relax, and update my blog! I know that I am a little behind with posting, mostly because my summer seemed to get really busy all of a sudden.  The end of July was filled with a trip to Michigan, my birthday, a white water rafting/camping trip in West Virginia, and then a 2 day teacher workshop.  I had a great time traveling, but I am also glad to say that things are finally returning to normal.  Well, somewhat normal.

Robinette's Apple Orchard

The beach in Grand Haven, MI

Camping

Grilling out while camping

Now that my vacations are over, I hope to get back to updating my blog on more of a regular basis.  It may become difficult at times though, seeing that my husband and I are in the process of trying to sell our house.  With that being said, I have had some chances to bake and cook recently, so today I've decided to share something sweet with you! 

As I have already mentioned, the month of July was my birthday month, (Agh....I turned the big 30!) so I felt the need to make a special cake and believe me when I tell you that this is definitely a special cake.  Being a HUGE fan of butterscotch, I knew that I would want it incorporated into my cake somehow, so when I stumbled across this recipe a few months ago, I knew that it would be the one.  In addition to it being called a butterscotch cake, it also said that it contained rum.  Needless to say, I was ecstatic to try it out.  You might look at the recipe with your jaw dropped, thinking "Oh my goodness!  That is A LOT of butter and sugar!"  But hey, ones' birthday only comes around once a year so you might as well celebrate it properly!

Extra-Special Butterscotch Rum Cake
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Yield – 2 (8 inch) round cakes

Ingredients:
For Cake
2 ½ sticks butter, softened
2 ½ cups dark brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp. canola oil (I substitute apple sauce, it works the same and is healthier, not like it matters with this cake)
4 large eggs
2 Tbsp. rum
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans

For the Butterscotch Buttercream

1 lb. butter softened (Yup, a whole pound)
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup heavy cream
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. rum
3-4 cups sifted confectioners sugar (I used around 4 or maybe a little more to get the frosting to the consistency I desired)

For the Butterscotch Sauce

¾ cup dark brown sugar
6 Tbsp. butter
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup heavy cream

Directions:

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter and flour 2 8-inch baking pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and dark brown sugar together until light in color and fluffy.  This will take about 3 minutes.  Beat in the oil (applesauce) until well combined.  Now add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the side of the bowl as needed.  Beat in the rum and vanilla until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the batter in two additions, alternating with the sour cream until just combined.  Mix in the chopped pecans and continue to beat at medium speed for one more minute.

Divide the cake batter between the pans, filling about 2/3 full.  Bake the cakes at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown and an inserted cake tester comes out clean.

Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the buttercream:  Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat until it turns a deep golden brown and becomes fragrant, about 6 minutes.  *Make sure to stir constantly while the butter is melting* 

Now, add the brown sugar, cream, and salt, all while continuing to stir until the sugar dissolves.  Bring the mixture to a boil, while stirring, and cook for 3 minutes longer.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at a high speed until the bowl feels cool to touch, about 8-10 minutes.  Beat in the rum.  With the mixer running at a medium speed, add the remaining butter one tablespoon at a time, beating until incorporated.  Continue to beat the mixture until it becomes smooth and creamy.

Beat in the confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time until it achieves a thick and spreadable consistency.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the butterscotch sauce:  In a medium sauce pan combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt and place over medium heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves.  Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes, making sure to stir frequently.

Now, remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the cream.  Then, return the saucepan to the heat and cook for 2 more minutes.  Take the sauce off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

How to assemble the cake:  Once everything is cooled place a layer of frosting on top one of the cakes.  Follow that by a little of the butterscotch sauce.  Now, place the other cake layer on top and spread a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake and down the sides.  Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.  This will help the frosting form a crumb coat, so that when you frost the cake you won’t get any loose pieces coming up.

Take the cake from the refrigerator, frost, and decorate as desired.  You could choose to add some extra sauce to the top or even sprinkle on some pecans.  I chose to decorate mine with butterscotch chips.  Enjoy!

Source: The Curvy Carrot, originally adapted from Peanut Butter and Julie