Recipe: Butterscotch Layer Cake (Nigella Lawson)

I have been saving this recipe for Butterscotch Layer Cake for "Cook Like Nigella Lawson" event this month. This was also the first cake I baked from her book, How to be a Domestic Goddess, for Hubby's birthday. 

Butterscotch Layer Cake

Nigella describes this cake as "very rich" but not palate cluttering or cloying, so you will go on to have three slices with languorous ease. The richness comes from the cream cheese frosting and I have to agree, although rich it was a very nice kind of richness ;)

For me, this is quite a rustic-looking cake -Nigella's instructions are to roughly frost the cake and then drizzle the remaining caramel sauce on top ala Jackson Pollock, the artist most famously known for his drip painting.

Happy Birthday papa!

Butterscotch Layer Cake
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 40-50 minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients
For the cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
7 tbsp softened brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups self raising cake flour
2-4 tbsp whipping cream

For the icing:
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 3/4 cup (14 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 375°F / 185°C. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.

2. Start with the icing since you need to let it cool before using. Dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat in a saucepan, remembering not to stir at all as it will crystallise if you do. When it seems dissolved, turn up the heat and boil until it turns a dark golden color, about 10-15 minutes. Try not to be faint-hearted, caramel has to be near burning or else it won't be caramel otherwise.

3. Then, take the pan off the heat and slowly whisk in the cream. It may go a little lumpy but don't panic, it will smooth out. When the cream has been added, put the pan back on the heat for a further minute, whisking until smooth and combined. Cool then refridgerate until you need it.

4. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, one at a time and a spoonful of flour between each. Fold in the rest of the flour and add whipping cream as necessary to achieve a dropping consistency. Divide batter between the two pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer insered in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on the wire rack.

5. To assemble, first pour the thoroughly cooled caramel sauce into a glass cup measure. Beat the cream cheese until softened, then add 1 cup of caramel and beat gently to combine. Put a layer of cake on to a plate, then using a spatula roughly spread just under half the cream cheese-caramel icing over the top of the cake. Place the other cake on top and roughly ice the top of that cake with the remaining icing. Then, using a teaspoon, drizzle some of the remaining caramel over the cake; think Jackson Pollock.

*I am submitting this to the "Cook Like a Star" event (Nigella Lawson) event hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Anuja from Simple Baking. You can link at any one of the host's page.

*I am also submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Egg" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by me (Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out). You can link your egg recipes here.


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