Homemade Butterscotch and Daim Layer Cake with Butterscotch Frosting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This homemade butterscotch and Daim layer cake with butterscotch frosting was originally published in November 2018 on The Culinary Jumble. The recipe has been updated slightly.

Cake. What would life be like without cake? Hopefully I’ll never have to find out because I tell you, that wouldn’t end well.

Seriously though, birthday season has rolled around again in our house and regular readers will know that any birthday is a flimsy excuse for a fancy cake here.

 

 

Celebration cakes

Over the years I’ve made many celebration cakes, usually for birthdays. When my kids were younger, I went over.the.top. And why not? If you can’t make fabulous cakes for your kids’ birthdays, when can you? I am not a cake decorator, at all.

There will never be any fancy-schmancy frosting going on. I make up for that by being heavy with the sugar and butter. My most indulgent cake ever, was by my monstrously indulgent chocolate overload cake. My son wanted chocolate. And chocolate, he got. 

I’ve also made things like dirt cake, Licorice Allsorts cake, white chocolate mud cake and our favourite, chocolate fudge cake.

This time around, the now 14 year old was persuaded that he wanted nothing more than a Daim cake. Okay, he was in total agreement and there was no arming twisting, but it was definitely my suggestion.

 

 

Daim Bar in Desserts

Daim bars are no stranger to the blog, either. I’ve used them in everything from Daim and caramel cream desserts, to candy, like my fudge and Daim and almond bark. For those of you not in the know, Daim bars are one of Sweden’s favourite chocolate bars. Word on the street tells me that if you are close to an IKEA anywhere in the world, you can pick up your own. However, if this is not possible, Skor or Heath bars seem like a suitable substitution.

The teeth-breaking Swedish chocolate covered caramel candies absolutely make the cake. However, although Daim is the lead in this show, the homemade butterscotch gets a supporting role worthy of an Oscar.

I came up with the idea of using butterscotch because I thought it would go so well with Daim and I am pleased to say, I wasn’t wrong. By the way, have you ever wondered what the difference between butterscotch and caramel was? Yep, me, too.

 

 

For this cake, and the first time ever, I decided to make a four layer cake. There’s a reason why I’ve never tried it before. As already mentioned, cake decorator extraordinaire, I am not. I am pretty sure The Cake Girls won’t loose much sleep over it, put it that way.

It isn’t going to win any beauty competitions. I made an absolutely bodge of cutting the cakes in half (knew I would. Just knew it), and it didn’t slice very cleanly, but you know what? Who cares. This blog is all about making it real. Real food for real people. And I know you guys don’t care about silly little things like perfection.

Bottom line: it tasted delicious. That’s what counts.

The cake was good right off the bat but the flavour deepened the longer it sat there.

It’s unusual for cakes to last long in my house but we were out about, and didn’t get the chance to eat it all. Third day in, the cake tasted better than it did when we ate our first mouthful.

The butterscotch flavour in this Daim layer cake is hiding quietly in the background rather than coming out all guns blazing. The cake is not super-sickly sweet, either. With a dense, moist sponge and lashings of rich, sweet buttercream frosting, it tasted ah-mazing.

 

Homemade Butterscotch and Daim Layer Cake with Butterscotch Frosting

Course Cake

Ingredients

Butterscotch:

  • 60g (¼ cup) butter
  • 100g (½ cup) brown sugar
  • 125ml (½ cup) cream

Daim (see note 1):

  • 168g (6 oz) Daim (3 x 56g double bars)

Cake:

  • 175g (¾ cup) butter
  • 100g (½ cup) brown sugar
  • 50g Daim "powder" (see instructions)
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons homemade butterscotch
  • 1 tablespoon dark syrup (see note 2)
  • 150ml (⅔ cup) milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 100ml (3½ oz) Greek yoghurt
  • 200g (1⅔ cups) spelt flour (see note 3)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

  • 150g (⅔ cup) butter (softened)
  • 200g (7 oz) cream cheese
  • remaining butterscotch
  • icing sugar (see note 4)

Instructions

Butterscotch:

  • Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan until just melted.
  • Add the other two ingredients, and stir to combine.
  • Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the mixture thickens and the sugar is dissolved (around 6-8 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking/burning.

Daim:

  • Take 2 x 56g bars of Daim and blitz them in a food processor.
  • Remove half when they are crushed but still chunky and set to one side.
  • Continue to blitz the remaining Daim until they resemble a powder. Again, set to one side (but separate from the larger bits).

Cake:

  • Pre-heat the oven to 175ºC (350ºF) and prepare two 6 inch (18cm) pans.
  • Cream the butter, sugar and Daim "powder" together until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the eggs and then the butterscotch and dark syrup.
  • Finally, mix in the milk, vanilla and Greek yoghurt.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and then stir into the wet ingredients.
  • Pour into the prepared pans and bake for around 30-35 minutes. The cakes are ready when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  • Let the cakes cool a little before turning out onto a wire rack, then allow them to cool completely.

Frosting:

  • Beat the butter and cream cheese together until nice and light.
  • Add the remaining butterscotch.
  • Finally, add as much icing sugar as needed to make a thick, but spreadable frosting.

Assembly:

  • Carefully cut both cakes in half.
  • Spread an even amount of frosting over the top of every layer and place the cakes on top of each other. If you like, give the cake a bit of a "naked" look (as I have) but it isn't necessary.
  • To decorate the cake, break up the remaining 56g of Daim aiming for a jagged edge and stick them into the frosting.
  • Sprinkle with the retained crushed Daim. I also added a few gold sprinkles I had in the cupboard, but these are optional. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

 
  1. If you don't have access to Daim bars, Heath or Skor are good alternatives.
  2. I used a very dark syrup we have in Sweden, but you could even use treacle or molasses).
  3. You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).
  4. Just use as much icing sugar as needed.
 
Disclaimer:
I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made the recipe with imperial measurements.
In addition, many ingredients are different in Europe compared to North America. I do all I can to offer possible alternatives and to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone. However, results cannot always be guaranteed if you have not used the same ingredients, measurements or methods as me.
Lastly, I do everything I can to ensure that my recipes (and instructions) are accurate and easy to follow. However, I am human, and don't always get it right. If you notice anything strange, a mistake, or even a typo, please let me know in the comments. 

Homemade Butterscotch and Daim Layer Cake with Butterscotch FrostingHomemade Butterscotch and Daim Layer Cake with Butterscotch FrostingHomemade Butterscotch and Daim Layer Cake with Butterscotch FrostingHomemade Butterscotch and Daim Layer Cake with Butterscotch Frosting



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