Butterscotch bar cake – Copyright Coquere
The cake should have a chewy consistency and is very addictive but at the same time easy to bake with few ingredients
Butterscotch bar cake
Butterscotch bar cake or just butterscotch bars, is a well-known and popular cake in the US, but less known in Scandinavia. Butterscotch was apparently first produced in the mid-19th century in Yorkshire, England. The tradition of adding molasses stirred into butter, however, stretches back hundreds of years. The confection was originally made under the name butter caramel. It is less certain when people began making Butterscotch cakes with or without Butterscotch cream. This recipe is without cream, and the cake is reminiscent of brownies but with a toffee and caramel-like flavour. The cake should have a chewy consistency and is very addictive but at the same time easy to bake with few ingredients. Many recipes recommend the use of glucose syrup, but ordinary syrup also works well and contributes to the cake’s chewy texture. It is baked in a 20 x 30 cm tin and yields 25-30 pieces, depending on how large you cut them. The cake keeps well in a cake tin in the refrigerator for up to a week and can also be frozen.
Ingredients
450 g demerara sugar/brown sugar
250 g butter
3 eggs
5 tbsp glucose/light syrup
3 tsp vanilla sugar
375 g fine spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Optional: nuts 80-90 g (e.g., walnuts or peanuts)
Directions
- Bring the eggs to room temperature.
- Melt the butter and demerara sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes while stirring continuously.
- Set the mixture aside and pour it into a large bowl that can hold all the ingredients.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir well.
- Once the sugar and butter mixture has cooled down to about 50-55 °C, use an electric mixer to mix thoroughly.
- Add the syrup.
- Then add one egg at a time while mixing, until everything is well incorporated and the mixture becomes airier.
- Sift in the dry ingredients and mix into a smooth dough. If desired, you can roughly chop nuts or peanuts and mix them in.
- Pour the dough into a form about 20 x 30 cm – either a non-stick form or a form lined with baking paper. Make sure the dough is evenly distributed in the form. Note! A lot of sugar caramelising can cause the cake to stick to the form, so it’s recommended to use baking paper in the bottom of a non-stick pan anyway.
Bake: On the lowest shelf in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 30-35 minutes. The baking time depends on your oven and the size of the form. Do not bake for too long; the cake should be chewy and moist. A cake tester should come out dry. Too long baking time can result in a dry cake. Let the cake cool completely before cutting it into bars or pieces. The cake keeps well for a few days in an airtight container and can be frozen.
Serve: When you want to treat yourself to something nice with coffee, milk, or on its own.
Allergy: Contains gluten. Can be made gluten-free using gluten-free flour. The cake contains a lot of liquid, making it suitable for gluten-free baking. The lactose content is low, mainly from the butter, and is usually well tolerated. In cases of extreme lactose intolerance, use lactose-free butter. When using wheat flour, the cake is high in FODMAP, but using gluten-free or spelt flour will make the FODMAP content low to medium.
NB! If you use nuts, be aware that many people have nut allergies, and this is one of the most severe allergies to have. It is worth noting that peanuts are a legume, so those with nut allergies often tolerate them. One of the most common allergies is peanut allergy. Therefore, make it a rule to inform if you have used this.
Read more about different sugar types: Sugar
Read about the origin of Butterscotch caramels: Butterscotch origin