Recipe: Butterscotch Cake With Butterscotch Icing

As promised the recipe for Butterscotch Cake from the 1934 Spry Cookbook.

Before I start with this recipe I have to give a word of warning.  Do not attempt this without a candy thermometer.  I'm assuming housewives in the 30's knew what hard ball stage was in reguards to candymaking and I knew because of experimentation with candymaking years ago, but I still was very much in want of a candy thermometer.  That being said, here's the recipes:

  
Butterscotch Cake

A feathery, fine-textured cake with a bonnie butterscotch flavor

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cups hot milk
1/2 cup spry Crisco
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 eggs, well beaten
3 cups sifted flour (cake flour preferred)
3 teaspoons baking powder

Combine 1 cup brown sugar, butter, and 1/4 cup milk in saucepan and cook until a small amount forms a hard ball in cold water (250°F.). Stir constantly after mixture starts to boil. Remove from fire and stir in 1 1/4 cups hot milk gradually. Cool . . . Combine Spry, salt, and vanilla. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar gradually and cream until light and fluffy . . . Beat eggs until light and add gradually to creamed mixture, beating thoroughly . . . Sift flour and baking powder together 3 times. Add small amounts of flour to creamed mixture, alternately with butterscotch mixture, beating after each addition until smooth . . . Pour batter into 10 x 10 x 2-inch pan greased with *Spry pan-coat . . . Bake in moderate oven (350°F.) 50 to 60 minutes . . . Spread Butterscotch icing.

Close Up of the texture

Butterscotch Icing

Real butterscotch flavor in an easy icing.

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup spry Crisco
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons hot milk

Combine brown sugar, butter, 1/4 cup milk, and corn sirup in saucepan and cook until a small amount forms a hard ball in cold water (250°F.). Stir constantly after mixture starts to boil. Remove from fire . . . Combine Spry and salt and add sugar gradually, creaming well. Add hot milk, then pour on hot butterscotch mixture gradually and beat until smooth and thick enough to spread . . . Makes enough icing to cover top and sides of 10 x 10 x 2-inch cake, or for tops and sides of two 8-inch layers.


*Spry Pan Coat is 1/2 C Shortening (Crisco) and 1/4 C All Purpose Flour.  Combine until the consistency of whipped marshmallow is reached (I used a whisk).  Will Store for up to a year in a sealed container in the pantry.  This stuff is excellent and doesn't burn like commercial non-stick spray.

I found the cake was very moist and delicious with a great butterscotch flavor that reminded me of Butterscotch Krimpets, only tastier and without the nasty chemicals.

This based on a yield of  9 Servings

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