Wendy’s Kitchen: My Go-To Christmas Cake
Hey, it’s Wendy. Every winter I make sure I make three things at least once each. First, Immunity Soup (Nice try, cold and flu season!). Second, a copycat version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana (yes…it’s just as good as the original. Now if I could only figure out those darn breadsticks). And third, the famous Butterscotch Pumpkin Cake. And while I usually deviate from a recipe to make it better, I haven’t needed to with this one. I do make adjustments to the sauce and presentation, but the recipe for the cake is perfect. Here it is, from verybestbaking.com. I’ve put **** where I make adjustments, which I’ll explain below.
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1 2/3 cups (11-ounce package) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels, divided****
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
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1 tablespoon baking powder
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1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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1 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
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1/2 cup vegetable oil
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3 large eggs
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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3 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)
- 1/3 cup NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk****
Every time I make this recipe, I have leftover evaporated milk that sits in the fridge for weeks until I throw it out (I buy the 12 oz can instead of the 5 oz). So, I get extra butterscotch morsels and I double the sauce recipe. This is also better, in my opinion, because I never have enough of that delectable stuff. Plus, if you have leftover sauce, it’s AMAZING in hot chocolate or your favorite creamy cocktail!
The other modification I do (not every time, but often), is the presentation. Instead of a bundt, I have poured the batter into mini bread loaf pans or cupcake tins as give them as gifts. This will change your cooking time, so adjust accordingly.
An awesome alternative to the sauce is to sprinkle the chips that were to be used for the sauce on the bottom of the loaf or cupcake tins before pouring batter in. This makes for a nice little crust of butterscotch at the bottom of the cake. And, if you are as butterscotch-happy as I am, do both the chip base and the sauce. Other alternatives are to pump the sauce into the middle of the cupcake and let the inside soak it up. Also, consider using leaves as a stencil on top of the bundt before you sprinkle the powdered sugar. It can get tricky, but it makes a pretty design (use small leaves, and remove them before serving!). If you’re getting fancy with plating the cake, you can pour the sauce in a zigzag pattern on the plate before laying a piece of cake on top of it. That looks pretty enough to be on Cake Boss!
And, even though the photo is of a pumpkin pie parfait, this is totally doable with the cake. Just layer small pieces in a mason jar with whipped cream and drizzle the sauce on top. Skip the powdered sugar on this version. Very festive!
Stay tuned for my other go-to winter recipes. Happy Holiday Baking!!
