I’m such a firm believer that you should never go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day. There’s so much pressure and the restaurants are always crowded with dates and most times they only offer a pre-fix menu and the whole experience isn’t as fun or as romantic as movies make it out to be. That’s why I always suggest to anyone who will listen that you should just stay home and make something together. You might not like to cook or even be that great at it, but at the end of the day if you both do it together it can actually be a lot of fun. Set yourself up with success and do something simple. A dinner for two like this roasted tomato caprese ravioli can be so simple and delicious. If you’re feeling up to a bit more of a challenge, this chicken roulade would be something great to tackle with your special someone. Perhaps meatballs, mashed potatoes and roasted kale is more your speed? At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what you make, it’s more about the concept of getting in the kitchen and just enjoying the process together. And if you save room for dessert (which you most definitely should on this day), then this Butterscotch Cake for Two is the perfect sweet treat to end the night. Top it with ice cream and homemade butterscotch sauce (recipe below) and you won’t need anything else. Ever. So take the stress out of Valentine’s Day this year, stay home and just create some memories in the kitchen with that special someone. You won’t regret it.
In a small, heat-proof bowl, combine 2 tablespoons butterscotch chips with the water and microwave for 30 second bursts until melted and smooth. Set aside.
**Tip: If you can’t find butterscotch chips for some reason, you can just use 2 tablespoons of store-bought butterscotch sauce for this. You won’t have to microwave it or mix it with water. Just use the store-bought sauce when directed below!**
Let’s turn our attention to the simple cake batter now. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the shortening, granulated sugar and brown sugar. It should look like coarse sand at this point and that’s okay!
Stir in the melted butterscotch from earlier and mix until well-combined, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
**Note: This is where you would add the store-bought butterscotch instead of the melted chips from earlier, if you decide to go that route!**
Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Then add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the dry.
**Note: So it should be a 1/3 of dry, half of buttermilk, 1/3 of dry, last of buttermilk and then last of dry! I wasn’t sure if I was confusing you or not, so I wanted to make sure it was clear!**
On the last batch of dry ingredients, add the remaining butterscotch chips to the dry mixture and toss to coat, then add to the batter. Fold until just combined.
**Tip: By doing this, it ensures that the butterscotch chips don’t just sink to the bottom of the cake. The flour will help suspend them in the batter. Again, if you can’t find butterscotch chips though, you can omit them or use chocolate chips instead!**
Divide evenly between the prepared ramekins. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and a toothpick, inserted in the middle, comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, combine the butter, sugar, salt and cream in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until melted through and well combined. Bring to a boil and cook, untouched, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla or bourbon.
**Note: The sauce might seem really thin at first, but as it cools it’ll thicken slightly. You can make the sauce in advance and just rewarm on the stove or microwave to make it pourable again!**
Serve the cakes warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and a generous drizzle of the butterscotch sauce! It’s Valentine’s Day after all, so go crazy with the ice cream and the sauce!
**Tip: If you can’t find butterscotch chips you could actually double this homemade sauce and use half of it in the batter as directed and then the other half for drizzling on top!**
I used a plain vanilla bean ice cream because I find that the flavor goes so well with the butterscotch in the cake and the sauce, but you can really use whatever flavor you prefer. Butter pecan or salted caramel ice cream would be great as well, if you really want to go over the top with butterscotch flavor.
A sprinkling of sprinkles or even chopped candied nuts would be great on here as well and it will give the cakes a nice crunchy texture at the end. Nothing wrong with that!
I would plan this out and make them right after dinner so that they’re still warm when you go to serve and it would be a great thing you can both do together! But if you want to make it earlier in the day and just rewarm in the oven for a few minutes that would be okay too. I hope you give it a try and be sure to let me know what you think below!
- ¼ cup butterscotch chips, divided
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon flaky salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla or bourbon
- Preheat oven to 350 F°. Grease and flour two 3.5-inch soufflé ramekins and set aside.
- In a small, heat-proof bowl, combine 2 tablespoons butterscotch chips with the water and microwave for 30 second bursts until melted and smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the shortening, granulated sugar and brown sugar. It should look like coarse sand. Stir in the melted butterscotch from earlier, and beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the dry. On the last batch of dry ingredients, add the remaining butterscotch chips to the dry mixture and toss to coat, then add to the batter. Fold until just combined. Divide evenly between the prepared ramekins. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and a toothpick, inserted in the middle, comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce, combine the butter, sugar, salt and cream in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until melted through and well combined. Bring to a boil and cook, untouched, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla or bourbon. Set aside to cool slightly and thicken a bit.
- Serve the cakes warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and a generous drizzle of the butterscotch sauce! Enjoy!
Hubs & I made this for Valentine’s & our 40th anniversary. It was delicious and a easy to follow recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so excited to try this! My sweetie is a HUGE butterscotch fan! Thanks!