Butterscotch Bars - Perfect Lunch Box or Teatime Treats

 

Usually at the weekend I like to make a cake or something "cake-like" to snack on. A delicious treat to enjoy along with a hot drink, or just to have on hand if someone stops by. That's a very Canadian Maritime thing to do, this idea of having something sweet to offer a guest with a cup of tea if they pop by, either expectedly or unexpectedly!

Some of my best visits with friends have taken place at my kitchen table over a plate of cake or cakes accompanied and quaffed down by copious amounts of hot tea.

This weekend I baked Butterscotch Bars.  These are actually more like finger sized snacking cakes, but that's okay, why quibble about a name.  Bars, cakes . . . if they are delicious and easy to make, it matters not!

This is a recipe that comes from the pages my Big Blue Binder. I have had it for years and years. I can no longer say where the recipe came from originally. I copied it into my Big Blue Binder back in the 1980's. It could have come from a friend, or a magazine, or a cookbook taken out of the library. 

My Big Blue Binder is a vinyl covered binder that I started collecting recipes in when I was still at home and at school. It contains recipes shared with me by family and friends, clipped out of magazines and hand copied out of a variety of cooking books through the years. It has been around the world with me and reads like my culinary history. It is one of my life's treasures.

The children used to love me making these tasty cake bars to pop into their school lunches. No surprise there!  Dense and delicious with a beautiful butterscotch flavor and a rich fudge-like topping, these always go down a real treat with children and adults alike!

 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO

 MAKE BUTTERSCOTCH BARS 

A few very simple everyday baking and store cupboard ingredients.

For the bars:

• 1 cup (190g) soft light brown sugar, loosely packed
• 1 1/2 cups (187g) cake flour (see notes)
• 3/4 cup (94g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (172g) butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup (80g) dairy sour cream
• 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the fudge frosting:

• 1 cup (200g) soft light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1/4 cup (57g) butter
• 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream (You may need more)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups (260g) icing sugar, divided

 

I tell you below how to make your own cake flour if you don't have any of your own. It's very easily done and works a charm.  I so seldom need cake flour that this is what I do most of the time when it is called for.

I used full fat sour cream and salted butter. If you don't have any sour cream you can replace it with full fat plain yogurt if you wish.

I use whole milk because I only keep the one kind of milk in my house.  I suspect that any kind of milk will work.

Heavy cream is the same as whipping cream. You could also use un-reconstituted canned evaporated milk in it's place.

Icing sugar is also what is known as Confectioner's sugar or Powdered sugar.

 

HOW TO 

MAKE BUTTERSCOTCH BARS

These are really very simple to make. I highly recommend making them over a two-day period, baking the cake mixture on the first day and making the fudge icing the next.

To make the cake base:

1. Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C/ gas mark 3. Butter a 9-inch square tin and line with baking paper.
2. Place the brown sugar, both flours, baking powder, soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk together with an electric hand whisk on low to combine.
3. Add the butter to the bowl and whisk on medium low speed, stopping to scrape the bottom up to the top occasionally, until the mixture resembles damp sand.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape the sides occasionally, until well combined.
5. Beat in the sour cream, milk and vanilla, mixing on medium speed for 3 minutes until you have a smooth and fluffy batter.
6. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached.
7. Cool completely in the pan (about 2 hours) and then frost with the fudge frosting.
8. Cut into 10 fingers to serve.

 

To make the fudge frosting:

1. Combine the brown sugar, butter, cream and salt in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
2. Continue to cook at a low boil until the mixture reaches the temperature of 240*F/116*C. A bit of the mixture should form a soft ball when dropped in cold water.
3. Whisk in half of the icing sugar. Beat the remaining icing sugar in using an electric whisk until you have a smooth mixture. You may need extra cream to get the right consistency.
4. Spread immediately over top of the cake. Allow to set before slicing.
5. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

 

HINTS & TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Measure and weigh everything accurately. Use glass liquid measuring ups for the liquids and dry measuring cups for the dry ingredients. If you are baking by weight, use a scale that is accurate.
• If you make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature before starting, you will have a much nicer bake.
• Stop and scrape the measuring bowl often. This helps to make sure you are incorporating everything evenly.
• Use a timer for accuracy and check your bake five or ten minutes before the finish time. Some ovens run hotter, and it may be done before the stated time, or it may even be done longer than the alloted time.  Timings are according to the accuracy of my oven, not yours.
• Leave to cool completely in the pan. This will give you the lovely dense texture you are looking for.
• Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the butterscotch mixture. If you don't have one of those you can use the cold-water test. A bit of the mixture dropped into cold water should form a soft and pliable ball.

 

FREQUENTLY

ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN YOU MAKE THESE AHEAD OF TIME?

Absolutely. I actually make mine over a two-day period. I bake the cake on the first day, leave it to sit in the pan overnight, covered, and then frost them the next day. They cut beautifully when you do this.

CAN THESE BARS BE FROZEN?

Absolutely!  Simply wrap tightly (helps to prevent them from taking on any other odors from the freezer).  You can do this individually or as a whole. If you wrap them individually, then you can just take out one or two or three when you need them!  They will keep in the freezer, properly wrapped, for up to three months.

WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF CAKE FLOUR?

No cake flour? No problem! You can easily make your own. For every cup of flour needed, remove 2 TBS of the flour and replace it with 2 TBS of cornstarch/corn flour.  For this recipe that means you will need to remove 3 TBS of the flour and add 3 TBS of cornstarch.

 

A FEW OTHER 

TEATIME TREATS TO ENJOY

ZESTY LEMON COCONUT BARS - What you have here is a moist, buttery coconut cake, topped with a cloud of tangy lemon buttercream. Adorned with a sprinkle of fresh lemon zest.  Each bite is a beautiful balance of sweet and tart citrus.  This bake has a beautiful melt-in-the-mouth texture. Nothing fancy here, just pure and simple baking magic.

LONDON CHEESECAKES - You just have to love the British habit of giving things names that have nothing at all to do with what they really are. These nostalgic British bakes are not cheesecakes at all but flaky, buttery puff pastry bakes, cradling a dollop of sweet raspberry jam and topped with an almond frangipane. Finished off with a glossy glaze and a sprinkle of coconut. Every bite is a tasty contrast of crisp pastry, tender cake and sweet jam. Perfect with a hot cuppa!

  

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Yield: 10 slices

Author: Marie Rayner

Butterscotch Bars

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 55 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 3 H & 25 M

Delicious brown sugar cake bars with a lush brown sugar fudge topping. A rare treat! If you enjoy the flavors of butterscotch, these are for you! I tend to bake the bars on one day and then make the topping the next. They cut perfectly.

Ingredients

For the bars:

• 1 cup (190g) soft light brown sugar, loosely packed
• 1 1/2 cups (187g) cake flour (see notes)
• 3/4 cup (94g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (172g) butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup (80g) dairy sour cream
• 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the fudge frosting:

• 1 cup (200g) soft light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1/4 cup (57g) butter
• 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream (You may need more)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups (260g) icing sugar, divided

Instructions

To make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C/ gas mark 3. Butter a 9-inch square tin and line with baking paper.
2. Place the brown sugar, both flours, baking powder, soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk together with an electric hand whisk on low to combine.
3. Add the butter to the bowl and whisk on medium low speed, stopping to scrape the bottom up to the top occasionally, until the mixture resembles damp sand.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape the sides occasionally, until well combined.
5. Beat in the sour cream, milk and vanilla, mixing on medium speed for 3 minutes until you have a smooth and fluffy batter.
6. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top springs back and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached.
7. Cool completely in the pan (about 2 hours) and then frost with the fudge frosting.
8. Cut into 10 fingers to serve.

To make the fudge frosting:

1. Combine the brown sugar, butter, cream and salt in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
2. Continue to cook at a low boil until the mixture reaches the temperature of 240*F/116*C. A bit of the mixture should form a soft ball when dropped in cold water.
3. Whisk in half of the icing sugar. Beat the remaining icing sugar in using an electric whisk until you have a smooth mixture. You may need extra cream to get the right consistency.
4. Spread immediately over top of the cake. Allow to set before slicing.
5. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

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