This Easy Homemade Butterscotch Sauce is smooth and creamy. It can be used as a topping for ice cream, as a filling for cakes and to make Butterscotch Buttercream.
For my daughter's Harry Potter themed birthday, she asked for a Butterbeer Cake. I wanted to frost it with Butterscotch Buttercream to give the flavor of Butterbeer, which is a fictional, butterscotch flavored drink from Harry Potter.
In order to make Butterscotch Buttercream, I first needed to make homemade butterscotch sauce. I also wanted to use the buttercream in Butterbeer Macarons.
Initially, I made a different recipe for butterscotch sauce that was included in a recipe for Butterscotch Buttercream. This butterscotch did not turn out well. It was grainy and not smooth like it should be.
I decided to turn to a source I could trust, David Lebovitz. The resulting sauce was just as I would expect a butterscotch sauce to be. It turns out, it was less about the ingredients and more about the method.
The process for making butterscotch sauce is very similar to that of making caramel sauce. While caramel is traditionally made with granulated sugar, butterscotch is made with brown sugar.
This sauce can be used just like you would use caramel sauce: as an ice cream topping, in a cake, in macarons, or in buttercream.
Although slightly different, this sauce reminds me of the sauces for these Warm Sticky Figgy Puddings and Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
Make the Butterscotch
Melt the butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup heavy cream in a saucepan, stirring until smooth. While David Lebovitz uses light brown sugar, I like to use dark brown sugar to add a deeper flavor and color to the butterscotch. The choice is up to you.
Without stirring, let the mixture cook at a bubbling simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons heavy cream.
Allow the sauce to cool for about 10 minutes, then stir in the vanilla. If you like salted caramel, you can add some sea salt to taste to the butterscotch sauce. This helps balance the sweetness. The heat should dissolve the salt quickly. I add sea salt to the sauce for Warm Sticky Figgy Pudding.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Storage
Store the butterscotch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To use, gently warm it on the stove. Sauce should be served warm.
Uses
Butterscotch Buttercream which I used for Sorting Hat Butterbeer Macarons, Golden Snitch Macarons and a Butterbeer Cake. I also served the extra sauce as a topping for Butterbeer Punch on top of whipped cream.
You can serve this butterscotch sauce as an ice cream topping or even mix it into drinks. It could be used inside a cake as well.
Gluten Free Option
This recipe is naturally gluten free.
📖 Recipe
Easy Homemade Butterscotch Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark, packed)
- ¼ cup plus 6 tablespoons heavy cream (divided)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter, brown sugar, and ¼ cup heavy cream in a saucepan, stirring until smooth.4 tablespoons salted butter, 1 cup brown sugar
- Without stirring, let the mixture cook at a bubbling simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons heavy cream.
- Allow the sauce to cool for about 10 minutes, then stir in the vanilla.½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: add sea salt to taste.
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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