Scotcheroo Cake

You want Scotcheroos but in cake form? This is for you! Peanut butter cake layers are topped with a whipped Scotcheroo filling, then crunchy Rice Krispie cereal is sprinkled overtop. A generous dose of butterscotch chocolate buttercream is used to envelope the entire cake. This cake is absolutely amazing!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 45

Assembly Time 1

Total Time 3 15

Servings servings

Calories 1221kcal

Author Whitney Wright

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Cake

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whipped Scotcheroo Filling

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light Karo syrup
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Crunchy Rice Krispie Cereal

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispie cereal
3 tablespoons dry milk powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Butterscotch Chocolate Buttercream

3 cups unsalted butter slightly softened but still cold
8 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chopped
10 oz butterscotch chocolate chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch salt

Instructions

Peanut Butter Cake

Preheat oven to 325° F. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans by spraying with non-stick spray and lining the bottoms with parchment paper.In a medium bowl, sift together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in oil.
With the mixture on low speed, add half of the flour mixture, all of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until combined, but don’t overmix.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 28-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the layer comes out clean or with a couple crumbs stuck to it.
Let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks until completely cool. If making ahead of time, wrap with plastic and freeze.

Whipped Scotcheroo Filling

In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix sugar and karo syrup and heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and mix in peanut butter. Set aside to partially cool.
While peanut butter is cooling, beat one cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Mix about ½ cup of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture while it is still slightly warm. Mix until it’s completely combined. Doing this will make it easier to fold into the whipped cream.
Gently fold in the peanut butter mixture to the rest of the whipped cream. Keep refrigerated until ready to use (up to 3 days).

Crunchy Rice Krispie Cereal

Preheat oven to 375° F and line a cookie sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper.
In a bowl, mix together everything except the melted butter, then slowly add the butter and mix until everything is combined.
Spread onto the cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Butterscotch Chocolate Buttercream

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate, butterscotch chips, and heavy cream. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Continue to microwave in 15 second intervals, mixing each time, until everything is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and a pinch of salt on medium high speed until it’s smooth and light in texture and color. With the mixer on low speed slowly add the powdered sugar and then the chocolate-butterscotch mixture. Mix in the vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes. If making ahead of time, store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Remove from the refrigerator 3-4 hours before cake assembly.

Assembly

Spread a dollop of buttercream in the center of a clean cake board or stand. Place a cake layer on top of it. This will help keep the cake from sliding around while you assemble and decorate it.
Spread a thin layer of buttercream evenly over the cake.
Pipe a rim of the buttercream around the top to create a dam, and add about ¾ cup of the whipped scotcheroo filling. Sprinkle about ½-2/3 cup of the crunchy rice krispie cereal over the filling and gently press it in. The rim of buttercream should be taller than the filling so when the next cake layer is added the filling doesn’t leak out of the sides.
Place the second cake layer on top of the buttercream rim filled with filling and repeat steps 2-3.
Place the third cake layer on top and crumb coat the entire cake in a thin layer of buttercream. Refrigerate or freeze for a few minutes, until the buttercream is cold and firm.
Apply the final layer of frosting and swirls. We used Ateco tip #827. But any large star tip (like wilton 1M, 2D, or 6B) will work well. We topped each swirl with a scotcheroo square.

Notes

See my post on How to Store and Freeze Cakes to know how you can make each element of a cake ahead of time.

Nutritional information does not include the scotcheroo square used on top of the cake for decoration.

Nutrition