Self Saucing Butterscotch Pudding magic – one batter transforms into a warm butterscotch pudding cake AND butterscotch sauce! The cake is fudgy and moist, and the sauce is rich and indulgent, just like a homemade caramel sauce.
This recipe is the butterscotch version of everybody’s favourite Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding. Just as quick, just as easy, just as loved!
Self Saucing Butterscotch Pudding
There’s something childishly satisfying about self saucing puddings. I love the magic of it – one batter making a warm pudding plus a sauce.
And I love the cosiness of puddings. Put a delicately crafted chocolate masterpiece next to a “rustic” bowl of apple crumble topped with a melted mess of ice cream, and I’d choose the crumble any day and twice on Sunday.
So – 6 tier cakes you may never find on here (2 tier is my limit, it seems).
Rustic puddings and cosy crumbles? You will find lots of them here. Aforementioned Apple Crumble has much company, including Strawberry Crumble, Caramel Baked Apples, Sticky Date Pudding, Bread and Butter Pudding and of course, everybody’s favourite Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding.
And this Butterscotch Pudding is the latest to join the gang!
How to make Butterscotch Pudding
I promised you quick and easy, and I did not exaggerate.
Essentially, what you do is make one simple batter, then sprinkle the top with a sugar-cornflour mixture and cover with hot water. Then as it bakes, the sugar-cornflour mixture sinks to the bottom (I like to imagine all sorts of wonderful things happen as it passes through the pudding sponge) and it bubbles away and thickens under the pudding as it rises into a fluffy, moist cake.
It’s like…. magic!!
I love how it looks so innocent with it comes out of the oven… no hint of all that gorgeous butterscotch sauce underneath!!
What goes in Butterscotch Pudding
And here’s what you need to make it. Very few ingredients!
Just a note on a few of the items:
DARK brown sugar – using dark rather than normal brown sugar intensifies the butterscotch flavour of the pudding and the sauce. So use it if you can – but it’s still well worth making even if you only have normal brown sugar!
Golden syrup – an Aussie/UK syrup used in baking, such as Anzac Biscuits. It has a caramel type flavour which makes it ideal to use in the pudding to give it a butterscotch flavour without making a caramel the traditional way with butter and sugar. It’s not widely available outside of Australia/NZ/UK though here it is on Amazon.com ($3.63 for a can).
Best substitute golden syrup
Dark corn syrup (this is ideal), honey or maple syrup. Any of these will be fine because most of the butterscotch flavour in this overall dish comes from the sauce!
PLENTY of Butterscotch Sauce!
This recipe makes a generous amount of Butterscotch Sauce because I can’t imagine anything more disappointing than cutting through hot pudding only to find little or no sauce underneath. 😩
So this recipe makes almost 50% more sauce than usual Butterscotch Pudding recipes which provides some margin for error, and differences in oven temperature, depth of baking dishes…. and all the other little things that can affect the outcome of a recipe.
The other nice thing about this pudding is that it’s not too sweet. Butterscotch sauce is typically made with just butter and sugar (like this caramel sauce) but in this Pudding, the sauce is also thickened with cornflour/cornstarch which means less sugar is needed to achieve the syrupy consistency.
Which means you can totally justify topping with ICE CREAM!!! In fact, scratch that. Ice cream is mandatory!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
More warm, cosy desserts
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Self Saucing Butterscotch Pudding
Ingredients
Butterscotch Pudding:
- 1/4 cup (50g) dark brown sugar , packed (Note 1)
- 1 1/4 cup (185g) plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup (125ml) milk (full or low fat)
- 4 tbsp golden syrup (Note 2)
Butterscotch Sauce:
- 3/4 cup (150g) dark brown sugar , packed (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp cornflour / corn starch
- 2 cups (500ml) boiling water
Serving
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Grease a 6 cup baking dish (1.6L/1.6Q) with butter.
- Butterscotch Sauce: Whisk sugar and cornflour in bowl. Set aside.
- Pudding batter: Place sugar, flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add butter, egg, milk and golden syrup. Whisk until mostly lump free.
- Scrape into baking dish and smooth surface.
- Sprinkle Butterscotch Sauce sugar mixture all over surface.
- Pour boiling water over the surface over the back of a dessert spoon held as close to the batter as you can (to soften the pour so it doesn’t break the surface of the batter).
- Transfer to oven, bake 40 minutes or until skewer inserted into the cake part comes out clean.
- Cut through pudding to reveal butterscotch sauce underneath.
- To serve, scoop pudding into a bowl then douse with butterscotch sauce. Top with ice cream!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Just had breakfast.
Now it’s snooze time.
We all want #LifeofDozer!!
Doubled the recipe slightly bigger tin,sorta came out alright,sauce was kinda thin.
Some of us really liked while others didn’t like that it only tastes like brown sugar and was too sweet and the icecream was an welcome ofset(tho i think the should have had less sauce)
If i made again i won’t double maybe it’ll come out differently
Hi Nagi,
Would this work with rice malt syrup? That’s all I have.
Love all your recipes!
Hi Nagi,
I’d like to do this for a pudding for a dinner at a friends house – can I make the batter before hand and finish it off with the sauce and cook it at her house?
Hi Amanda, unfortunately not, once you activate the raising agent it needs to be baked. You could keep the wet and dry ingredients separate and then mix at her house. N x
Can I use a 13×9 or a Bundt pan? Would the recipe measurements be the same?
Hello. Is there another size pan I can use? I don’t have the one in the video or a 12 cup pan? If so, what size pan and what should I do differently with therwaipe to make it come out right using a different pan?
Hi Megan, it depends on what size you have – what size pan do you wish to use? N x
Preferably 13×9 or a Bundt pan. I have both
Hello! I am planning to use your recipe for Xmas dinner this year – do you have any idea about whether I could steam this in a pudding basin? Might have to do a trial run…
Hi Chelsea, I honestly haven’t tried as this is a self saucing pudding – N x
My mom always made brown sugar pudding and in a time of few treats I never really liked it. I will try your version and see what happens.💛
Do you think adding/layering sliced apples at the bottom of the pan, right before i pour down the cake batter would be fine? Or the apples would affect the overall texture of the cake and/or sauce after baking?
Hi Dino, I imagine it will affect the texture of the cake as they’ll leech liquid – I’d love to know if you try though! N x
I think I’ll try! Do you think 1/4 cup is enough or too much?
Do you 1/4 cup of Bourbon to the water to make it “boozy”? Could I add raisins too? (I love raisins!) Sorry I usually don’t like to change recipes – especially yours because they ALWAYS come out perfect and delicious! Thanks Nagi!
Hi Veronique, 1/4 cup of what sorry? N x
This looks really, really good. Do you think I could add some booze like Bourbon to make it more interesting?
You’d be mad not to Veronique – Just add it to the sauce to taste 😉 N x
Wow! Made this today as a treat as have had a couple of rough weeks so that it would make myself and my husband smile. Boy it did!! Lovely treat without being too sweet. Thank you Nagi for making us both smile today xxx
Oh my goodness so tasty! Light and fluffy cake with lots of caramel like sauce, and sweet but not too sweet! I made a half batch (but with honey instead of golden syrup and a full egg, because that’s easiest), and reduced the cooking time to 20 minutes but mine was done by 15 because our oven runs hot. Can’t wait to make the chocolate one next! I often crave lava cakes but this is so much easier and just as delicious, and satisfies that craving perfectly!
Oh my word Nagi, you have done it again! 🤣 I made this pudding today as a test for friends coming next weekend for dinner.😋 It is the best pudding ever. So light and fluffy, tasty with loads of sauce. My husband devoured it, he had a huge bowl with loads of double cream. He’s 6ft 2″ and like a stick insect. 🤣🤣 not fair. It is definitely on the menu for next week. I’m also doing your lamb recipe which I’ve made before….also amazing. Thankyou for continuing to challenge me. I love it! 🤣🤣 I’m just waiting for my Artisan bread to prove which I have made several times with fantastic results. Also delicious! You’re amazing! 💕Love to Dozer. X 🐕
hi Nagi, I’m Federica
i tasted sticky date pudding while visiting melbourne with my relatives … can’t forget it!
I ask you for advice: for health reasons I don’t eat butter, how can I replace it?
thank you
Federica, Genova, Italy
HELP 😣.
so I made this but halved all ingredients as only for 1 pudding fiend (my husband).
It didn’t come out as the photo.
The top was fine, but underneath sauce was more like Apple sauce texture and there wasn’t much flavour in the whole pudding.
Should I have reduced the cooking time?.
Hi Alison, yes sounds like it’s overcooked and all the syrup had soaked into the cake unfortunately. If you halve the recipe, it should take less time in the oven – I would check it at 20 minutes to ensure it’s done. N xx
Yummy! Loved it!
I, too, love your blog and make many of your recipes, but was disappointed in this one.- not very flavorful. I had to substitute honey for golden syrup, which may be my issue.
I love your recipes Nagi. I made this for the family and they all loved it. Will definitely make again. Thank you
Perfect Angela, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x
Beautiful recipes
This caught my eye today and I just had to try it… absolutely amazing!!! I’m adding it to the 24 other recipes I’ve made from your website and totally loved 😋 I’m slowly working my way through them all!! 😁😁😁 thanks soooooo much, Nagi 🤩🤩