Mom's Yellow Cake with Butterscotch Frosting

This is the kind of cake that gets passed down on a stained index card. A proper three-layer yellow cake made from scratch with buttermilk, separated eggs, and real butter. No box mix shortcuts here.

The technique is old-school pastry: cream butter with confectioners’ sugar, beat in egg yolks one at a time, then alternate adding flour and buttermilk. The egg whites get whipped separately with salt until stiff and folded in at the end. That folding step is what gives this cake its tender, airy crumb that a standard one-bowl method can’t touch.

The butterscotch frosting is cooked on the stove. Brown sugar, butter, and cream boiled together, then cooled and thickened with powdered sugar. It sets into a caramel-flavored frosting with a slight pull, not too sweet, with deep toffee notes.

Kitchen Tips

• Line the cake pans with parchment (or brown paper as the recipe calls for) and grease with shortening. Without lining, these layers will stick.
• Fold the egg whites gently. Aggressive stirring deflates them and you lose that light, fluffy texture.
• Cool the frosting fully before spreading. Warm butterscotch frosting slides right off the cake layers.

Variations

• Add a layer of sliced bananas between the cake layers with the frosting for a butterscotch-banana cake.
• Swap buttermilk for sour cream for an even denser, more tender crumb.
• Toast pecans and press them into the frosting on the sides for a butterscotch-pecan finish.