Made in a 9" x 13" cake pan, this Butterscotch Krimpet Sheet Cake combines a vanilla sponge cake base with a thick layer of creamy butterscotch frosting on top. It's really easy to make, and if you grew up loving this classic Philadelphia treat, you will love this version!
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Butterscotch Krimpets
Today, I'm sharing with you another sweet Pennsylvania staple and family favorite from my childhood—this Butterscotch Krimpet Sheet Cake! This sheet cake recipe is a spin on the classic butterscotch krimpets from Tastykakes and a cousin to the Irresistible Peanut Butter Tandy Kakes I've shared here on the blog.
If you're looking for more popular family favorites, check out my Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate Funny Cake, Black Bottom Cupcakes, Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms, Pennsylvania Dutch Fasnacht Doughnuts, and Shoo Fly Pie recipes!
Ingredients Needed
For the vanilla cake, you will need the following ingredients:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Eggs (size Large)
- Vegetable Oil
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Whole Milk
And for the butterscotch frosting, you will need:
- Butterscotch Chips
- Unsalted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Salt
How to Make the Recipe
Here's a quick overview of how to make this easy butterscotch krimpet sheet cake! You will need a 13-inch by 9-inch cake pan.
For the full recipe, including the frosting, scroll down to the recipe card.
Step 1. Whisk the dry ingredients together. This includes the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2. Mix the wet ingredients together. For this part, you can use a hand or stand mixer. First, beat the eggs until they are thick and frothy in appearance. Then add in the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, and whole milk.
Step 3. Combine the wet with the dry. Gradually add in the whisked dry mixture with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. This means to whisk until right at the point you don't see the dry mixture (or all-purpose flour) anymore. The vanilla cake batter will be on the runny, thinner side.
Step 4. Bake, then cool. Bake at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick into the center of the cake comes out clean. For reference, my cake took the full 30 minutes to bake. Cool the sheet cake in the pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully inverting the cake onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
To make things easier, I highly recommend using a parchment paper sling to help remove the sheet cake from the pan when transferring it to the wire cooling rack.
Step 5. Frost, then enjoy! Make sure the cake has cooled completely before adding the frosting. And as a heads up—it does make a lot—like enough for a very thick layer of frosting. If you prefer a thinner layer, please halve the recipe.
Helpful Sheet Cake Baking Tools
Quick Tips Before Starting
- The recommended baking time for this butterscotch krimpet sheet cake recipe is 350ºF for 25-30 minutes. Because all ovens bake differently, I suggest checking your cake at the earliest recommended bake time first.
- While very helpful with removing the sheet cake for cooling and frosting, the parchment paper sling step is optional. I highly recommend it, though!
- After pouring the cake batter into the pan, I always like to give it a few light taps to remove any air bubbles.
- I didn't try this, but you can bake this in a 10" x 15" x 1" jelly roll pan. You'll need to adjust your baking times.
- I cut this butterscotch krimpet sheet cake into 15 squares, but you can cut them smaller or bigger if preferred. You can also get fancy and cut them into the waves like the Tasty Kakes brand does.
- If you find that the frosting is too thick and unspreadable, you can add in a little bit of heavy cream. Likewise, if you find it to be too thin, add in a little more powdered sugar to thicken it.
- This butterscotch frosting recipe will make enough for a thick layer of frosting across the top of your sheet cake. If you'd prefer to have a thinner layer, like what you'd see with the store-bought version, you can half the recipe.
Give These Other Easy Sheet Cake Recipes a Try!
📖 Recipe
Butterscotch Krimpet Sheet Cake
Author:Ingredients
sheet cake ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 4 large Eggs (room temperature)
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Whole Milk
butterscotch frosting
- ⅔ cup Butterscotch Chips
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar (sifted)
- 3-4 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
sheet cake
- Adjust your oven rack to the 2nd level mark and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Generously spray a 13" x 9" cake pan with a flour-based baking spray, lay a sheet of parchment paper across length-wise, then re-spray the top of the parchment paper.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set to the side.2 cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs on medium-high speed until they are thick and frothy in appearance.4 large Eggs
- Add in the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, and milk.¼ cup Vegetable Oil, 1 cup Granulated Sugar, ½ cup Light Brown Sugar, 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 cup Whole Milk
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, then gradually add in the whisked dry mixture until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed, then give it one more whisking. Be careful not to over mix the cake batter. The cake batter will be on the runny, thinner side.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared 13" x 9" cake pan, then bake at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick into the center of the cake comes out clean. For reference, my cake took 30 minutes to bake.
- Cool the sheet cake in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then, using the parchment paper sling, remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- You can frost the sheet cake with the butterscotch frosting once it has cooled using an offset spatula.
butterscotch frosting
- In a small microwaveable bowl, melt the butterscotch chips in 30-45 second increments at 50% power, stirring between, until fully melted and smooth. Set to the side to cool slightly.⅔ cup Butterscotch Chips
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter until smooth and creamy. Add in the melted butterscotch and mix until full incorporated.1 cup Unsalted Butter
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add in the sifted powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.4 cups Powdered Sugar, 3-4 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream, ¼ teaspoon Salt
Recipe Notes
sheet cake notes
- The recommended baking time for this butterscotch krimpet sheet cake recipe is 350ºF for 25-30 minutes. Because ovens bake differently, I suggest checking your cake at the earliest recommended bake time first.
- While very helpful with removing the sheet cake for cooling and frosting, the parchment paper sling step is optional.
- After pouring the cake batter into the pan, I always like to give it a few light taps to remove any air bubbles.
- I didn't try this, but you can bake this in a 10" x 15" x 1" jelly roll pan. You'll need to adjust your baking times.
- I cut this butterscotch krimpet sheet cake into 15, albeit unevenly sized squares, but you can cut them smaller or bigger if preferred. You can also get fancy and cut them into the waves like the Tasty Kakes brand does.
butterscotch frosting notes
- If you find that the frosting is too thick and unspreadable, you can add in a little bit of heavy cream. Likewise, if you find it to be too thin, add in a little more confectioners sugar to thicken it.
- This butterscotch frosting recipe will make enough for a thick layer of frosting across the top of your sheet cake. If you'd prefer to have a thinner layer, like what you'd see with the store-bought version, you can half the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritonal information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Kat says
Very good! Moist and held up perfectly as the days went by and I nibbled and nibbled.
I did cut frosting sugar in half, I’m not a fan of super sweet and it was delicious!
Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Kat! Thank you for making it and for the review!
Lori says
This cake's texture is totally off....it's heavy and dense like cornbread instead of light and spongy. At the very least, you need to use cake flour instead of AP flour. And the icing was so cloyingly sweet, we couldn't finish eating it. Cut the 10X sugar by half at least. Sorry- I really wanted this cake to be a success and I followed the recipe as written.
Jennifer says
I'm sorry it wasn't a winner for you, but I appreciate you taking the time to make it and for the feedback!
Becca says
This recipe is amazing and super simple to follow. I didn’t realize how much of a fan I was about butterscotch krimpets until I tried these! I highly recommend making.
Kathy says
I made this for my grandson Evan's 10th birthday and he absolutely LOVED it! In fact, last night he asked if I would please make it again for his birthday next year!
I added a bit (1/4 tsp.) of freshly grated nutmeg to the cake because I know Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets have it, but also because I love nutmeg!
Thanks for helping make Evan's birthday a little more special, especially THIS year!
Chickie says
It was not close to taste for me. I'm going to remake with 1/3 butterscotch chips in frosting (because it's subtle in Tastycake (and this version stepped way over the profile. I'm also going to drop the brown sugar from the cake and replace it with regular sugar..also make the milk warm to get a better sponge.
Katheryn says
This was so yummy and easy to make. This is one of my new favorite things to make on a lazy Sunday where you just want no-fuss sweets.
Jennifer says
Thank you, Katheryn! I'm so happy to hear you loved it!
Ashley says
So easy to make and extremely tasty!
Jennifer says
I'm so glad to hear you loved it! Thanks, Ashley!