Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake

Christmas Cake Murder

Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.

* 1 box of white cake mix with or without pudding in the mix, the kind that makes a 9-inch by 13-inch cake or a 2-layer cake (I used Duncan Hines)
* 5.1-ounce package of instant butterscotch pudding mix (I used Jell-O, the kind that makes 6 half-cup servings.)
* 12-ounce (by weight) bag of butterscotch chips (11-ounce package will do, too—I used Nestle)

### Directions

* Prepare your cake pan. You'll need a Bundt pan that has been sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and then floured. To flour a pan, put some flour in the bottom, hold it over your kitchen wastebasket, and tap the pan to move the flour all over the inside of the pan. Continue this until all the inside surfaces of the pan, including the sides of the crater in the center of the pan, have been covered with a light coating of flour. Be sure to shake out the excess flour.
* Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed until they're a uniform color.
* Pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil and mix it in with the eggs on LOW speed.
* Add the half-cup of cold milk and mix it in on LOW speed.
* Scoop out the container of sour cream, and add the sour cream to your bowl. Mix that in on LOW speed.
* When everything is well combined, open the box of dry cake mix and sprinkle it on top of the liquid ingredients in the bowl of the mixer. Mix that in on LOW speed.
* Add the package of instant butterscotch pudding and mix that in, again on LOW speed.
* Finally, chop up the butterscotch chips in a food processor or blender and then sprinkle them into the mixer. Mix in the chips on LOW speed.
* Shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give your batter a final stir by hand.
* Use a rubber spatula to transfer the cake batter to the prepared Bundt pan.
* Smooth the top of your cake with the rubber spatula and place it in the oven.
* Bake your Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake at 350°F for 55 minutes.
* Before you take your cake out of the oven, test it for doneness by inserting a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick midway between the sides of the circular ring. (You can't insert it in the center of the cake because that's where the crater is!)
* If the tester comes out clean, your cake is done. If there is still unbaked batter clinging to the tester, shut the oven door and bake your cake in 5-minute increments until it tests done.
* Once your cake is done, take it out of the oven and set it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack.
* Let your cake for 20 minutes in the pan, but no longer than that.
* Use your impeccably clean fingers to pull the sides of the cake away from the pan. Don't forget to do the same for the sides of the crater in the middle.
* Tip the Bundt pan upside down on a platter and drop it gently on a towel on the kitchen counter. Do this until the cake falls out of the pan and rests on the platter.
* Cover your Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake loosely with foil and refrigerate it for at least one hour. Overnight is even better.
* Frost your cake with Cool Whip Butterscotch Frosting. (Recipe and instructions follow.)

**Yield:** At least 10 pieces of decadent butterscotch cake. Serve with tall glasses of ice-cold milk or cups of strong coffee.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.