Butterfinger Cake Recipe

Our easy Butterfinger Cake recipe starts with a cake mix so it’s a snap to make. Uniquely moist, flavored with chocolate and caramel, and topped with a thick generous layer of whipped topping and crushed butterfingers. Perfect any time you need a yummy, easy dessert to feed a crowd!

This Butterfinger Cake recipe serves up a dessert that’s super moist and super sweet.

If you’re looking for the perfect sweet cake to serve after dinner, this Butterfinger Cake can’t be beaten.

Ready to get started? Read the how-to’s below.

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What is Butterfinger Cake?

Butterfinger Cake is, quite honestly, exactly what it sounds like! It’s a cake that’s literally infused with caramel goodness, topped with – you guessed it – Butterfinger candy.

This particular recipe is made from chocolate cake mix, which makes it’s incredibly simple to put together.

You could make your cake from scratch, but I’ve found that the extra time it takes doesn’t add much to the taste.

You see, there are two secrets to Butterfinger Cake, and neither secret has anything to do with the actual cake part of the cake.

The first secret is the Butterfinger cake frosting or topping. Sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping give the frosting just the right texture to impart even more moisture to your cake.

The second secret is this: my recipe for this dessert could actually be considered a Butterfinger poke cake.

Whether you make it with a box mix or from scratch, the trick is to poke holes in your cake to let the topping permeate the cake.

The result is an even sweeter cake. It’s truly like eating candy for dessert! Nothing wrong with that!

Once you learn how to make a Butterfinger cake, I’m sure you’ll want to play around with the recipe. Believe me, I’ve tried many.

I’ve come up with a Butterfinger cheesecake, a Butterfinger layer cake and I’ve even tried my hand at a Butterfinger cake with angel food cake instead of chocolate.

As it turns out, after all that experimenting, my favorite ended up being the original, this recipe!

How to Make Butterfinger Cake

Okay, so on to the good stuff – how to make Butterfinger cake.

If you look up this recipe online, you’ll find all sorts of variations.

Some recipes call for using a Devils Food Cake mix. I use a Chocolate Cake mix in my recipe. I love the slightly deeper flavor the chocolate brings to this cake.

I’ve even made the Butterfinger cake Paula Deen makes, baking the cake from scratch. It’s, of course, really yummy. But, as I’ve said,  I just don’t think its necessary with this recipe.

One of the things I love best about this cake is its simplicity. That said, there are three things you need to remember when you’re making this recipe.

First, follow the instructions on the cake mix box. Remember to check your cake a few minutes before it’s due to come out of the oven because some ovens run hotter than others. Elevation can also make a difference.

Secondly, remember that timing is key.

You’ll need to allow your cake to cool for about 5 minutes before you start poking holes in it.

Then make sure you apply the caramel and sweetened condensed milk mixture while the cake is still hot so the mixture absorbs well into the cake.

Finally, remember to use a 9×13 pan! If you’re experimenting, you might be tempted to try a Bundt pan or even smaller pans for a layer cake.

For a lot of cakes, changing pan size can work well, but for this particular recipe, a 9×13 pan works best.

How Long Do You Bake Butterfinger Cake?

Depending on the cake mix you choose, the time it takes to bake a Butterfinger cake may vary slightly. Follow the box direction and check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake, when the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done baking.

Because there are a couple steps after the cake is baked, it’s not one of those desserts you can put in the oven when your family sits down to dinner, and serve it when it’s time to clear the table!

Most Butterfinger cakes will take around an hour to make. That includes the bake time. The good news is that you can actually prepare the cake in the morning (while the kids are at school and aren’t begging to lick the beaters-leaving you the first shot at them!) and serve it for supper that night.

The beauty of making it early in the day is that the topping will have all day to absorb into the cake. That means a sweeter, denser, moister, cake for you and your family.

What’s the Difference Between Butterfinger Cake and Better Than Anything Cake?

I’ve passed along this recipe to a few of my friends, and they’ve compared it to Better than Anything Cake. So, what’s the difference between the two?

Very little, but enough to make a difference! Better than Anything Cake is a poke cake, just like this one. The biggest difference between the Butterfinger cake and the Better than Anything cake is that Better than Anything Cake often uses Heath Bars.

That might not make much difference if you’ve never tried this recipe before. But Heath bars just… do something different to the taste of the cake! Bottom line, if you’re looking for a super sweet way to end your supper, a Butterfinger cake is the way to go!

The beauty of the 9X13 dessert:

Whether you’re treating your family to a delicious dessert or bringing along a cake to a bake sale, Butterfinger cake is a winner.

Need a little variety? I love these easy to make 9X13 inch cakes! They’re always perfect to bring to an extended family get together, church potluck or neighborhood barbecue.

They’re easy to cut and serve, they feed 10-12 people, and they’re always popular!

Looking for a less sweet option?  Try out my recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake.

It’s a rich, dense and moist chocolate cake that’s made totally from scratch. And, what’s more, is that there are even some veggies snuck in! Trust me – your kids will never notice!

Recipe Notes For Butterfinger Cake:

• Thaw Time-  Remember frozen whipped topping needs to be thawed properly before you use it in the recipe. Otherwise, the topping won’t fully infuse into the poke cake, and the dessert just won’t be the same.

• Cake Mix- In this recipe, the cake mix you use doesn’t make a great deal of difference. My preference, however, are the name brand mixes. I just don’t think the store brand cake mixes work quite as well. For the best results, try Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines or another reputable brand.

**Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below or leave a comment!** 

Looking For More 9×13 Dessert Favorites?

Fruit Cocktail cake – Just like Grandma used to make! Made from scratch, moist, tender and topped with a yummy butter sauce loaded with coconut and pecans!

Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake – Our Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake is tender and moist with a unique crunchy lemon sugar topping.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – This moist Banana Cake is loaded with lots of banana flavor and topped with a generous layer of cream cheese frosting.

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