My aunt made this for sunday dinner and we scraped the bowl clean. 4 ingredients to make this gooey retro dessert that tastes like pure childhood magi

For a slightly less sweet version, you can swap whole milk for 2% milk; the sauce will still be luscious but a touch lighter. If you like a stronger butterscotch flavor, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or a pinch of salt to the pudding mixture before pouring it into the slow cooker.

You can also sprinkle a small handful of chopped pecans or walnuts over the cake mixture before cooking for a bit of crunch, or add a few butterscotch chips on top in the last 15 minutes of cooking so they soften but don’t fully melt away. To stretch this dessert for a crowd, serve smaller scoops over bowls of vanilla ice cream or alongside sliced bananas for a butterscotch-banana twist.

Food safety tips: Keep the cake covered while cooking to maintain a safe, even temperature. Use pasteurized milk and check that your slow cooker is functioning properly and heating on HIGH to a safe level (typically above 165°F inside the dessert). Once cooked, don’t leave the cake sitting on the warm setting for more than 2 hours; refrigerate leftovers in a shallow container after they’ve cooled to room temperature, and reheat individual portions gently in the microwave until just warm. Avoid reheating multiple times—only warm what you plan to eat.