These brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes have a candy shock filling! Take pleasure in comfortable and tender brown sugar cupcakes crammed with gooey home made butterscotch. Every chunk is buttery, wealthy, and loaded with toffee-like taste—like one of the best components of butterscotch pudding wrapped up in cupcake type. You possibly can select your personal frosting, resembling vanilla buttercream (pictured) or Swiss meringue buttercream. Extra choices beneath!
I first revealed this recipe in 2013. Since then, my workforce and I revisited this recipe and made some modifications to enhance the flavour and consistency of the home made butterscotch sauce.
So many cupcake flavors, so little time! Although there’s at all times a motive to return to the mainstays of vanilla cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes, typically it’s value taking a taste detour off the well-traveled cupcake path. Like with apple cupcakes with salted caramel frosting, snickerdoodle cupcakes, and chai latte cupcakes, all of which have that factor of the surprising that’s so pleasant in a deal with.
And at present’s brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes characteristic an further surprising factor, as a result of hidden inside is a gooey home made butterscotch sauce. One chunk and also you’ll (at the least quickly) neglect all of the outdated cupcake flavors you’re keen on.
For those who love butterscotch, you’ll completely adore these cupcakes.
Let’s begin by making the butterscotch sauce first, so it has loads of time to chill earlier than you want it to fill the cupcakes.
Learn how to Make Home made Butterscotch Sauce
The tip end result might look just like home made salted caramel, however a key distinction right here is butterscotch is made out of brown sugar, whereas caramel is made out of white sugar. The sauce stays a bit thinner, too.
Additionally, making butterscotch sauce just isn’t fairly as hands-on as caramel. For more often than not, you’re simply watching butter, cream, and brown sugar bubble.
Right here’s what you’ll want to make the best-tasting home made butterscotch:
- Butter: Can’t make—and even spell—butterscotch with out butter!
- Darkish Brown Sugar: You should use mild brown sugar, however for the richest, deepest butterscotch taste, attain for the darkish stuff.
- Lemon Juice: A shocking however vital ingredient! Lemon juice prevents sugar crystallization, so your sauce stays clean and velvety reasonably than gritty. You gained’t style the lemon, I promise. Corn syrup can do the identical job, however lemon juice is good as a result of it doesn’t improve sweetness.
- Cream: Heavy cream makes for a wealthy, creamy butterscotch sauce.
- Vanilla Extract: Be at liberty to make use of home made vanilla extract right here, or vanilla bean paste.
- Scotch: That is optionally available, nevertheless it actually does elevate the flavour! For those who don’t wish to embody it, you may merely substitute further vanilla as an alternative.
- Salt: Similar to with making salted caramel, a bit salt works magic on this candy sauce.
As soon as your home made butterscotch sauce is completed, let it cool to room temperature. You possibly can additionally make it forward of time and retailer it within the fridge for a pair weeks.
Now it’s time to make the brown-sugar-sweetened cupcakes.
Components You Want for Butterscotch Cupcakes
- Flour: All-purpose flour kinds the construction of those cupcakes.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leaveners assist the cupcakes stand up and get good and fluffy.
- Salt: Key for taste, and to steadiness the sweetness.
- Brown Sugar: We’re utilizing all brown sugar to sweeten these cupcakes, so anticipate the crumb to be a bit denser than, say, vanilla cupcakes.
- Melted Butter: I discover melted butter makes for a extra buttery-tasting cupcake than beginning with softened butter. Excellent for a butterscotch-flavored deal with!
- Egg: 1 egg provides richness and binds the components collectively.
- Bitter Cream: Vital for moisture.
- Milk: Complete milk will provide you with the best-tasting end result, however you need to use lower-fat or nondairy milk in a pinch.
- Vanilla: One other key taste.
This cupcake batter is customized from my strawberry shortcake cupcakes—solely they’re made with all brown sugar and a complete egg for richness and a golden shade. You possibly can substitute 2 egg whites in case you’d like.
The method for making these cupcakes is easy. Whisk collectively dry components, whisk collectively moist components, after which mix the 2.
Success Tip: Don’t Overfill
You’ll have sufficient batter for 15 cupcakes, so line a typical 12-cup muffin pan after which a second one with 3 extra cupcake liners. Fill the liners simply 2/3 of the best way full. Don’t attempt to match all of the batter into 12 cups as a result of the cupcakes will spill over the edges when baking, and also you’ll have a giant sloppy mess to cope with!
They take nearly 20 minutes or so to bake, then the cupcakes want to chill fully earlier than you fill and frost them.
Learn how to Fill Cupcakes
As soon as the cupcakes are fully cool, it’s time to fill them with butterscotch sauce.
You possibly can fill a piping bag fitted with an extended, skinny filling tip with the butterscotch sauce, or you may merely carve out a bit gap in every cupcake with a paring knife and spoon the thickened butterscotch inside. I normally go along with the second technique.
To take action, use a pointy knife to chop a circle within the cupcake and take away the middle, which shall be roughly the form of a cone. Utilizing a small spoon, fill the center of the cupcake with as a lot butterscotch sauce as you may. (Often between 1–2 teaspoons.) Slice/tear off the pointed tip of the cone-shaped piece of cupcake, and gently press the spherical piece again on prime of the filling. You’ll have leftover butterscotch sauce that you need to use to drizzle on the completed cupcakes.
Don’t fear about the way it appears to be like on prime, since you’ll cowl the highest with frosting!
For those who want further assist with this step, see my Learn how to Fill Cupcakes tutorial and video.
Frosting Selections
For a basic candy end, frost these butterscotch cupcakes with vanilla buttercream—that’s the frosting pictured.
For those who choose one thing much less candy (since each the cupcakes and sauce are already fairly wealthy), strive Swiss meringue buttercream, a lighter whipped frosting, and even one thing so simple as whipped cream. Personally, I like them with Swiss meringue buttercream, although it does imply one other journey to the range.
Whichever you select, don’t neglect to drizzle the leftover butterscotch sauce on prime!
Extra Favourite Butterscotch Recipes
Description
Take pleasure in comfortable and tender brown sugar cupcakes crammed with gooey home made butterscotch sauce. Every chunk is buttery, wealthy, and loaded with toffee-like taste—like one of the best components of butterscotch pudding wrapped up in cupcake type. Take your time making the butterscotch sauce and don’t skip the lemon juice. You possibly can select your personal frosting, resembling vanilla buttercream (pictured) or Swiss meringue buttercream. Different choices embody not-so-sweet whipped frosting or mild and fluffy whipped cream.
Butterscotch Sauce
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) darkish brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon recent lemon juice (don’t skip!)
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) heavy cream (don’t use milk or half-and-half)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 2 teaspoons scotch, bourbon, or rum (see Notice)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cupcakes
- 1 and a couple of/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted and barely cooled
- 1 cup (200g) packed mild or darkish brown sugar
- 1 giant egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) bitter cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g/ml) entire milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
Frosting Choices
- Make the butterscotch sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium warmth, soften the butter with the brown sugar and lemon juice, whisking to mix. As soon as melted and mixed, slowly pour within the heavy cream, whisking consistently. As soon as the cream has been integrated, cease whisking and let the combination come to a boil. Cut back the warmth to medium-low and let boil for 3–4 minutes. Take away from warmth and stir in vanilla extract, scotch (if utilizing), and salt. Permit to chill fully. This makes a bit over 1 cup of butterscotch sauce, or about 250g.
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 3 liners—this recipe makes about 15 cupcakes. Put aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Put aside.
- In a big bowl, whisk collectively the melted butter and brown sugar till mixed and no lumps stay. Add the egg, bitter cream, milk, and vanilla, and whisk till mixed. Add the dry components into the moist components, and stir till mixed. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill solely 2/3 full to keep away from spilling over the edges.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear.
- Cool the cupcakes within the pan set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then take away them from the pan and place them straight on the rack to chill fully. Cupcakes should be fully cool earlier than filling and frosting.
- Fill the cupcakes: Utilizing a pointy knife, lower a circle into the middle of the cooled cupcakes to create a bit pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you eliminated shall be kind of cone-shaped. Spoon thickened and cooled butterscotch sauce inside every carved-out cupcake—use nevertheless a lot will match. (Often you may match between 1–2 teaspoons of filling in every; you’ll have butterscotch sauce leftover to drizzle on prime of the frosting.) Slice/tear off the sharp finish of the “cone” piece of cupcake you eliminated, and gently press the spherical piece again on prime of the filling. See my Learn how to Fill Cupcakes submit in case you want further visuals or assist with this step.
- Make the frosting: Observe the steps to make your frosting of selection. Choices embody vanilla buttercream (pictured), Swiss meringue buttercream, and even one thing like not-so-sweet whipped frosting, or mild and fluffy whipped cream.
- High every cupcake with frosting (I used a Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting) and drizzle with leftover cooled butterscotch sauce.
- Retailer cupcakes at room temperature for as much as 2 days or within the fridge for as much as 4 days. Retailer any leftover butterscotch sauce in a tightly sealed container/jar within the fridge for as much as 2 weeks. I like to recommend a cupcake provider for storing and transporting embellished cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Cupcakes will be made forward 1 day upfront, lined, and saved at room temperature. Butterscotch sauce will be made upfront and saved within the fridge for as much as 2 weeks. For greatest outcomes, make the frosting the day you intend to serve the cupcakes. Unfilled, unfrosted cupcakes will be frozen for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge, then fill and frost earlier than serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Medium Saucepan | 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Squeeze Bottle | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Provider
- Lemon Juice in Butterscotch Sauce: This will likely look like an odd ingredient to incorporate, nevertheless it helps stop crystallization. A bit of splash of lemon juice helps hold this sauce clean and velvety, so that you don’t find yourself with a grainy texture. I promise you may’t style the lemon!
- Alcohol in Butterscotch Sauce: For depth of taste, I strongly advocate including 2 teaspoons of bourbon, scotch, or rum. All have barely completely different taste profiles, however I normally use scotch on this. If you wish to skip the alcohol, add 1 extra teaspoon of vanilla. (Not 2 extra teaspoons.)
- Complete Milk & Bitter Cream in Cupcakes: Complete milk and full-fat bitter cream are strongly advisable for one of the best style and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt (Greek or common) would work as a substitute, although the cupcakes might not be as mild. Identical goes with a lower-fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch.
- Remember to take a look at my 10 ideas for baking the BEST cupcakes earlier than you start.
