These brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes have a candy shock filling! Take pleasure in gentle and tender brown sugar cupcakes stuffed with gooey selfmade butterscotch. Every chunk is buttery, wealthy, and loaded with toffee-like taste—like the perfect elements of butterscotch pudding wrapped up in cupcake type. You possibly can select your personal frosting, similar to 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 adjustments to enhance the flavour and consistency of the selfmade 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 price 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 ingredient of the sudden that’s so pleasant in a deal with.
And immediately’s brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes characteristic an additional sudden ingredient, as a result of hidden inside is a gooey selfmade butterscotch sauce. One chunk and also you’ll (at the least briefly) neglect all of the outdated cupcake flavors you like.
If you happen to 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.
How you can Make Selfmade Butterscotch Sauce
The tip end result could look just like selfmade salted caramel, however a key distinction right here is butterscotch is created from brown sugar, whereas caramel is created from white sugar. The sauce stays a little bit thinner, too.
Additionally, making butterscotch sauce is just not 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 want to make the best-tasting selfmade butterscotch:
- Butter: Can’t make—and even spell—butterscotch with out butter!
- Darkish Brown Sugar: You should utilize mild brown sugar, however for the richest, deepest butterscotch taste, attain for the darkish stuff.
- Lemon Juice: A stunning however necessary ingredient! Lemon juice prevents sugar crystallization, so your sauce stays easy and velvety moderately 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 happy to make use of selfmade vanilla extract right here, or vanilla bean paste.
- Scotch: That is non-obligatory, but it surely actually does elevate the flavour! If you happen to don’t wish to embody it, you possibly can merely substitute additional vanilla as a replacement.
- Salt: Similar to with making salted caramel, a little bit salt works magic on this candy sauce.
As soon as your selfmade butterscotch sauce is finished, let it cool to room temperature. You may 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.
Elements You Want for Butterscotch Cupcakes
- Flour: All-purpose flour varieties 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 little 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 substances collectively.
- Bitter Cream: Necessary for moisture.
- Milk: Entire milk gives you the best-tasting end result, however you should utilize lower-fat or nondairy milk in a pinch.
- Vanilla: One other key taste.
This cupcake batter is tailored from my strawberry shortcake cupcakes—solely they’re made with all brown sugar and an entire egg for richness and a golden colour. You possibly can substitute 2 egg whites when you’d like.
The method for making these cupcakes is easy. Whisk collectively dry substances, whisk collectively moist substances, after which mix the 2.
Success Tip: Don’t Overfill
You’ll have sufficient batter for 15 cupcakes, so line a normal 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 perimeters 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.
How you can 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 possibly can merely carve out a little bit gap in every cupcake with a paring knife and spoon the thickened butterscotch inside. I often go together with the second technique.
To take action, use a pointy knife to chop a circle within the cupcake and take away the middle, which might 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 possibly can. (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 should utilize 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!
If you happen to want additional assist with this step, see my How you can Fill Cupcakes tutorial and video.
Frosting Decisions
For a traditional candy end, frost these butterscotch cupcakes with vanilla buttercream—that’s the frosting pictured.
If you happen to favor 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 really 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 gentle and tender brown sugar cupcakes stuffed with gooey selfmade butterscotch sauce. Every chunk is buttery, wealthy, and loaded with toffee-like taste—like the perfect elements 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, similar to 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 Observe)
- 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) complete 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 continually. As soon as the cream has been included, 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 little 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 substances into the moist substances, and stir till mixed. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill solely 2/3 full to keep away from spilling over the perimeters.
- 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 immediately on the rack to chill fully. Cupcakes have to be fully cool earlier than filling and frosting.
- Fill the cupcakes: Utilizing a pointy knife, minimize a circle into the middle of the cooled cupcakes to create a little bit pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you eliminated might be form of cone-shaped. Spoon thickened and cooled butterscotch sauce inside every carved-out cupcake—use nonetheless a lot will match. (Often you possibly can 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 How you can Fill Cupcakes publish when you want additional visuals or assist with this step.
- Make the frosting: Comply with 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.
- Prime 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 1 week. I like to recommend a cupcake provider for storing and transporting adorned cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Cupcakes might be made forward 1 day prematurely, lined, and saved at room temperature. Butterscotch sauce might be made prematurely and saved within the fridge for as much as 2 weeks. For greatest outcomes, make the frosting the day you propose to serve the cupcakes. Unfilled, unfrosted cupcakes might 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 Service
- Lemon Juice in Butterscotch Sauce: This may occasionally seem to be an odd ingredient to incorporate, but it surely helps forestall crystallization. A little bit splash of lemon juice helps maintain this sauce easy and velvety, so that you don’t find yourself with a grainy texture. I promise you possibly can’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 totally different taste profiles, however I often use scotch on this. If you wish to skip the alcohol, add 1 extra teaspoon of vanilla. (Not 2 extra teaspoons.)
- Entire Milk & Bitter Cream in Cupcakes: Entire milk and full-fat bitter cream are strongly advisable for the perfect style and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt (Greek or common) would work as an alternative, although the cupcakes will not be as mild. Identical goes with a lower-fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch.
- Make sure to try my 10 ideas for baking the BEST cupcakes earlier than you start.
