These brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes have a candy shock filling! Take pleasure in tender and tender brown sugar cupcakes crammed with gooey do-it-yourself butterscotch. Every chew is buttery, wealthy, and loaded with toffee-like taste—like the very best components of butterscotch pudding wrapped up in cupcake type. You’ll be able to select your individual frosting, similar to vanilla buttercream (pictured) or Swiss meringue buttercream. Extra choices beneath!
I first revealed this recipe in 2013. Since then, my staff and I revisited this recipe and made some adjustments to enhance the flavour and consistency of the do-it-yourself butterscotch sauce.
So many cupcake flavors, so little time! Although there’s all the time a purpose to return to the mainstays of vanilla cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes, generally 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 component of the surprising that’s so pleasant in a deal with.
And right this moment’s brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes characteristic an additional surprising component, as a result of hidden inside is a gooey do-it-yourself butterscotch sauce. One chew and also you’ll (at the least briefly) neglect all of the previous cupcake flavors you’re keen on.
Should you 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.
Tips on how to Make Selfmade Butterscotch Sauce
The tip consequence might look much like do-it-yourself 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 somewhat 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 do-it-yourself 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 shocking however vital ingredient! Lemon juice prevents sugar crystallization, so your sauce stays easy and velvety somewhat than gritty. You received’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 do-it-yourself vanilla extract right here, or vanilla bean paste.
- Scotch: That is non-compulsory, however it actually does elevate the flavour! Should you don’t wish to embody it, you’ll be able to merely substitute additional vanilla as a replacement.
- Salt: Similar to with making salted caramel, somewhat salt works magic on this candy sauce.
As soon as your do-it-yourself 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.
Components 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 stability the sweetness.
- Brown Sugar: We’re utilizing all brown sugar to sweeten these cupcakes, so count on the crumb to be somewhat denser than, say, vanilla cupcakes.
- Melted Butter: I discover melted butter makes for a extra buttery-tasting cupcake than beginning with softened butter. Good for a butterscotch-flavored deal with!
- Egg: 1 egg provides richness and binds the components collectively.
- Bitter Cream: Essential for moisture.
- Milk: Complete milk gives you the best-tasting consequence, however you should 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 colour. You’ll be able to substitute 2 egg whites when you’d like.
The method for making these cupcakes is simple. 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 regular 12-cup muffin pan after which a second one with 3 extra cupcake liners. Fill the liners simply 2/3 of the way in which 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 take care of!
They take nearly 20 minutes or so to bake, then the cupcakes want to chill fully earlier than you fill and frost them.
Tips on how to Fill Cupcakes
As soon as the cupcakes are fully cool, it’s time to fill them with butterscotch sauce.
You’ll be able to fill a piping bag fitted with a protracted, skinny filling tip with the butterscotch sauce, or you’ll be able to merely carve out somewhat gap in every cupcake with a paring knife and spoon the thickened butterscotch inside. I normally go together with the second methodology.
To take action, use a pointy knife to chop a circle within the cupcake and take away the middle, which will likely 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’ll be able to. (Normally 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 high of the filling. You’ll have leftover butterscotch sauce that you should use to drizzle on the completed cupcakes.
Don’t fear about the way it seems on high, since you’ll cowl the highest with frosting!
Should you want additional assist with this step, see my Tips on how to Fill Cupcakes tutorial and video.
Frosting Selections
For a traditional candy end, frost these butterscotch cupcakes with vanilla buttercream—that’s the frosting pictured.
Should you desire one thing much less candy (since each the cupcakes and sauce are already fairly wealthy), attempt 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 high!
Extra Favourite Butterscotch Recipes
Description
Take pleasure in tender and tender brown sugar cupcakes crammed with gooey do-it-yourself butterscotch sauce. Every chew is buttery, wealthy, and loaded with toffee-like taste—like the very 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’ll be able to select your individual 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 pair 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 massive 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 always. As soon as the cream has been integrated, cease whisking and let the combination come to a boil. Scale 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 somewhat 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 middle 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 should 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 somewhat pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you eliminated will likely be kind of cone-shaped. Spoon thickened and cooled butterscotch sauce inside every carved-out cupcake—use nonetheless a lot will match. (Normally you’ll be able to match between 1–2 teaspoons of filling in every; you’ll have butterscotch sauce leftover to drizzle on high 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 high of the filling. See my Tips on how to Fill Cupcakes submit when you want additional visuals or assist with this step.
- Make the frosting: Comply with the steps to make your frosting of alternative. 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 1 week. I like to recommend a cupcake service for storing and transporting embellished cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Cupcakes might be made forward 1 day upfront, lined, and saved at room temperature. Butterscotch sauce might 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 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 Provider
- Lemon Juice in Butterscotch Sauce: This may increasingly appear to be an odd ingredient to incorporate, however it helps forestall crystallization. A little bit splash of lemon juice helps hold this sauce easy and velvety, so that you don’t find yourself with a grainy texture. I promise you’ll be able to’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 beneficial for the very best style and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt (Greek or common) would work as a substitute, although the cupcakes will not be as mild. Similar goes with a lower-fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch.
- Make sure you try my 10 ideas for baking the BEST cupcakes earlier than you start.
