Brown Butter Cupcakes
Brown butter cupcakes have delicious nutty, toasty, caramel flavor. The cupcakes are made with a fluffy brown butter vanilla cupcake, swirled with brown butter buttercream frosting, and drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce.
Ingredients for Brown Butter Cupcakes
Brown Butter Cupcakes
- Unsalted butter – To make brown butter. Check out this baking tutorial on how to make brown butter for more information.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Sour cream – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds great vanilla flavor to the cupcakes.
- Milk – Room temperature.
Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature. Some of the butter will remain as unsalted room temperature butter. Some of the butter we will turn into brown butter.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Use a good quality vanilla extract in this recipe for the best vanilla flavor.
- Salt – Adds a bit of contrast to the sweetness and enhances the nutty flavor of the brown butter.
- Heavy cream – Helps the buttercream became smooth and creamy.
Additional Ingredients
- Salted caramel sauce – Use store-bought or make my homemade salted caramel sauce.
How to Make Brown Butter Cupcakes
- Make the brown butter: Make the brown butter for the cupcakes and the buttercream ahead of time. I recommend keeping the butter for the cupcakes and frosting separate to be sure you have the proper amounts. To make the cupcakes and the frosting, the butter will need to be solidified but soft.
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the granulated sugar, brown butter, and vegetable oil until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk, mixing in between, until the batter is combined and smooth.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the buttercream: Whip the brown butter and unsalted butter until light and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream. Whip the frosting on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the brown butter buttercream frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Drizzle the cupcakes with salted caramel sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips posts on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes and 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream to learn simple tips and tricks to make the most out of this recipe.
- To learn more about making brown butter for this recipe, check out my tutorial!
- Make the brown butter a few hours or the day before you plan on making the cupcakes and buttercream. The brown butter needs to be cooled to a solid state and then softened.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the cupcakes?
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. If you are in a warm environment, I recommend chilling.
- Serve the cupcakes at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
What is brown butter?
- Brown butter is butter that has been cooked to the point that the milk solids toast and create little browned bits that have a nutty, caramelized taste. The butter will take on a deep golden brown color and you will see small brown flecks of nutty goodness in the buttercream.
Why are there different amounts of butter in the recipe?
- In the process of making brown butter, some of the moisture from the butter evaporates, which yields a smaller amount of brown butter than the original weight of the unsalted butter.
- For the cupcakes, you will need to use about 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter to make 4 tablespoons of brown butter.
- For the buttercream, you will need about 9 tablespoons of unsalted butter to make 8 tablespoons of brown butter.
- The amount of evaporation can vary depending on several factors. If you would like to be precise, cover the recipe to metric and weigh the brown butter before making the cupcakes and buttercream. Add additional regular butter to adjust if needed.
Other Cupcake Recipes You Will Love
click the stars to rate!
Brown Butter Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Brown butter cupcakes have delicious nutty, toasty, caramel flavor. The cupcakes are made with a fluffy brown butter vanilla cupcake, swirled with brown butter buttercream frosting, and drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce.
Equipment
Ingredients
Brown Butter Cupcakes
- 5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter (to make 4 tbsp or ¼ cup brown butter)
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp (1.5 tsp) baking powder
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- 2 tbsp (24 g) sour cream room temperature
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk room temperature
Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting
- 9 tbsp (126 g) unsalted butter (to make 8 tbsp or ½ cup brown butter)
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 g) heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) salted caramel sauce click here for the recipe
Instructions
Make the Brown Butter
- I recommend making the brown butter for the cupcakes and buttercream ahead of time (at least 2 hours or the day before). I also recommend browning the butter for the cupcakes and buttercream separately to ensure that you have the correct amounts for the recipe.
- To make the brown butter, add the butter to a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted. Continue to cook the butter, stirring regularly, until the butter starts to foam. At this point, the milk solids in the butter will start to turn a golden brown color. Stir the butter constantly so the milk solids do not burn. Once your achieve a golden brown color (which will happen quickly), remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the brown butter into a heat-safe bowl immediately.
- Cool the melted brown butter to room temperature, then, cover and chill the butter in the refrigerator until it solidifies. Bring the brown butter to room temperature before making the cupcakes and buttercream frosting.
Brown Butter Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the granulated sugar, softened brown butter, and vegetable oil until smooth and creamy. Add in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Add in the milk and continue to mix until incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until the batter is well combined and smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop about 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes bounces back when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Brown Butter Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature brown butter and unsalted butter for 5 minutes until light, pale, and creamy.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is combined with the butter. Then add the remaining half and continue to mix on low speed. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix to combine. Drizzle in the heavy cream. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well combined.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip the buttercream for about 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. To smooth out the buttercream, mix the frosting on low speed for several minutes.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with the brown butter buttercream frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Use a piping bag to drizzle salted caramel sauce onto the cupcakes.
Notes
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Made This Recipe?
Please leave a comment with a star rating to let me know how you enjoyed the recipe!
About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Great taste & flavors. Big hit at a recent party. Tip about making the browned butter before was very helpful. Highly recommend these and would make again for sure.
Hi Marie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for the positive review!