Brown butter cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream frosting are packed with nutty, toasty, caramel flavor. The cupcakes are made with brown sugar and brown butter and then swirled with salted caramel buttercream frosting and drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce.
Ingredients for Brown Butter Cupcakes
Brown butter cupcakes
- Brown butter: Brown butter adds a great nutty and toasty flavor to the cupcakes. Check out my blog post on How to Make Brown Butter to learn how to make it! Be sure it is at room temperature for easy creaming.
- Brown sugar: Adds a bit of sweetness and a touch of molasses flavor.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg: Room temperature.
- Sour cream: Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract adds the best flavor
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder + baking soda
- Salt: To bring out the flavor of the cupcakes.
- Milk: Room temperature.
Salted caramel buttercream frosting
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature.
- Salted caramel sauce: Check out the recipe for my salted caramel sauce! You could use a store bought caramel sauce if you prefer.
- Powdered sugar: To add sweetness and structure to the buttercream .
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract adds great flavor and enhances the flavor of the caramel.
- Salt: Salt enhances the caramel flavor and contrasts the sweetness in the buttercream.
Tools & Supplies for Making Brown Butter Cupcakes
How to Make Brown Butter Cupcakes
To make the cupcake batter, I recommend using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake baking pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Cream together the room temperature brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
- Add in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low. Add in the milk and continue to mix. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the cupcakes are baked through.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
To make salted caramel buttercream, I recommend using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer.
- Whip room temperature unsalted butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed until it is light, pale, and fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Add in salted caramel sauce, vanilla extract and salt and continue to mix.
- Turn the speed on the mixer to medium-high and whip for an 3 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
Brown Butter Cupcakes Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes. In this post, I provide you with 10 easy tips and tricks to achieve perfect cupcakes every time!
- And while you’re at it, take a peek at my baking tips blog post on 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream for some great tips on how to make your Salted Caramel Buttercream taste and look fantastic.
- Salted caramel sauce is one of the main ingredients in this recipe’s buttercream frosting. It can also be drizzled over the cupcakes! For the recipe and to learn how to make it, be sure to check out the blog post on Salted Caramel Sauce.
- To learn how to make brown butter for this recipe, check out my baking tips blog post on How to Make Brown Butter!
- For these cupcakes, I used a Wilton 1M tip to create an “ice cream swirl” of salted caramel buttercream frosting. Then, I used a piping bag with the tip cut off to drizzle on some of my homemade caramel sauce.
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To serve, remove the cupcakes from the refrigerator about an hour before serving to bring to room temperature.
Brown Butter Cupcakes
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Brown Butter Cupcakes
- ½ cup brown butter solidified, but at room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup milk room temperature
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup salted caramel sauce
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
Brown Butter Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake baking pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined.
- Add in egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract and continue to mix on medium speed until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low. Add in the milk and continue to mix. Add the second half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, filling approximately ⅔ full.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the cupcakes are baked through.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add in room temperature unsalted butter. Whip the butter for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. The butter will be light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until it is fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Add in the salted caramel sauce, vanilla extract, and salt and mix to combine.
- Turn the speed on the mixer to medium-high and whip for an 3 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Use a piping bag and Wilton 1M tip to swirl the salted caramel buttercream onto the cupcakes.
- If desired, drizzle on additional salted caramel sauce.
Notes
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