Brown sugar gives these moist & fluffy Butterscotch Cupcakes their divine flavor and the Salted Butterscotch Frosting is the perfect finishing touch for these irresistible cupcakes!

Fall is right around the corner.  The season for warm fall spices, and yes we all know that PUMPKIN SPICE reigns over fall flavors, and then there’s apple & caramel, but wait…what about BUTTERSCOTCH?  I love the flavor of butterscotch and it pairs so well with other fall flavors, and these Butterscotch Cupcakes are simply scrumptious no matter what season it is.

Let’s start with these homemade cupcakes.  This recipe yields about 14 standard-size cupcakes – the perfect amount to share with your family or a couple of co-workers or friends.  We don’t always need to make 24 cupcakes unless we’re taking them to a party. 

These cupcakes are easy to make, with ingredients you probably already have on hand, and they are so much better than a box mix.  If you can mix up a box mix, you can make these!

Dark brown sugar is used in this recipe for a true butterscotch flavor.  The darker the brown sugar, the more molasses it contains, and the more pronounced the butterscotch flavor.  Brown sugar also lends moisture to baked goods.   

CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature*
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup full-fat buttermilk

CUPCAKE TIPS

  • Don’t over mix the ingredients. Mix only until the ingredients are incorporated.
  • Don’t fill the muffin cups over 3/4 full. If you over fill them, you’ll end up with muffin tops that will break off from the rest of the cupcakes.
  • Don’t over bake cupcakes. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, or they have golden brown tops that spring back when touched with your finger.
Butterscotch Cupcakes with Butterscotch Frosting.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS

  • 6 ounces cream cheese, softened*
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark, see note below**
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • Sea salt for garnish, optional

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUTTERSCOTCH AND CARAMEL FROSTING?

I’m so glad you asked –

Butterscotch frosting is made with brown sugar. The darker the brown sugar, the more pronounced the butterscotch flavor. Brown sugar contains molasses. The molasses gives the brown sugar the butterscotch undertones.

Caramel frosting is usually made with powdered sugar. Caramel sauce is added to the frosting to give it caramel undertones. Caramel is close to but milder in flavor than butterscotch.

Butterscotch cupcakes.

You might also like this delicious recipe for Old Fashioned Butterscotch Cake.

If you make this recipe please rate it, and leave a comment below on how you liked it. I love hearing from you!

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Butterscotch Cupcakes With Salted Butterscotch Frosting

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  • Author: Cindy @mycountrytable
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 14 1x
  • Category: cupcakes
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Brown sugar is the secret ingredient that gives these cupcakes their wonderful butterscotch flavor and it adds moistness.  The Salted Butterscotch Frosting is a second dose of yummy indulgence.  These cupcakes are divine!


Ingredients

Units Scale

CUPCAKES

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature*
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup full-fat buttermilk

FROSTING

  • 6 ounces cream cheese, softened*
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark, see note below**
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • Sea salt for garnish, optional


Instructions

CUPCAKES

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 14 cupcake pan holders with papers and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
  3. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until the cream cheese is smooth and creamy with no lumps.  Mix in the butter on medium speed.  Add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until all ingredients are combined.  Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with the dry.  Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated.  Do not over mix.  Divide the batter equally between the muffin holders, filling no more than 3/4 full.  You could possibly have 15 cupcakes. 
  4. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.  Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.

FROSTING

  1. Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until the cream cheese is smooth and free of any lumps.  Add the butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla.  Mix on medium speed until combined.  Slowly add the powdered sugar on low speed, until all sugar has been almost incorporated.  Turn mixer to medium-high speed and mix until smooth and creamy.
  2. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.  This is a rich frosting, therefore I opted to not pipe it on very high.  I simply used a round piping tip and went around the top of the cupcakes a couple of times.
  3. Garnish the tops with sea salt if desired.  I like the addition of sea salt since the frosting is rather sweet.  
  4. Store cupcakes at room temperature for up to 3 days.  You can refrigerate, but the frosting will be rather firm.  If you refrigerate the cupcakes, allow them to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

  • *You will use one 8-ounce bar of cream cheese for this recipe.  Use 2 ounces for the cupcakes and 6 ounces for the frosting.
  • **I used dark brown sugar in the frosting recipe.  However, the frosting is very rich.  That’s why I love the added sea salt.  The darker the brown sugar, the more butterscotch flavor.  If you don’t want overly rich frosting, you might try using light brown sugar the first time you make it.