These brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes have a sweet surprise filling! Enjoy soft and tender brown sugar cupcakes filled with gooey homemade butterscotch. Each bite is buttery, rich, and loaded with toffee-like flavor—like the best parts of butterscotch pudding wrapped up in cupcake form. You can choose your own frosting, such as vanilla buttercream (pictured) or Swiss meringue buttercream. More options below!
I first published this recipe in 2013. Since then, my team and I revisited this recipe and made some changes to improve the flavor and consistency of the homemade butterscotch sauce.
So many cupcake flavors, so little time! Though there’s always a reason to return to the mainstays of vanilla cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes, sometimes it’s worth taking a flavor 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 element of the unexpected that’s so delightful in a treat.
And today’s brown sugar butterscotch cupcakes feature an extra unexpected element, because hidden inside is a gooey homemade butterscotch sauce. One bite and you’ll (at least temporarily) forget all the old cupcake flavors you love.
If you love butterscotch, you’ll absolutely adore these cupcakes.
Let’s start by making the butterscotch sauce first, so it has plenty of time to cool before you need it to fill the cupcakes.
How to Make Homemade Butterscotch Sauce
The end result may look similar to homemade salted caramel, but a key difference here is butterscotch is made from brown sugar, while caramel is made from white sugar. The sauce stays a little thinner, too.
Also, making butterscotch sauce is not quite as hands-on as caramel. For most of the time, you’re just watching butter, cream, and brown sugar bubble.
Here’s what you need to make the best-tasting homemade butterscotch:
- Butter: Can’t make—or even spell—butterscotch without butter!
- Dark Brown Sugar: You can use light brown sugar, but for the richest, deepest butterscotch flavor, reach for the dark stuff.
- Lemon Juice: A surprising but important ingredient! Lemon juice prevents sugar crystallization, so your sauce stays smooth and velvety rather than gritty. You won’t taste the lemon, I promise. Corn syrup can do the same job, but lemon juice is ideal because it doesn’t increase sweetness.
- Cream: Heavy cream makes for a rich, creamy butterscotch sauce.
- Vanilla Extract: Feel free to use homemade vanilla extract here, or vanilla bean paste.
- Scotch: This is optional, but it really does elevate the flavor! If you don’t want to include it, you can simply substitute extra vanilla in its place.
- Salt: Just like with making salted caramel, a little salt works magic in this sweet sauce.
Once your homemade butterscotch sauce is done, let it cool to room temperature. You could also make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.
Now it’s time to make the brown-sugar-sweetened cupcakes.
Ingredients You Need for Butterscotch Cupcakes
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the structure of these cupcakes.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leaveners help the cupcakes rise up and get nice and fluffy.
- Salt: Key for flavor, and to balance the sweetness.
- Brown Sugar: We’re using all brown sugar to sweeten these cupcakes, so expect the crumb to be a little denser than, say, vanilla cupcakes.
- Melted Butter: I find melted butter makes for a more buttery-tasting cupcake than starting with softened butter. Perfect for a butterscotch-flavored treat!
- Egg: 1 egg adds richness and binds the ingredients together.
- Sour Cream: Important for moisture.
- Milk: Whole milk will give you the best-tasting result, but you can use lower-fat or nondairy milk in a pinch.
- Vanilla: Another key flavor.
This cupcake batter is adapted from my strawberry shortcake cupcakes—only they’re made with all brown sugar and a whole egg for richness and a golden color. You can substitute 2 egg whites if you’d like.
The process for making these cupcakes is straightforward. Whisk together dry ingredients, whisk together wet ingredients, and then combine the two.
Success Tip: Don’t Overfill
You’ll have enough batter for 15 cupcakes, so line a standard 12-cup muffin pan and then a second one with 3 more cupcake liners. Fill the liners just 2/3 of the way full. Don’t try to fit all the batter into 12 cups because the cupcakes will spill over the sides when baking, and you’ll have a big sloppy mess to deal with!
They take just about 20 minutes or so to bake, then the cupcakes need to cool completely before you fill and frost them.
How to Fill Cupcakes
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, it’s time to fill them with butterscotch sauce.
You can fill a piping bag fitted with a long, skinny filling tip with the butterscotch sauce, or you can simply carve out a little hole in each cupcake with a paring knife and spoon the thickened butterscotch inside. I usually go with the second method.
To do so, use a sharp knife to cut a circle in the cupcake and remove the center, which will be roughly the shape of a cone. Using a small spoon, fill the middle of the cupcake with as much butterscotch sauce as you can. (Usually between 1–2 teaspoons.) Slice/tear off the pointed tip of the cone-shaped piece of cupcake, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. You’ll have leftover butterscotch sauce that you can use to drizzle on the finished cupcakes.
Don’t worry about how it looks on top, because you’ll cover the top with frosting!
If you need extra help with this step, see my How to Fill Cupcakes tutorial and video.
Frosting Choices
For a classic sweet finish, frost these butterscotch cupcakes with vanilla buttercream—that’s the frosting pictured.
If you prefer something less sweet (since both the cupcakes and sauce are already quite rich), try Swiss meringue buttercream, a lighter whipped frosting, or even something as simple as whipped cream. Personally, I love them with Swiss meringue buttercream, though it does mean another trip to the stove.
Whichever you choose, don’t forget to drizzle the leftover butterscotch sauce on top!
More Favorite Butterscotch Recipes
Description
Enjoy soft and tender brown sugar cupcakes filled with gooey homemade butterscotch sauce. Each bite is buttery, rich, and loaded with toffee-like flavor—like the best parts of butterscotch pudding wrapped up in cupcake form. Take your time making the butterscotch sauce and don’t skip the lemon juice. You can choose your own frosting, such as vanilla buttercream (pictured) or Swiss meringue buttercream. Other options include not-so-sweet whipped frosting or light and fluffy whipped cream.
Butterscotch Sauce
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (do not skip!)
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) heavy cream (do not use milk or half-and-half)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 2 teaspoons scotch, bourbon, or rum (see Note)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cupcakes
- 1 and 2/3 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 slightly cooled
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g/ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
Frosting Options
- Make the butterscotch sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar and lemon juice, whisking to combine. Once melted and combined, slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly. Once the cream has been incorporated, stop whisking and let the mixture come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let boil for 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, scotch (if using), and salt. Allow to cool completely. This makes a little 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. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until combined and no lumps remain. Add the egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and stir until combined. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place them directly on the rack to cool completely. Cupcakes must be completely cool before filling and frosting.
- Fill the cupcakes: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the center of the cooled cupcakes to create a little pocket about 1 inch deep. The piece you removed will be sort of cone-shaped. Spoon thickened and cooled butterscotch sauce inside each carved-out cupcake—use however much will fit. (Usually you can fit between 1–2 teaspoons of filling in each; you will have butterscotch sauce leftover to drizzle on top of the frosting.) Slice/tear off the pointy end of the “cone” piece of cupcake you removed, and gently press the round piece back on top of the filling. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post if you need extra visuals or help with this step.
- Make the frosting: Follow the steps to make your frosting of choice. Options include vanilla buttercream (pictured), Swiss meringue buttercream, or even something like not-so-sweet whipped frosting, or light and fluffy whipped cream.
- Top each cupcake with frosting (I used a Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting) and drizzle with leftover cooled butterscotch sauce.
- Store cupcakes at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store any leftover butterscotch sauce in a tightly sealed container/jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Butterscotch sauce can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. For best results, make the frosting the day you plan to serve the cupcakes. Unfilled, unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then fill and frost before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Medium Saucepan | 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Squeeze Bottle | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Lemon Juice in Butterscotch Sauce: This may seem like a strange ingredient to include, but it helps prevent crystallization. A little splash of lemon juice helps keep this sauce smooth and velvety, so you don’t end up with a grainy texture. I promise you can’t taste the lemon!
- Alcohol in Butterscotch Sauce: For depth of flavor, I strongly recommend adding 2 teaspoons of bourbon, scotch, or rum. All have slightly different flavor profiles, but I usually use scotch in this. If you want to skip the alcohol, add 1 more teaspoon of vanilla. (Not 2 more teaspoons.)
- Whole Milk & Sour Cream in Cupcakes: Whole milk and full-fat sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt (Greek or regular) would work instead, though the cupcakes may not be as light. Same goes with a lower-fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin.
