Brown Sugar Cupcakes

Favorite Fall Cupcake

I first made these brown sugar cupcakes years ago for a wedding reception.  Remember when every wedding reception you went to had a cupcake bar?  This was my favorite cupcake that I made for the party! They are flavored with brown sugar and brown butter and topped with toasted pecans.

Ingredients Needed

• All purpose flour. I prefer unbleached flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Unsalted butter, at room temperature. If you use salted butter just reduce the salt you add in by half.
• Brown sugar. I use light brown sugar but if you want an even deeper flavor you could use dark.
• Eggs at room temperature
• Buttermilk. Adds flavor and texture. Use at room temperature.
• Pecans. For garnish. You could also use crushed Heath candy bar.

Why You Will Love These Cupcakes!

The flavor is amazing. The combination of brown sugar and brown butter sends these cupcakes off the charts. There is brown butter in the frosting and it may be the best frosting you’ve ever tasted!! I adore the taste and smell of browned butter and think it makes everything better!

How to Make Brown Sugar Cupcakes

• Line standard muffin tins with paper liners
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt
• With the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until pale fluffy
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
• Add dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined.
• Divide batter evenly among lined muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full.
• Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Cool on wire racks.

How to Make Brown Butter Frosting

You can find all my brown butter tips here.

The most important thing to remember is that while browning butter don’t leave it unattended.  It can go from browned to burnt very quickly.  You want it to turn a nice golden brown, nutty color. 

• Remove browned butter from heat, and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind.
• Add confectioners (powdered) sugar, vanilla extract , and 2 tablespoons milk to brown butter; stir until smooth
• Add more milk (up to 2 tablespoons) a little at a time, just until icing is spreadable.
• Frost cupcakes.

How to Frost Brown Sugar Cupcakes

Allow brown sugar cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. You can use a knife to add a layer of frosting to the top of the cupcakes but I like to use a piping bag and tip to pipe the frosting onto my cupcakes.  It actually makes frosting quicker, easier and prettier.

Sprinkle the cupcakes with some toasted pecans but you could also used some crushed Heath Bar or toffee pieces.  Makes it pretty and delicious!

Cupcake Tips and Tricks

Ingredients.  Be sure your ingredients are room temperature and they will combine more smoothly.

Scoop.  To make sure my cupcakes are all the same size I always use a scoop and fill the muffin tins 2/3 full. Don’t over fill your cupcakes.

Cooling.  Always allow your cupcakes to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin and then remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.  The heat from the pan will continue to cook them so don’t leave them in there too long.