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.

Ingredients

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

Vanilla buttercream (sweet) or Swiss meringue buttercream (not as sweet)

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Instructions

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 2 weeks. 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.