Butterbeer Cupcakes

By Vanetta

Ingredients

• For the cupcakes:
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed (if you only have light brown sugar, it’s ok to use that. Just add a 1/2 Tbs of molasses)
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp butter flavoring (found in the grocery store by the extracts)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup cream soda (not diet)
• For the ganache:
• 1 11-oz package butterscotch chips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• For the buttercream frosting:
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp butter flavoring
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• cream (as needed to thin out frosting)

Details

Servings 18
Adapted from cakeandallie.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 muffin tins with cupcake papers. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and butter flavoring.

Add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk and cream soda until fully incorporated. Fill muffin wells 3/4 of the way full and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Cool completely before filling and frosting.

Ganache:
Put butterscotch chips in a heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan until simmering and pour cream over butterscotch chips. Let sit for about 30 seconds and then stir until incorporated and smooth. Let ganache cool in the fridge, stirring it often. Move it to a squeeze bottle when it’s firmed up a bit. Using a funnel will make this a lot easier! Stick the tip of the squeeze bottle into the top of each cupcake and fill until butterscotch starts oozing out of the top.

Frosting
Cream butter with an electric mixer until broken up and fluffy. Add in cooled ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring and salt. Mix until incorporated. Slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. If you need to thin out your buttercream, add cream 1/2 Tbs at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Place buttercream into a piping bag and frost cupcakes, covering the hole you made for the ganache. Use frosting sparingly because it’s super sweet! Top cupcakes with an extra drizzle of butterscotch ganache.