Brown Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Between battling COVID, throwing a blow out of a birthday party and hosting the in-laws over the holiday weekend, the blog has taken a bit of a back seat. But have no fear! While the posts may have been sparse, the recipe inspiration kept coming.

Despite recovering from COVID, I couldn't let my daughter's first birthday pass without baking a few cupcakes. I've been oober diligent about serving her meals sans salt and added sugars, so I felt her first taste of cake had to be something special.

I pulled out my all-time favorite chocolate cake recipe, but decided I'd do something a little different for the frosting. I was gunning for a classic chocolate, vanilla pairing with the volume turned up. So I browned the butter! That's right, you heard me!

The nutty brown butter amplified the vanilla bean flavor. What a delicious buttercream for a moist chocolate cupcake. And while my daughter might not have fully appreciated the culinary care and invention, she certainly enjoyed her first cupcake!

Brown Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

· 1 ¾ cup flour

· 2 cups sugar

· ¾ cup cocoa powder

· 2 tsp baking soda

· 1 tsp baking powder

· 1 tsp salt

· 1 cup buttermilk

· ½ cup vegetable oil

· 2 eggs

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· 1 cup brewed coffee

For the frosting

· 4 sticks butter

· 4 cups powdered sugar

· 1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste

· Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, extract, and cooled coffee. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into heavily greased and lined cupcake tins. Fill the tins about 2/3 full.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The center of the cake should bounce back after a light touch.

Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes in the pans. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter over medium low heat until golden brown and fragrant. Pour the butter into a heat-safe bowl and transfer to the fridge. Chill until the butter is solid but still soft and easily spreadable.

In the bowl of a standmixer, combine the softened butter and powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and salt. Beat until combined.

Dollop or pipe the browned butter cream onto the cooled cupcakes.

Cupcakes can be keep at room temperature for up to two days. Otherwise, transfer to the fridge. Be sure to bring the cupcakes to room temperature before serving for smooth and creamy frosting!

Makes 24 cupcakes

Notes

This is my go-to chocolate cake batter. Divide the batter between two greased 8-inch cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes. Sandwich together with your favorite frosting.

GF Friendly

Gluten Free Friendly!

Cup4Cup works as a perfect substitute for this batter. I find GF cakes tend to stick a bit more readily to the pan, so go the extra mile and line your cake pans with parchment paper.