Brown sugar cupcakes are super moist and sweetened with the perfect amount of brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon. Topped with a buttercream using melted brown sugar, this cupcake recipe is better than most bakery cupcakes!
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Brown sugar gets it's chance in the spotlight with this simple and flavorful cupcake!
Brown sugar cupcakes are an easy way to add a gourmet style cupcake to your kitchen. With the brown sugar, a hint of cinnamon and buttermilk, they are sure to become a new favorite.
why you will love this cupcake recipe
- Easy to make!
- The cupcakes are SO moist; from the brown sugar to the sour cream and buttermilk, it gives the crumb the best texture.
- The brown sugar flavor shines in both the cupcake and buttercream.
- Brown sugar frosting ~ this frosting is incredible! The brown sugar gets melted in the heavy cream, which allows this buttercream to be silky smooth.
ingredients needed for this bakery style cupcake
I know it takes a little planning ahead, but letting the ingredients come to room temperature before starting really helps to make these cupcakes spectacular.
- Unsalted butter ~ for both the cupcakes and buttercream frosting. Use room temperature butter, which means it should come out 1-2 hours before starting.
- Brown sugar ~ dark brown sugar is my recommendation, but light brown also works.
- Large eggs ~ for structure and richness. Pull them out to come to room temperature with the butter.
- Vanilla ~ balances the flavors, use a pure vanilla extract for the best taste.
- All-purpose flour ~ use your favorite brand.
- Kosher salt ~ to balance the flavors.
- Baking powder ~ to give the cupcakes a little rise.
- Cinnamon ~ for extra flavor.
- Buttermilk ~ adds flavor and moisture; let come to room temperature before using.
- Sour cream ~ adds moisture and helps to lighten the crumb of the cupcake. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Confectioners' sugar and heavy whipping cream {not shown} ~ for the brown sugar frosting.
step by step instructions
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer {this is the one I have and love} cream the butter and sugar on medium-high for 3 minutes.
Scrape up and down the bowl and add one egg and the vanilla, beat 1 minute more. Then add the second egg and beat until incorporated and light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary, another 1-2 minutes.
Scrape up and down the bowl and then add the flour mixture and sour cream and buttermilk on low speed in alternating additions until just combined.
The butter and brown sugar creamed together. The batter once the eggs and vanilla have been added. The final cupcake batter after the dry ingredients and buttermilk have been added.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 liners {this brand is my favorite}, about 3-4 tablespoons of batter per liner. The batter is on the thick side. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them. If you want something other than brown sugar buttercream, this salted caramel frosting would be divine on these brown sugar cupcakes!
how do you keep brown sugar frosting from being grainy?
The brown sugar gets melted into the heavy cream over low heat until it is dissolved. Then the mixture gets cooled before adding it to the American style buttercream.
can I use brown sugar in cupcakes?
Absolutely! The brown sugar adds moisture and softness to this easy cupcake recipe. This recipe was created using brown sugar, but you can substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar in many baking recipes.
Remember to pin this recipe to Pinterest! Use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.
how does brown sugar affect cupcakes?
The brown sugar adds a subtle caramel-y flavor. It will also cause the cupcakes to have a darker appearance than a cake or cupcake made with granulated sugar.
how to store
These cupcakes will remain fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days. You can also place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
I also have great success with freezing this cupcake recipe. I make and frost the cupcakes before freezing them in an airtight container {for up to 2 months}. Allow them to come to room temperature {takes about an hour or so} before serving.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Brown Sugar Cupcakes. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
more brown sugar recipes to enjoy
- Brown Sugar Snack Cake Bars
- Caramel and Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
- Brown Sugar Cake with Oatmeal Cookie Dough Filling
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
Brown Sugar Cupcakes {with brown sugar frosting}
Brown sugar cupcakes are super moist and sweetened with the perfect amount of brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon. Topped with a buttercream using melted brown sugar, this cupcake recipe is better than most bakery cupcakes!
Ingredients
Brown sugar cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (156g)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (150g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream, room temperature (60g)
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature (120mL
brown sugar buttercream
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed (65g)
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (45mL)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar (240g)
Instructions
For the brown sugar cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with liners and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium - large bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer cream the butter and sugar on medium-high for 3 minutes.
Scrape up and down the bowl and add one egg and the vanilla, beat 1 minute more. Then add the second egg and beat until incorporated and light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary, another 1-2 minutes. Scrape up and down the bowl and then add the flour mixture and sour cream and milk on low speed in alternating additions (⅓ flour, ½ milk/sour cream, ⅓ flour, ½ milk/sour cream, ⅓ flour) until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 liners, about 3-4 tablespoons of batter per liner. The batter is on the thick side.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then move to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the brown sugar buttercream: while the cupcakes are cooling, warm the brown sugar and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow this mixture to cool before making the buttercream.
When the brown sugar heavy cream mixture is cool, using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or with a hand held mixer), whisk the butter and salt on high for one minute. Scrape up and down the bowl and add 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar on low until incorporated, then turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat for 1-2 minutes. Add the cooled heavy cream and brown sugar mixture with the 2nd cup of confectioners' sugar and whisk on low until incorporated and then on medium-high 4-5 minutes more.
Spoon or pipe the frosting onto the top of each cooled cupcake. I used a Wilton 8B for the look in these photos.
Notes
Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the rerigerator for up to 5 days. They also freeze well (with the buttercream) for 2 months; freeze in an airtight container. Allow to defrost on the counter before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 394Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 0gSugar: 35gProtein: 3g
The nutrition information is an estimate and may not be entirely accurate.
Michelle
These cupcakes look so flavourful and moist with all the brown sugar! I think it would be so yummy with brown sugar oat latte!
Tasia
Thank you Michelle! Pairing these cupcakes with a brown sugar oat latte sounds perfect!
Kathleen Pope
You had me at brown sugar -- both on the cupcake and on the frosting! Gosh, cannot wait to make these. Kind of like coffee cake right and we eat coffee cake for breakfast, therefore these are breakfast food! 🙂
Tasia
I absolutely love your reasoning path here! Thank you Kathleen!
Vosa
I made these as the cake part to a biscoff cupcake recipe. I ate one as a taste test right out the oven and I thought the tartness from the sour cream and buttermilk was too overpowering. I let the cupcake sit overnight bc I was planning on throwing them away but I decided to just put the frosting on and give it another try and OMG THANK GOODNESS I DID BC THESE CUPCAKES WERE SOOOO FLAVORFUL AND WELL BALANCED. Its no wonder why the directions were to have the cupcakes cool for 2 hours lol. The texture was perfect— not too dense not to airy, and the sour cream/buttermilk actually balances out the richness of the dark brown sugar and also the sweetness in the frosting. Loved this recipe. Ive tossed out my old brown sugar cupcake recipe and will now be using this one. Cant wait to try your biscoff cake recipe.
Tasia
Hi Vosa, your sweet comment made my morning! Thank you for coming back to leave a review and I'm so happy you gave them a chance!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Tasia I LOVE your photos for these beautiful cupcakes! These sound so delicious. The frosting is decorated so beautifully!
Tasia
Thank you Katherine! The brown sugar really makes these cupcakes a treat!
Annaka
I'm hoping to make this recipe as one of several for my wedding reception! I'm wondering if you think it would be okay to freeze the batter for a few days, thaw, and then bake? Obviously I'll test it first, but thought I'd ask for any tips & tricks you might have!
Tasia
Hi Annaka, congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I would not recommend freezing the cupcake batter. The reason is that they rely on the chemical reaction of the baking soda with the liquids to rise in the oven. I fear this would get compromised and the cupcakes would end up heavy and dense. What I would recommend is baking the cupcakes, allow them to cool completely, then place in an airtight container and freeze them {this can be done up to a couple months ahead of time, but since it's your wedding I would try and do them a few days to two weeks before}. Allow them to defrost and then frost them. I honestly freeze cupcakes with the frosting on all.the.time. But again, since this is your wedding I would add the frosting the day of or day before serving. Happy baking!
BJ Gippe
The cupcakes were amazing! We have lactose intolerant peeps so I made it with Dairy Free butter, sour cream, and buttermilk. Everyone loved them and could not stop talking about them! Delish! Love the frosting with the brown sugar in the heavy cream! Great recipe .. thx!
Tasia
Hi BJ, thank you for coming back to share your experience. I'm so happy to hear they were loved! Thank you as well for sharing your dietary substitutions, I'm sure that will help someone else who is wondering about the same thing.
Jess
These are so incredible! The batter was so smooth and silky that I got nervous- but they turned out perfect! The hint of cinnamon makes these enjoyable even without icing. I paired with a separate maple buttercream icing and it was like eating French toast. YUM!
Tasia
Hi Jess, thank you for coming to leave a review. I am so happy to hear you loved these cupcakes! The maple buttercream sounds like a delicious addition.