
Brown Butter Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting
Mar 14, 2025

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk, slightly warm
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
For the Buttercream:
- 4 egg whites
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup water
Directions:
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 345F. Line two cupcake pans with 18-20 liners. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook it until it turns a golden amber color. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. You can move it to the fridge to speed up this process.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, vanilla and vanilla bean paste. Whisk in the now room temperature brown butter and then the egg whites.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk together until just incorporated, making sure not to over-mix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling the wells 2/3 the way full. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
For the Buttercream:
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook it until it turns a golden amber color. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. You can move it to the fridge to speed up this process.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar together with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add 1 cup of the sugar and the water. Stir until the sugar melts and dissolves completely. Maintain at medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 235-240F.
- Drizzle the sugar mixture into the egg white mixture as soon as it reaches the desired temperature. Beat this mixture with the electric mixture until it cools.
- Add the now cooled browned butter to this mixture one tablespoon and beat until fully incorporated after each addition.
- Beat in the vanilla and vanilla bean paste. Beat until the mixture has reached a smooth and silky consistency.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with the tip snipped and pipe a dollop onto each of the cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!
*Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
*Try making the browned butter a day ahead of time so it is ready when your ready to start baking.