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Brown Butter Pumpkin Toffee Cupcakes Recipe

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4.6 from 140 reviews

These Brown Butter Pumpkin Toffee Cupcakes are a decadent autumn treat combining moist pumpkin cupcakes with the rich, nutty flavor of browned butter, topped with a luscious cinnamon toffee sauce and brown butter cream cheese frosting. Perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, these cupcakes offer a delightful balance of warmth and sweetness with optional pumpkin spice toffee shards for garnish. Ideal for fall gatherings or holiday celebrations, these cupcakes promise deep flavors and a moist, tender crumb.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cupcakes:

  • 1¾ cups (210g) all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 ½ teaspoons if using imitation vanilla)
  • 1 cup (227g) pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
  • ¼ cup (60ml) buttermilk, at room temperature

For the Cinnamon Toffee Sauce:

  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
  • ¼ cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

For the Frosting:

  • 1 recipe Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

For Garnish (Optional):

  • ½ recipe Pumpkin Spice Toffee

Instructions

  1. Brown the Butter: Place the butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Melt and continue cooking while swirling or stirring constantly until the butter turns dark golden brown and emits a nutty aroma. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool until lukewarm but still liquid.
  2. Prepare Oven and Mix Dry Ingredients: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two muffin pans with 14 cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
  3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In another medium bowl, combine pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  4. Beat Sugars and Eggs: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs on medium speed until light, fluffy, nearly doubled in volume, and cappuccino colored, about 5 minutes.
  5. Incorporate Browned Butter: With the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle the lukewarm browned butter down the side of the bowl, mixing until fully incorporated.
  6. Combine Batter: On low speed, add one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half the pumpkin mixture, then another third of the flour mixture, the remaining pumpkin mixture, and finally the last flour mixture, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix just until combined; avoid overmixing.
  7. Fill Cupcake Liners and Bake: Using an ice cream scoop, evenly divide batter among the 14 cupcake liners. Bake until the centers spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs, about 17 minutes.
  8. Cool Cupcakes: Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before filling and frosting.
  9. Prepare Cinnamon Toffee Sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt over medium heat, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 minute, continuing to stir. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon. Let cool to room temperature before filling cupcakes.
  10. Fill Cupcakes: Cut a cone shape out of the top of each cupcake using a paring knife (or an apple corer), leaving a ¼ inch thick cake disc to use as a plug. Remove and discard or eat the bottom cone portion. Fill the hollowed cupcakes generously with the cooled cinnamon toffee sauce.
  11. Plug and Frost: Replace the cake plug on top of each filled cupcake. Using a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip (or an offset spatula), frost the cupcakes with the prepared Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting starting from the center and spiraling outward. Optionally drizzle leftover toffee sauce and garnish with pumpkin spice toffee shards.
  12. Store Properly: Store cupcakes in an airtight container. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days refrigerated; bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

  • Both canned and homemade pumpkin puree work well; ensure canned puree is pure pumpkin, not pie filling.
  • For homemade puree, sugar or pie pumpkins are ideal, but larger pumpkins can be used if strained to remove excess moisture.
  • Winter squash such as butternut squash can be substituted for pumpkin.
  • Browning butter for frosting can be done immediately after making the cupcake browned butter to save time.
  • Using an apple corer to hollow cupcakes creates less filling space but is easier for shaping.

Keywords: pumpkin cupcakes, brown butter, cinnamon toffee sauce, cream cheese frosting, autumn desserts, fall cupcakes, pumpkin spice, homemade cupcakes

Find it online: https://ellaeatsdaily.com/brown-butter-pumpkin-toffee-cupcakes-recipe/