i love, love, love butterscotch but unfortunately here, in ireland, we seem to be rather deprived of those butterscotch chips that i see so many recipes using when butterscotch is called for. shame, shame! but not one to be deterred from a mission, i shall always seek out and explore with any alternative i can get my hands on.
some time ago i made banoffee cupcakes and in that recipe i used this amazing butterscotch spread for the filling of each cupcake. i really liked the taste of it...rich and creamy and very very devourable! so i figured i'd try this time just mixing it in with the batter to make some butterscotch cupcakes and then use some to add into the icing (many family members are also butterscotch fans so a double helping of the stuff might not seem so out of context if you know this!!!)
result...the cupcake smelled absolutely divine coming out of the oven...so much so, that the 13th cupcake i got out of the batter that i overfilled and spilled over, was used for an immediate taste test. it was so good warm. lovely butter-y taste with the caramel kick. soft, moist and speckled with dots of what i presume is the butterscotch (i didn't mix in the spread that much).
of course, while they were baking i tackled the icing. this was a tad more tricky. of course, the butterscotch is VERY sweet on it's own...add to this icing sugar and well, when i tasted it i worried that it was too much. so i cut back and tried to mix in as little as possible necessary to get to piping consistency. but so much for piping consistency...when i dolloped it all in the icing bag and actually started piping i noticed the icing started going a bit pear-shaped and looking like it was melting...gulp! i piped on, trying to get the stuff on as fast as possible. i think next time i'd need to re-think this...but on the other hand, the icing was so yummy...again that lovely butter-y taste and darn it! if only it didn't look so weird! not to worry...most probably won't notice as they gobble them down. so hurrah for that!
the recipe...
Butterscotch Cupcakes
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2/3 c. milk
1/2 jar butterscotch spread
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated and mixture is light and creamy.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl and add to the creamed mix, alternating with the milk until fully incorporated.
Stir in butterscotch spread. do not overmix. it's nice if there are some butterscotch swirls in there.
Scoop into cupcake cases and bake for 25 mins at whatever your usual temperature is. Remove and let stand for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
i'm not going to post the icing recipe because i am not entirely satisfied with it and would need to re-do before i can finalise the quantities.
some time ago i made banoffee cupcakes and in that recipe i used this amazing butterscotch spread for the filling of each cupcake. i really liked the taste of it...rich and creamy and very very devourable! so i figured i'd try this time just mixing it in with the batter to make some butterscotch cupcakes and then use some to add into the icing (many family members are also butterscotch fans so a double helping of the stuff might not seem so out of context if you know this!!!)
result...the cupcake smelled absolutely divine coming out of the oven...so much so, that the 13th cupcake i got out of the batter that i overfilled and spilled over, was used for an immediate taste test. it was so good warm. lovely butter-y taste with the caramel kick. soft, moist and speckled with dots of what i presume is the butterscotch (i didn't mix in the spread that much).
of course, while they were baking i tackled the icing. this was a tad more tricky. of course, the butterscotch is VERY sweet on it's own...add to this icing sugar and well, when i tasted it i worried that it was too much. so i cut back and tried to mix in as little as possible necessary to get to piping consistency. but so much for piping consistency...when i dolloped it all in the icing bag and actually started piping i noticed the icing started going a bit pear-shaped and looking like it was melting...gulp! i piped on, trying to get the stuff on as fast as possible. i think next time i'd need to re-think this...but on the other hand, the icing was so yummy...again that lovely butter-y taste and darn it! if only it didn't look so weird! not to worry...most probably won't notice as they gobble them down. so hurrah for that!
the recipe...
Butterscotch Cupcakes
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2/3 c. milk
1/2 jar butterscotch spread
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated and mixture is light and creamy.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl and add to the creamed mix, alternating with the milk until fully incorporated.
Stir in butterscotch spread. do not overmix. it's nice if there are some butterscotch swirls in there.
Scoop into cupcake cases and bake for 25 mins at whatever your usual temperature is. Remove and let stand for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
i'm not going to post the icing recipe because i am not entirely satisfied with it and would need to re-do before i can finalise the quantities.
