Finding something to pay money for. Butterscotch Cupcakes

I cannot believe that it has been before Thanksgiving that I last posted.  Believe me, it's not for lack of baking or trying new recipes, nor for lack of wanting to post. It was for lack of HAVING anything to post. Let me explain:

Now that all my family and friends read my blog, I've been getting tons of requests to make them recipes from my previous blog posts.  Finding any excuse to bake (and to make some easy Christmas presents), I will always happily oblige and shower everyone who asks with as many baked goods as my oven and Kitchenaid can handle. The only problem is I get about one day a week to bake, and how can re-baking an item I just made a few posts ago make a sufficient new post? In hindsight, I should have taken pictures with all my friends and family who I remade my recipes for. Then I would have had something to post, right? At any rate, the most popular posts: Apple Cinnamon Rolls and Vanilla Chai Tea Cupcakes.  I would strongly recommend both (and of course, would gladly make them for you too!).

When I wasn't remaking my posts, I was dabbling in new recipes, none of which I liked. Whenever my grandfather would really like a meal, he would exclaim "That's something I'd pay money for." When I started this blog, I promised myself that I would never post something that I "wouldn't pay for." And let me tell you, these recipes were not worth much. First, I tried meringues with a roasted berry sauce. I found them decent, but nothing that I would want to make again (or ever serve my grandfather, that's for sure!). The meringues could have used some lemon zest, because without the berries, they were bland and not worth the calories. Next, I made gingerbread cupcakes with an orange-cream cheese frosting. Again, bland. Also, the frosting had a strange texture with the orange zest. It lacked the smoothness I look for in a good frosting. Personal preference? Perhaps, but I still wouldn't pay money for it. Two weeks ago, I tried a blood orange bar (sort-of a lemon bar recipe, but with blood oranges instead of lemons). This disappointment I should attribute not to the recipe itself, but to the oranges. Yes, I knew they were out of season, but they were on sale (and I can never resist a sale!). They had that unripe sour taste, lacking the sweetness of ripe blood oranges. Even then, I didn't love the recipe as a lemon bar, so I certainly was not going to post the recipe as a failed blood orange bar.

So last week, I needed to redeem myself (if to no one else, then myself!). I went with a recipe I was 100% confident would always come out delicious: Butterscotch cupcakes. Finally, SUCCESS!

Butterscotch is my dad's favorite flavor, besides cheesecake. Originally, I tried this recipe for a Harry Potter party (it was a Butterbeer cupcake recipe). I took my remaining cupcakes home to Columbia to share with my parents. Dad exclaimed that they were the best butterscotch dessert he ever had, and immediately took a second one after he finished his first. In my dad's way, I think he just told me that he would pay money for those cupcakes.

Fair warning, these are intensely butterscotch-y. If you don't like butterscotch, these aren't for you. However, if your family is like mine, hopefully they'll want to pay you for these, too.

Butterscotch Cupcakes

(from Amybites- Butterbeer Cupcakes)

Butterscotch Cupcake:

2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. dark brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 t. butter flavoring (found in popcorn aisle)
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. cream soda (I recommend Stewart's)
Butterscotch filling:

1 11-oz. package butterscotch chips
1 c. heavy cream
Butterscotch frosting:

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c. butterscotch ganache
1 t. vanilla
1 t. butter flavoring
1/8 t. salt

4 c. powdered sugar
Splash of milk (enough to achieve right consistency)

 Preheat oven to 350F. Combine dry, and set aside. Cream butter and sugars for about 3 min. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and butter flavoring. Alternate adding dry ingredients, buttermilk, and cream soda (for example: add 1/3 of dry, add 1/3 of buttermilk, add 1/3 of soda, add 1/3 dry...etc.). Pour into lined cupcake pan. Bake for 15-17 min. Let cool completely before removing from pan. 

Meanwhile, melt the butterscotch chips with the cream in a double broiler until entirely smooth. Process should take 10 min. Cool completely. Fill a squeeze bottle with ganache, inset into center of cupcake, and fill cupcake until ganache comes out the top of the new hole. 

Cream the butter for the frosting. Then, add the ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt. Mix well. Beat in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Add milk until frosting reaches the desired consistency to frost your cupcakes.

Drizzle frosted cupcakes with remaining butterscotch ganache (or save to put on your ice cream). :)

Enjoy!