Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting Recipe

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I call butterscotch buttercream frosting the twin sister of caramel buttercream. While quite similar, butterscotch has a uniquely delicate and sweet flavor from brown sugar. Also, it's much softer than caramel and goes well with some unique cake flavors such as banana, pumpkin, apple, and even vanilla or chocolate.

A bowl with buttercream and butterscotch sauce — Buttercream Frosting - Butterscotch Flavor

I must admit that I have a particular soft spot for butterscotch sauce, and especially buttercream. If I had to pick between a caramel sauce or a butterscotch sauce, I'd choose butterscotch. I think its that mellow flavor from the brown sugar

Don't you love that color? Especially the smell.. yum. Sweet and luxurious!

Ingredients and substitutes

Butterscotch sauce - while you can use store-bought sauce, I highly recommend you make your own so you can make a thicker sauce which works better for consistency. Besides, it takes just 5 to 7 minutes to make your own from scratch
Butter - I always use unsalted European butter for my butterscotch or caramel, European butter has lower moisture content and is often used for making pastry.
Powdered sugar - Always use powdered sugar made from cane sugar, not beet sugar. Beet sugar stays grainy and gritty
Vanilla extract - a good quality vanilla extract goes a long way. Pro-tip - it is more affordable to make your own vanilla extract, bean paste, or vanilla sugar.

Ingredients shot collage for butterscotch frosting — Buttercream Frosting - Butterscotch Flavor

Two recipes - butterscotch buttercream

Premade buttercream - If you are a cake decorator like me, then you probably already have buttercream on hand - why would you make more from scratch? Right? You can use any frosting from Swiss, Italian, French, German, or American Buttercream as a base.
- Of course, this buttercream is a bit soft in-consistency because you are now adding a sauce ingredient. Please keep that in mind but in some cakes it's ok.
- And you definitely cannot use it for piping because the consistency is soft.
From scratch - You can make it from scratch using this recipe. A fair warning
- This is rich, light, and fluffy because you MUST whip it for at least three minutes.
- I love using this more than the first method because it's not too sweet but rather very buttery.
- As you can see it's all butter so use it such that it complements the cake. Beautiful light and airy cake will be a better match than a dense cake. A dense cake with an all-butter butterscotch frosting might be a bit too much. Unless of course, that indulgence is what you are looking for.
- This buttercream does not do so well with piping - it's much softer than regular powdered sugar buttercreams.

You must try these with my Butterscotch Cupcakes and drizzle them with more Butterscotch Sauce. Yum!

A bowl with butterscotch buttercream — Buttercream Frosting - Butterscotch Flavor

Recipe 1 - Using pre-made buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the butterscotch sauce with the premade buttercream until light and fluffy.
Pro-tip - if you don't whip enough the buttercream will be a soft consistency.

Consistency

The consistency of this buttercream will depend on the consistency of the original buttercream as well as the consistency of your Butterscotch Sauce.
If you need to frost a cake or pipe swirls on cupcakes, this will work just great.
However, if you need a firm or stiff buttercream, then you are probably better off using the recipe from scratch below.

Progress Pictures for Butterscotch Buttercream — Buttercream Frosting - Butterscotch Flavor

Recipe 2 - Made from scratch

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter and salt until pale, light, and fluffy
Pro-tip - the butter must be room temperature otherwise it will make a lumpy buttercream
Next, add the butterscotch sauce in two batches making sure to combine well.
Pro-tip - the mixing will look very soft, loose, and almost curdled. Just keep whipping.
Next, add the powdered sugar and continue to whip. Once all the powdered sugar is well-combined turn the mixer to medium-high and whip for three full minutes until light and fluffy
Pro-tip - the butter and cream in the butterscotch sauce will whip into a light and airy buttercream so don't skip the whipping.
Finally, add the vanilla extract and combine well.

A butterscotch frosted cupcake — Buttercream Frosting - Butterscotch Flavor

Tips and troubleshooting

The consistency of the sauce you use will determine the consistency of the buttercream.
Ideally, one way to get a firmer buttercream would be to add more powdered sugar, but this results in a sweeter buttercream.
If the consistency of the buttercream is too soft - use it as a filling first then use some regular buttercream to frost the outside of the cake.

Frequently asked questions

How long will this buttercream keep?

This buttercream will keep in the fridge for up to a week. You can also store leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight for best results

What is the difference between caramel and butterscotch?

Caramel is made with white sugar while butterscotch is made with brown sugar. Butterscotch has a unique flavor that comes from the molasses in the brown sugar.

What flavors work well with butterscotch?

Recipes that use brown sugar are often enhanced with the flavor of butterscotch. Coffee and chocolate both work well with it as well.