Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk the cake flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown butter, sugar, and honey until smooth.
Then stir in the eggs and vanilla until fully combined.
Stir in half the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Then mix in the rest of the flour until fully incorporated. The batter will be thin.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
Honey Brown Butter Buttercream
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the room temperature brown butter, honey, and powdered sugar until smooth.
Add in vanilla and salt until fully combined.
Beat the frosting on high for 4-5 minutes until lightly and fluffy.
Frost cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M tip for these photos. Then drizzle with more honey!
Notes
These cupcakes will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, they taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
To make brown butter, melt unsalted butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch closely for the butter to develop brown specs and a nutty aroma. Once you start seeing brown specs, let cook for just a few seconds longer (watch very carefully or it will burn). Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl so that it doesn't continue to cook. Set aside and let cool for about 20 minutes in the fridge until soft and pliable. Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.