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The Best Butterbeer Cupcakes

August 15, 2016 by thedomesticrebel | 62 Comments

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Butterbeer Cupcakes arranged on wood board with cream soda in backgroundThese Butterbeer Cupcakes truly are the best ever! Moist, fluffy butterscotch-vanilla creme cake topped with a fluffy butterscotch frosting and caramel sauce. Incredible!

So I guess I’m on a cupcake roll? I posted cupcakes last week, and cupcakes this week. Cupcake Monday should be a thing, don’t ya think?

Besides that, my book party was this weekend and it was a success! No one passed out drunk from my extra-boozy homemade sangria; people bought my book; no one was repulsed by my cooking; and my charcuterie tray looked more high-end than Walmart and that made me happy (even if I forgot the olives, grapes, cornichons (those are pickles to mortals like you and I), and crackers). Oops.

And I forgot to paint my nails, so I officially had the jankiest hands at the party. My parents assured me that no one noticed my gross manicure, but at least I washed my hands, so there’s comfort in that, even if my nails weren’t mint to match my book.

Overall, it was a great party! It was fun to see friends I haven’t seen in awhile, and everything was easy peasy. And the best part is, I still have sangria left over! #win.

I should have made these Butterbeer Cupcakes, but I didn’t because I basically suck at life. BUT I did make these cupcakes for my book signing last week, and they were a huge hit.

Basically, the day of the signing, I realized, hey, the new Harry Potter book is out and people will be at the book store to buy it. I should entice those HP readers over to my table to buy my book! And then I made these cupcakes and the rest is history. (And I sold 30 books… so I’d say it was a success!).

These cupcakes are inspired by Harry Potter, because in the books he gets butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks in Diagon Alley. (At least I think. I didn’t actually read the books *hangs head in shame* but it’s what I’ve heard, and people never lie to innocent folks, right? RIGHT?).

Butterbeer Cupcakes on wood boardButterbeer isn’t actually beer; in fact, it’s more like a butterscotch-ish vanilla creme soda. Rich and golden, sweet and bubbly and absolutely heavenly. If you’re lucky, you’ll sometimes find butterbeer soda in stores near Halloween, but in a pinch, you can absolutely use vanilla creme soda like I did here.

Whatever ya do, make yourself some because these are seriously some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. They’re so unapologetically buttery and fabulous.

Also, muggle-approved.

Butterbeer Cupcakes on wooden board

Print Recipe
4.89 from 17 votes

The Best Butterbeer Cupcakes

These Butterbeer Cupcakes are seriously some of the BEST cupcakes I've EVER had. Buttery, brown sugary, vanilla-flavored and oh so fabulous, they're topped with a butterscotch & brown sugar frosting that's to-die for!
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time17 mins
Total Time47 mins
Course: Cakes/Cupcakes, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Dessert
Servings: 18
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

  • FOR CUPCAKES:
  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 cup vanilla creme soda
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 (3.4 oz pkg) dry instant butterscotch pudding mix
  • FOR FROSTING:
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp butterscotch sundae sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp butter extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3½-4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk if needed should frosting be too thick
  • Additional butterscotch sauce or caramel sauce for drizzling

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin pans with about 18 paper liners; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, vanilla creme soda, brown sugar and dry pudding mix. Beat with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes or until combined. Portion the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.
  • Bake the cupcakes for approx. 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, not wet, crumbs. Cool completely.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, butterscotch sauce, brown sugar, butter and vanilla extracts with the paddle attachment until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy, streaming in the heavy cream if needed (if frosting is too thick).
  • Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. If piping the frosting as high as in my photos, you may want to double the recipe. Drizzle with caramel or butterscotch sauce.

Butterbeer Cupcakes with bite missingButtery, brown sugary, and with hints of warm butterscotch and vanilla, these cupcakes are totally amazing and I think you’ll agree – Harry Potter fan or not!

Butterbeer Cupcakes collageHave a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

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Comments

  1. Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says

    August 15, 2016 at 4:09 am

    5 stars
    OMG yesssss!! I’ve been looking for an easy butterbeer cupcake recipe to make for my boyfriend because he’s the BIGGEST Harry Potter nerd ever. Thank you for sharing this!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      August 15, 2016 at 5:59 pm

      Woohoo! You and your boyfriend will love these then! They are SO good. Thanks for your comment, Marina! xoxo!

      Reply
  2. Miranda says

    August 16, 2016 at 3:14 pm

    5 stars
    Butterbeer cupcakes sound fabulous! I absolutely loved the butterbeer I had a while back, I bet it would be perfect in cupcake form!

    Reply
  3. annie says

    August 16, 2016 at 5:05 pm

    It sounds like an awesome book signing party, even sans cupcakes. Silly Hayley, “i wrote a book but i forgot to make cupcakes so now i suck.” Um what? You know you’re awesome, right?

    Also, I didn’t read the Harry Potter books for a very long long time and then someone pretty much forced them on me and I’m glad they did. So….there’s still time. I’m sure you’d love them.

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      August 17, 2016 at 8:00 am

      Ha! Thanks Annie. I need a good new book (which I wish I had the time to read!) so maybe I’ll give them a try 🙂

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says

    August 16, 2016 at 9:11 pm

    5 stars
    I wish I went to the party and passed out cuz of Sangria!! LOL These cupcakes are GORG award status, that caramel drizzle get in ma belly!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      August 18, 2016 at 6:47 am

      Ha! I wish you were there, too!

      Reply
  5. Krystle says

    September 5, 2016 at 8:17 pm

    5 stars
    So glad to hear your book party went well. I’m not sure I trust butterbeer cupcakes from a non HP book reader, but your pictures have changed my mind. :)I want to dig in!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      September 6, 2016 at 7:02 am

      Ha! I understand, but I promise, these are amazing! I think HP would approve. (Well, THIS HP approves, anyway) 🙂

      Reply
  6. Sandra Sexton says

    September 16, 2016 at 3:22 pm

    I really like new & easy recipes

    Reply
  7. Irene says

    September 22, 2016 at 6:53 am

    I am SOOO excited, I am planning on making these this weekend. What do you think will happen if I leave out the butter extract? Will it totally ruin the recipe?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      September 22, 2016 at 7:32 am

      Hi Irene! You probably won’t notice that the butter extract is missing. I just like it because it adds a great depth of flavor and richness.

      Reply
      • Irene says

        September 22, 2016 at 8:23 am

        Ok that sounds great! thanks for the awesome recipe!

        Reply
  8. Ashley says

    October 13, 2016 at 6:59 pm

    Thanks for the recipe! I doubled the recipe, thinking 18 cupcakes wouldn’t be enough for our bake sale and was able to make just over 5 dozen full size cupcakes! Wow! The frosting would’ve had to have been tripled and a half to cover all those cakes but I frosted what I could with double frosting and we are eating the plain cakes as is. Very yummy even by itself!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      October 13, 2016 at 7:01 pm

      Oh and forgot to mention– BIG Harry Potter fan! He would definitely approve! ⚡️??

      Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 13, 2016 at 7:30 pm

      Ashley, so glad you enjoyed them and hope they were a hit at the bake sale!

      Reply
  9. Caroline says

    October 25, 2016 at 8:56 am

    Can the cake part be made a day in advance, or are they best eaten the day they are made?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 25, 2016 at 2:14 pm

      Hi Caroline, they most certainly can be made a day in advance!

      Reply
  10. Katie says

    November 23, 2016 at 8:26 am

    Do you use salted or unsalted butter for the frosting? It was SO sweet. I used unsalted butter.

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      November 23, 2016 at 9:33 am

      I personally use unsalted butter, but you can always use salted if that’s what you had on hand!

      Reply
  11. Jill says

    January 28, 2017 at 7:23 pm

    I can’t find 3.4 oz package of jello instant pudding mix. The small packages are 1 oz and the large are 5 oz. So, I just want to be clear on the measurement. 3.4 oz of instant pudding or just 1 package? 1 oz or 5 oz???

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      January 28, 2017 at 7:42 pm

      Hi Jill, that’s odd! The 3.4 ounce box is the standard size, and the 5 ounce is a larger box. If you can’t find the normal size, use the 1 ounce one. It will work!

      Reply
  12. Ashley Eichorn says

    February 14, 2017 at 5:58 pm

    Hi! What piping tip did you use? These are stunning!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      February 14, 2017 at 6:38 pm

      Hi! I believe it’s Ateco 826 🙂

      Reply
  13. Morgan says

    July 7, 2017 at 4:17 pm

    I made them and they are delicious, but mine didn’t look like cupcakes. They deflated! My family and I still ate them but Idk what I did wrong and I followed the instructions exactly. Any ideas?

    Reply
  14. Crystal says

    September 18, 2017 at 7:23 am

    I just recently made the frosting and it is a bit gritty. Any suggestions? I threw the frosting in the fridge as I’m going to be making the cupcakes later this week. Thanks for your help!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      April 18, 2021 at 7:29 am

      I’m a few years late but I just made these yesterday and for the frosting, I took a tablespoon of the butter and melted it in a saucepan and added the brown sugar and then realized it was a bit thick so poured maybe a tablespoon of water in and stirred until smooth. I then added that syrup to the butter in my mixer and followed the rest of the recipe

      Reply
  15. Nikki says

    December 22, 2017 at 10:31 am

    5 stars
    My frosting was also a bit gritty. It was also too sweet for me, but the flavor was amazing! The cupcakes themselves were delicious! I used a gluten-free yellow cake mix from Aldi and it didn’t alter the taste at all.

    Reply
  16. Terry P says

    February 1, 2018 at 6:49 am

    5 stars
    Our friend made these for the HP baby shower and they were fantastic!! Thank you!

    Reply
  17. Christina says

    May 4, 2018 at 6:58 pm

    Hi,
    If I’m unable to find the jello butterscotch powder mix would using jello butterscotch pudding already made be okay for substitute.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      May 5, 2018 at 8:54 am

      Hi Christina, no, I would advise against using pre-made pudding. Too much moisture for the cupcakes! Have you tried Target or Walmart for the powder?

      Reply
  18. Valerie says

    August 4, 2018 at 10:20 am

    5 stars
    These are absolutely amazing! I have them for special occasions VERY often. Everyone loves them!! Also, The Three Broomsticks is in Hogsmeade, not Diagon Alley. But you were close! 🙂

    Reply
  19. Jenice Smith says

    October 16, 2018 at 9:43 pm

    5 stars
    For our youth activity at church tonight, they did a Harry Potter murder mystery. They served these and they were wonderful! I liked them so much that I asked for the recipe! Yum!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 17, 2018 at 8:46 am

      Hi Jenice, I am so happy they served my cupcakes! That murder mystery HP party sounds so cool 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
  20. Sarah says

    November 28, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    Can these be made as a cake? My daughter is insisting on a cake, not cupcakes. ? Thanks!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      November 28, 2018 at 3:15 pm

      Hi Sarah! Sure, just adjust the baking time depending on what size pans you choose. Two 9″ rounds would be about 20-30 min; a 13×9 cake pan would be about that time too. Start at the lower time frame and work your way up as needed after testing the cake with a toothpick for doneness.

      Reply
  21. Jennifer says

    January 11, 2019 at 10:34 am

    4 stars
    Made these cupcakes twice. First time I overfilled the cups and wasn’t happy with them bc they had a weird edge. Second time they came out perfect bc I didnt overfill.
    I made this icing the first time and wasn’t too happy with it (seemed mostly like butter and it was hard to spread and there wasn’t enough of it even though I did 1.5 the recipe). I used the icing recipe below the second time (removed soda and used just 2 cups sugar) and loved it. It made enough for all the cupcakes, was delicious, and the texture was amazing. https://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/butterscotch-frosting/#comment-487343

    Reply
  22. Cindy says

    July 4, 2019 at 11:17 am

    Major fail for me for cupcakes, puff up to much the fall and are way for fluffy. I finally made it into a cake because it’s really good. The cake fell in the middle also so not sure what I did wrong ?. Frosting tastes really good also but was also too fluffy. Probably me hahaha but tastes good that’s all that matters

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      July 7, 2019 at 12:36 pm

      Hi Cindy! So when you bake with soda, it often causes the cupcakes to fall in the center. That’s perfectly normal!

      Reply
    • Christi says

      July 28, 2019 at 3:53 pm

      After a failed first attempt where the cupcakes deflated like yours, I tried again. This time I only filled them 1/2 to 2/3 full and let the soda go flat. Perfect cupcakes! No deflated middle and no overflow.

      Reply
  23. Kayla says

    April 11, 2020 at 7:03 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely LOVE this recipe! Super delicious and not too much for cupcakes. Had family over after making these and the cupcakes were gone. Such a hit!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      April 11, 2020 at 8:00 am

      Kayla, so glad you enjoy!!

      Reply
  24. Katherine says

    May 12, 2020 at 6:54 am

    Is there a substitute I can use for the vanilla cream soda? I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it where I live. Any other suggestions?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      May 12, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      Can you find any cream soda? It doesn’t have to be vanilla flavored! Otherwise you could use lemon lime soda since it is probably closest and shouldn’t affect the flavor too much.

      Reply
  25. Luke says

    May 13, 2020 at 9:10 am

    I loved making this and my family really enjoyed them

    Reply
  26. Rita says

    August 20, 2020 at 2:07 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious cupcakes! So light and fluffy, will definitely be making them again, very very soon 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  27. Brittney D. says

    September 7, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    5 stars
    This was given two muggle thumbs up! Easy recipe and absolutely delicious!!

    Reply
  28. Aline says

    October 22, 2020 at 6:28 am

    Can this recipe be used for a layered cake?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      October 24, 2020 at 7:39 pm

      Hi Aline, this should work for a layered cake! Just note that the soda tends to make the cupcakes fall a little in the middle and I would imagine it would do the same to a cake. Nothing frosting can’t fill though!

      Reply
      • Aline says

        October 28, 2020 at 8:19 am

        5 stars
        I did three 6 inch layers which did deflate in the middle. I’m wondering if a cake nail in the middle of the pan would help. I used flat cream soda and didn’t have butter extract so substituted rum extract instead because it smelled kinda like butter rum. I didn’t use your icing but made an easy SMBC with salted caramel extract (I suppose I could’ve used that in the cake batter too). Here’s the comments from the people who ate the cake…

        Reviews from the staff
        “Omg that buttercream!”
        “Oh god damn I love this”
        “How much does she charge?!”
        “Amazing, I love how moist it is”

        Thought you’d apprecate seeing their comments.

        Reply
        • thedomesticrebel says

          October 28, 2020 at 2:55 pm

          Aline, thanks for your comment! The reviews are spectacular!

          Reply
  29. Annie says

    November 11, 2020 at 6:23 am

    4 stars
    SUPER easy recipe took like 2 minutes to make the batter and the texture of the cakes were so soft and springy and didn’t taste like box mix. The batter tasted a lot like butterscotch but once they baked that flavor kind of left, which is why I highly recommend making your own simple butterscotch for the frosting. Gives it an amazing flavor and truly butterscotch buttercream will change your life. The addition of the brown sugar gives it this satisfying and unique bite. I mean, the frosting is pretty intensely sweet, but butterscotch is just sugar and butter after all so it was expected and,honestly, appreciated. My only other tip is fill your tins a little less, as for me this batter rose like crazy! Also
    I didn’t have butter extract but they still turned out super tasty. Thanks for the awesome recipe!

    Reply
  30. michelle says

    December 21, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    5 stars
    if i could give this recipe more stars, i would. i have made these a few times and every time i make them they are gobbled up instantly. they literally do not last more than 30 minutes at any function. i have now been designated the butterbeer cupcake supplier at all family events until the end of time.

    make these right now. you will not regret it.

    Reply
  31. Amanda says

    April 17, 2021 at 8:16 am

    Is there a reason there is oil in the recipe and not butter? Wondering if I can use butter or will it affect anything negatively?

    Reply
    • Erika Coleman says

      July 2, 2021 at 9:11 pm

      It’s just what the box cake mix calls for.. If you wanted to use butter instead, I would suggest looking for a yellow box cake mix that calls for butter instead of oil.

      Reply
  32. Michelle says

    July 28, 2021 at 10:15 am

    I can’t find instant pudding anywhere. Can I use the cook and serve instead??

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      July 28, 2021 at 10:41 am

      Hi Michelle, no, cook and serve will not yield the same result. It gives the cupcakes a strange texture. You can omit the pudding mixture from the cupcakes and it should be okay.

      Reply
  33. Devin G says

    August 1, 2021 at 10:13 am

    These cupcakes are waaay too sweet and one note. I have a huge sweet tooth, but these were over the top.

    Reply
  34. Wanetha says

    August 21, 2021 at 4:36 pm

    My cupcakes sank in the middle.? can I ice them tonight for a party tomorrow

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      August 21, 2021 at 4:50 pm

      Yes! The cupcakes may sink because of the soda in the recipe, but have no fear! You can absolutely use frosting to cover up the small indent on the top. And yes, they can be frosted ahead of time! If your house is warm, just keep them in the fridge covered!

      Reply
  35. Marie says

    October 30, 2021 at 1:26 pm

    5 stars
    Wonderfully delicious cupcakes but like some other reviewers, I overfilled mine and didn’t let the soda go flat before adding. Next time I’m filling the cupcakes half full and letting the soda go flat. Not too pretty but my kids went nuts over these. Thanks, domestic rebel!

    Reply
  36. Alexis says

    August 4, 2022 at 2:28 pm

    5 stars
    Hi! I made these cupcakes back in 2016, and I took a screenshot so I wouldn’t forget the recipe. At that time you were making them with only cake mix and butterscotch soda. I really love that recipe! Do you still have that recipe saved anywhere?

    Reply

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About me

Welcome to The Domestic Rebel! My name is Hayley and I am the 31-year old writer, photographer, recipe developer, taste-tester and creator of this blog. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my little slice of sprinkly, butter-laden heaven on the interwebs. If it wasn’t apparent, I like to bake… a lot. Read More…

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