These Harry Potter Butterbeer Cupcakes will cast a spell on your taste buds and leave you in a state of geeky bliss! Loaded with delicious flavors of toffee, butterscotch, caramel, and vanilla.
It’s that time of year again! Every December, Matt and I have a Harry Potter marathon, I don’t even remember how long we’ve been doing it, but I always try to bake up something delicious for us to enjoy with it!
Last year I made these Butterbeer Pudding Cookies and they’ve been one of my most popular recipes to date! We’ve made them over and over again, tried different variations and I even made them for a wedding in September! One reader is commented that the cookies “smell like unicorns,” here’s to hoping these cupcakes are just as good!
Personally, I think they’re freakin’ amazing and might just be the best cupcakes I’ve ever made, they taste like french toast and butterbeer had a baby! See, now you really want one!
Fun Ways To Dress Up Your Cupcakes!
These cupcakes are light and fluffy with toffee bits throughout that make for a nice little punch of flavor. Then they’re dipped in a rich butterscotch sauce and finished with a whipped butterbeer frosting and some lightning bolt sprinkles.
I know there’s a fair amount of people who don’t like to use flavoring or extracts, but please be aware that the imitation butter flavor is KEY in this recipe and CANNOT just be replaced with melted butter. You can find the imitation butter extract in the baking aisle with other flavorings, extracts, and food colors.
So Harry Potter lovers, are you guys excited for the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie? I know I am, anything to keep the Harry Potter universe alive, right? The trailer comes out next week and I’m pretty pumped, especially because I adore Eddie Redmayne and know he’s going to do an amazing job!
Also, have you guys picked up a copy of the new Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Illustrated Edition? It’s absolutely gorgeous and I can’t wait to start collecting the books all over again!
I purchased the Harry Potter cupcake liners on Etsy and put them on over the two regular liners so the sauce wouldn’t make them all nasty. They are made out of copied book pages, and as a book lover, they were just too perfect.
The lightning bolt sprinkles used in the photos are no longer made, but you can find some similar ones here. You could also top the cupcakes with sugar lightning bolts. Or buy Harry Potter Chocolate Molds To Top Your Cupcakes With!
More Harry Potter Creations!
- Butterbeer No Bake Cookies
- Harry Potter Butterbeer Pancakes
- Harry Potter Party
- Harry Potter Quidditch Jersey Tutorial
- Harry Potter’s Butterbeer Fudge
- His & Hers Harry Potter Mugs
- Golden Snitch Truffles
- Hogwarts House Crest Ornaments
- Harry Potter DIY Golden Snitch Ornament
- Butterbeer Poke Cake
- Amortentia Love Potion
Harry Potter Butterbeer Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon imitation butter extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup cream soda
- 1 cup Heath Toffee Bits not the ones with chocolate
Sauce:
- 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/3 cup butterscotch instant pudding mix dry
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tsp imitation butter extract
Toppings:
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line cupcake pan with liners.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl and stir with a whisk until well mixed and smooth.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together the eggs, oil, extracts, and buttermilk.
- Beat in the dry ingredients and the cream soda, alternating between the two until batter is smooth.
- Mix in the toffee bits.
- Add 1/4 cup batter to each cupcake liner and bake for 18-22 minutes.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Bake remaining cupcakes.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the butterscotch chips in a small metal bowl and heating the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring cream to a simmer, then pour it over the butterscotch chips. Let set for 3-4 minutes.
- After time has passed, whisk cream and chips together until a rich sauce forms. Transfer to the fridge to cool and thicken for about 30 minutes.
- Prepare frosting by combining all ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachments and beat on medium-high for about 3-4 minutes until a light and fluffy frosting forms. Transfer frosting to a pastry frosting bag or to a dessert decorating tool.
- Remove sauce from the fridge, roll out a piece of wax paper on a flat surface, dip the tops of the cupcakes in the sauce and place on the wax paper and let set for 15 minutes.
- Place each cupcake in a second liner to cover up the stickiness.
- Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes and finish with sprinkles.
Video
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Serene @ House of Yumm says
Hey Rebecca! I just made these for my daughters birthday. They were wonderful!! I loved everything about them 🙂 so did all the kids!! I had some of the butterscotch cream left after dipping the cupcakes and added maybe a tablespoon to the frosting for an extra little bit of flavor. I’m thinking next we need to try those pancakes!
Rebecca says
Yay, Serene! I’m so glad your family loved them! I have no doubt you’ll love the pancakes too!
Brytney says
I pinned your recipe awhile back and planned on trying it eventually. My son’s first birthday is coming up and I’ve been looking for a yummy recipe for cupcakes and then I remembered your recipe! It’s a bit more involved than I’m used to so I will probably be doing a trial run. :p I have a couple questions… Is the frosting consistency thick enough to hold its shape if I use a “grass” tip? And since the frosting has a tan/brown color, in your opinion, do you think it would be possible to make the frosting green? Or do you think it would just end up almost black looking? I can’t wait to taste these!!
Rebecca says
Hey Brytney, I’ve never done the grass tip myself with my whipped cream/pudding frostings, but a friend did and said it worked. I’m sure you could get it to be green, it’s a light golden color so there’s no reason it should turn black. Enjoy!
Kane says
I just made these today and can attest that these really are amazing! The cupcakes themselves are delicious, and then the frosting really brings everything together perfectly!
Rebecca says
Hi Kane, I’m so glad you loved these cupcakes, isn’t the frosting just amazing, I could eat it by itself!
Polly Matthews says
Have you ever made a cake using the same recipe?? I’m wanting to make a 9×13 but was worried that it may not stretch far enough?? Thank you!
Rebecca says
I haven’t, but I would think with a 13×9 pan, it should turn out okay!
Polly Matthews says
Thank you!!
Wendy says
Did you have luck with the 9×13 pan? I was thinking of doing the same thing.
Rebecca says
Hi Wendy, you can find the cake recipe here: https://www.sugarandsoul.co/harry-potter-butterbeer-poke-cake/
Amber says
Just tried these tonight with the kids. I do pastry part time. I loved the icong and syruqp, but the cakae just seemed a little lacking. I will probably play with this recioe a few times. All around though, pretty good. Cake was moist.
Adryanna says
Hi! I’m really interested in making these cupcakes, and I have all of the ingredients I need except I couldn’t find imitation butter extract anywhere I went. I want to make them today, so I don’t have time to order it online. Do you know a specific place I could buy it or a substitute?
Rebecca says
Hi Adryanna, They usually sell it in the baking aisle at most major grocers with the vanilla extract. I’ve bought it at both Walmart and Target before. If you are unable to find it, you can omit it, the flavor won’t be as strong but they will still taste good.
Adryanna says
Thank you! I will definitely check there.
Kelsey says
I am so confused I’m not seeing the recipe anywhere on this page? I really want to make these! Help!
Rebecca says
Hi Kelsey, Can you see it now? I’m implementing a new recipe card and it appear to be having some issues. Were you by chance on an android phone?
Brooke says
Hello! I made these as a test run for my sister’s Harry Potter baby shower…they are exactly what I was hoping for…they taste how I imagine butter beer to taste, and the textures of the cupcake and frosting are just perfect! However, my butterscotch chip sauce (which I used as a ganache-type filling) turned my cupcake green (I mean, gross moldy-booger green). I used tollhouse chips…do you think they are reacting with something in the cupcake? Which brand did you use, and did you notice the same thing? I definitely can’t serve them that way at a shower…but it adds so much yum. Hoping there is an easy solution!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!! 🙂
Rebecca says
Eeeek, well, I’m not sure if the Weasley twins are playing some kind of mean trick on you, but mine definitely didn’t turn green. I used the toll house chips as well. How long did the cupcakes sit after you filled them with the ganache? I only dipped the tops of mine in it before frosting. Could it be the cream you used? I’m really not sure why it would turn green since both the cupcakes and the ganache are a tan color and there’s no food coloring in the recipe at all.
Brooke says
I know! I was totally thrown off…I definitely didn’t use any food coloring and both were tan when I made them individually. I let the cupcakes sit for over 30 minutes-maybe they were still warm on the inside and that was the issue. I used hood whipping cream, purchased that day. I think next time I will dip them, and skip the ganache plan. (although, I wouldn’t be sad if we did another test run, and had more cupcakes to eat…so yummy!)
Rebecca says
I use Hood too, so it’s really weird it did that. You could always try making the ganache up ahead of time so it thickens up more as it cools and maybe try just dipping the tops in or drizzling it over the frosting.
Nancy says
My cousin and I made these cupcakes. The batter was liquid and it over flowed. Made a mess in my kitchen.
Rebecca says
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry to hear that these didn’t turn out for you. It is a thinner batter, but should bake up fine. Did you overfill the cups maybe?
Nancy says
Nope, we filled them 1/4 cup, like it says.
Tori says
I had this issue with a chocolate cake recipe. I didn’t figure out the problem for weeks. Turns out I had bought self-rising flour by accident.
Tacye says
Couldn’t find instant butterscotch pudding. Can you substitute pudding and pie filling (the kind you cook) or sugar free instant pudding? Seems like kind of oxymoronic to use sugar free in this recipe but what can you do?
Rebecca says
Cook and serve pudding WILL NOT work, but the sugar-free may. You could always use an instant vanilla pudding too in a pinch.
Lea6501 says
they look delicious!!! but its harder then it looks like when you live in an other country. so the cream soda and butter extract and other american/english products are hard to find in my country
josie says
I made these and they were terrible.
Dry, stuck to the wrapper, no toffee bits.
It was probably because i used gluten free flour, but i gave too because the person i am naking thdm for cant eat gluten.
Also my cream soda was brown.
The sauce and frosting were my favorite, will try again and add the toffee bits after the end the cups
Rebecca says
Hi Josie, I’m sorry to hear that they didn’t turn out, especially since myself and other readers have had such great success with them. My guess is that it was the flour, are you using a 1 for 1 flour or a rice or tapioca flour that needs additional ingredients? I’m not a gluten-free baker, but I’ve had good luck with the Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 Gluten Free Flour. I hope the second batch turns out more to your liking!
Jen S. says
These are amazing! I made them for a friend’s birthday and ever since then they are requested ALL THE TIME. Wonderful recipe – I made them exactly as the recipe states and they were delicious!!
Rebecca says
I’m so glad everyone loved them, they are pretty awesome, huh?
Rachel says
I totally screwed up the frosting my first time, I used room temperature whipping cream instead of cold and the frosting separated. Ummmm, tasted good but did not turn out. So, after a run to the store to buy pudding and cream again, it turned out great. The frosting is so light, i did whip the cream for a few minutes before I added the ingredients. So, use COLD whipping cream, may seem like a duh but apparently not to me. 😀
Rebecca says
Hey Rachel! Yes, cold cream is keep to getting that beautiful fluff! So glad it worked out the second time around and couldn’t you just eat that frosting with a spoon?
Mae says
I made these this past weekend and they were great. I made extra frosting because I like a lot on top, so one and a half of the frosting recipe was perfect. No one could believe there wasn’t butter in the frosting. Everyone loved them but said “there should be something in the cupcakes” and I said there is, Heath chips. So they kinda disappear. Also, I wasn’t spending $10 on the lightening bolt sprinkles. I used those pearl sprinkles and gold sugar. It looked classy. ? Overall a great recipe!
Rebecca says
Yes, any sprinkles work! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Kasia says
These sound amazing!! Cannot wait to try them. If you don’t like idea of using real book pages for the cupcake liners (as a book lover and serious Potterhead it makes me cringe a little!) I suggest photocopying book pages instead 🙂 They look great, thanks for the recipe!!
Rebecca says
Such a great idea!
CLC says
Wonderful recipe and frosting!!! Thank you! Will this frosting hold if I frost the cupcakes the day before?
Rebecca says
For best results I would make it the same day it’s served, but if you have to make it ahead of time, make sure to store cupcakes in the fridge.
Ginny says
I’m making these for a party where they will need to sit out for about 5 hours. Will the icing hold up that long without refrigeration?
Rebecca says
Yes, as long as you frost them that day and they’re not outside in the heat/direct sun, they should be fine!
Leah says
I did the recipe for the frosting and was only able to cover about half the cupcakes. I don’t believe I overloaded any of the cupcakes with frosting. Also my frosting came out a bit more brown than yours. Thats not a big deal. I actually kind of like the color. Just not sure how I was supposed to cover all cupcakes with frosting recipe given. Did I do something wrong?
Rebecca says
Did you end up with 18-20 cupcakes? The frosting recipes is one that I use regularly and I can usually frost up to 24 cupcakes with it. Question: Did you use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer? I’ve had readers say that it doesn’t whip up as much with a hand mixer, and not whipping up as much would cause the darker color. Do you have more ingredients on hand to make another batch of the frosting to finish covering the cupcakes?
Leah says
I realized where I went wrong when I went to buy more whipping creme. I bought a half pint instead of a whole pint and didn’t realize it. oops! The icing came out orange (one of my favorite colors) and still tasted awesome there just wasn’t enough. I had one girl tell me she’s had butterbeer before and the cupcakes tasted pretty dang close. I also used the heath chips with the chocolate cause I couldn’t find any without but it was all still good! I just had a “I didn’t read the fine print close enough” moment. Oops! Thank you for this recipe. Despite my issues and tweaks they came out great!
Rebecca says
Ahhh, yeah, that will do it! So glad you got it figured out and everyone enjoyed them! A little chocolate never hurt anyone 😉
Jennifer says
I am having difficulty understanding the beginning of step 4. Could you please let me know if there is a typo? Thank you – I can’t wait to make these they sound de list!!
Rebecca says
There was a small typo in there that I have now fixed, I hop it makes sense now!
Mikaela says
Hi, those cupcakes look amazing and I am going to make them today.
I do not have heath toffee bits where i live, so can i use other toffee candies? Would werther’s original toffee be the same (you can look it up, its a hard toffee).
Also, the creaming soda sold here is pink, what colour is the one you used in the recipe? thanks!
Rebecca says
Hi Mikaela, I think the Werther’s might be too hard for the cupcakes, but if you’re feeling experimental, you’re more than welcome to try, just crush them up. As for the Cream Soda, ours is a golden color, are you in Canada? If so, it’s the same thing!
Mikaela says
I am in Australia and it is a pink colour, hope it works ok. Thankyou for your reply and i think i will cut the wherthers originals finely so they work into the cake well, not sure yet.
Kayla says
How did the recipe turn out for you? And which shop did you find the imitation butter in? Another Aussie here ?
Caitlin says
Those cupcakes look fantastic! Thanks for the link back to my Etsy shop for the cupcake wrappers!
Rebecca says
You are most welcome!
Tess says
OMG THESE ARE AMAZING!!! I just finished my first batch, and will be making again for other events for sure! I am a HUGE Potterhead and LOVE the Butterbeer at Universal. These cupcakes rival what is available in the parks. Thank you so much for posting this. 😀
My toffee bits seemed to sink to the bottom. I think when I make them again, I will fill the liners, then add toffee bits on top. Maybe then they will only sink part way. 😀
By far, this is the most complicated baked good I’ve ever attempted. It’s totally doable!!
(Idk how to make a new post, so I’m replying inside this one.)
Rebecca says
Yes, the toffee does tend to sink a little bit, but I kind of love the little crispness they add to the bottom. You can always toss them with a little flour before adding them to the batter, that will make them not sink. I’m so glad you love them!
Lori Worthington says
Hi- do you have any idea how to adjust recipe for high altitude? I just moved to Colorado & am trying to adjust to differences here!
Thank you!
Rebecca says
I’m not familiar with high altitude baking, but The Kitchn is always a great resource, maybe this will be a helpful guide: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-bake-at-high-altitudes-101352