Butterscotch Cupcakes with Butterscotch Pudding Filling

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These Butterscotch Cupcakes are so unexpected! They’re fluffy vanilla cupcakes, filled with butterscotch pudding, and topped with a super creamy butterscotch chip frosting. It’s an easy recipe thats perfect for cozy fall days.

Easily double or triple this recipe to make for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dinner, football watch parties, and any other fall festivities. I guarantee your friends and family will love the burst of butterscotch flavor.

Butterscotch Cupcake cut open to reveal a butterscotch pudding filling.

I love butterscotch in the fall! And at first when I was making these cupcakes I wanted to work with homemade butterscotch sauce, BUT there were already a lot of recipes like that out there. I also wanted it to be a more simple, straight-forward recipe.

So I thought, how can I make these different and unique?! That’s when I swapped butterscotch sauce for butterscotch pudding. It added a rich and creamy pop of butterscotch flavor that’s just so delicious. I also added melted butterscotch chips to the frosting. This gave stability to the frosting and added amazing flavor. I guarantee these cupcakes will have you loving butterscotch as much as I do!

For more butterscotch loaded goodies, try my Butterscotch Milkshake with homemade butterscotch sauce, or these no chill Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Close up of vanilla cupcake filled with butterscotch pudding and topped with a butterscotch buttercream, fall sprinkles, and a butterscotch candy.

Video Tutorial: Fill and Decorating The Cupcakes

Butterscotch Cupcakes Ingredients

This cupcake recipe has 3 main elements, the fluffy vanilla cupcakes, butterscotch pudding filling, and the creamy butterscotch chip frosting. Below is everything you will need, plus a couple important notes. Keep reading!

All-Purpose Flour: You’ll want to measure it using the spoon and level method for the perfect amount.
Granulated Sugar
Baking Powder
Salt
Buttermilk: Brought to room temperature. If all you have is milk, you can take a 1/2 cup of milk, remove 1/2 tablespoon and replace it with 1/2 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Allow it to sit and sour for at least 10 minutes prior to using.
Vegetable Oil
Egg: Brought to room temperature.
Vanilla Extract
Luke Warm Water: It should be about 100°F to bring the cupcake batter together.
Butterscotch Pudding: Grab a box of cook & serve regular or sugar free butterscotch pudding. To make it we will follow the package’s instructions, but use only use 1 cup of whole milk instead of 2 cups.
Unsalted Butter: Softened to room temperature, and cut in 1 tablespoon sized chunks.
Cream Cheese: Again, softened to room temperature, and cut in 1 tablespoon sized chunks. I do recommend full fat and not reduced fat in this recipe.
Powdered Sugar (Confectioner’s Sugar)
Butterscotch Chips: Feel free to use your favorite brand. I like these mini butterscotch baking chips because they melt down beautifully and they have a great flavor.
Decorations: I like adding some festive fall sprinkles and a butterscotch candy, but you can decorate your cupcakes with whatever you want.

Special Baking Equipment Needed

Aside from your cupcake baking pan and a hand mixer or stand mixer, there are a couple baking tools that make these Butterscotch Cupcakes so much easier to make.

The first is a cupcake corer. This will perfectly core out your cupcake so you don’t have to carve out the center with a knife. The second is decorating supplies: piping bags and piping tips. I always use 18 inch disposable bags but you can use reusable piping bags. And for the piping tips, you’ll want to use extra large piping tips for the frosting.

Main ingredients needed. Vanilla cupcakes, butterscotch pudding, butterscotch buttercream, and festive fall sprinkles.

How to Make Butterscotch Cupcakes

Below is a short summary to show you how easy these cupcakes are to make.

1. BAKE THE VANILLA CUPCAKES. Whisk together your dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and fold the luke warm water into the batter. Divide it up into 12 cupcakes and bake. Always cool them completely before filling and frosting.

2. MAKE THE BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING. It should be made according to the directions on the package except with less liquid (so the filling is stable enough). Once cooled, place the butterscotch pudding into a piping bag with a small amount of the bag tip cut off.

3. WHIP TOGETHER THE BUTTERSCOTCH CHIP FROSTING. Melt the butterscotch chips in the microwave and set aside. Beat together the unsalted butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar and drizzle in the cooled melted butterscotch chips until completely incorporated.

4. FILL AND DECORATE THE BUTTERSCOTCH CUPCAKES. Remove the centers of the cupcakes and fill with butterscotch pudding. Top with butterscotch chip frosting and decorate with festive fall sprinkles and a butterscotch candy.

Find the complete recipe instructions with measurements below.

Row of cupcakes. The first is a whole vanilla cupcake, second has the center cored out, third the core is filled with butterscotch pudding, the fourth is topped with butterscotch buttercream, the fifth is decorated with festive fall sprinkles and a butterscotch candy.

Storing Information

Any leftover Butterscotch Cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container or cupcake carrier. At room temperature they will last up to 3 days, and in the refrigerator up to 7 days. These cupcakes also freeze very well and will last up to 3 months. Be sure to freeze the cupcakes individually first, before wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing them in an airtight container or reusable gallon bag.

If you’re wanting to make these cupcakes before a party or holiday celebration, you can do one of two things. One, you can fully decorate the cupcakes and store them as specified above. Or two, you can bake the cupcakes, make the pudding and frosting, and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to decorate and serve.

An arrangement of Butterscotch Cupcakes surrounded by orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, and butterscotch candies.

4 Helpful Recipe Tips

1. ALWAYS USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS. Unless specified, the cold ingredients should be brought to room temperature before using. They will incorporate so much better this way.

2. DO NOT OVER BAKE THE CUPCAKES. A toothpick test should come out with a few moist crumbs and the tops should no longer glisten or bounce back to the touch. If this is not the case, allow them to bake for a few more minutes and check them again. Baking them longer than needed will make for a super dry cupcake.

3. DECORATE THE CUPCAKES YOUR WAY. I shared how I use piping bags with tips to decorate my cupcakes. But, if this does not work for you, you can use a gallon bag (just like you would a piping bag) with the tip cut off. You can also go rustic and use a butter knife to frost your cupcakes.

Cupcakes topped with butterscotch buttercream, festive fall sprinkles, and a butterscotch candy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Do I have to use the butterscotch chip frosting?

No, not at all! I have also topped these cupcakes with a butterscotch pudding frosting, and I used this recipe from my friend Paula.

More Cupcake Recipes To Try:

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