I must admit, I have never been a big fan of Harry Potter. I realize this next fact will make me somewhat of a social anomaly, but until recently I had never even seen a HP film in its entirety.
In the last few weeks I have made an effort to watch the series and I have now seen the first four films, and the seventh. Regardless of my ignorance of the series, I came across this recipe on a food blog I read, amyBITES. After trying Butterbeer at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, the blogger developed a recipe for cupcakes that mimicked the drink fabled in the Harry Potter series. They looked SO good in her post, I just had to try them!
Image courtesy of amyBITES
I am usually not very interested in baking, preferring rather to cook savory soups and casseroles, but these cupcakes are truly divine. I forwarded the recipe to a friend who has an affinity for baking, and she made them too. It was agreed that they are the best cupcakes either of us has ever made.
With that being said, I hope that you will enjoy them as much as we did.
Butterbeer Cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda
My Butterbeer cupcakes: not as pretty, but just as good.
For the ganache:
1 11-oz. package butterscotch chips
1 cup heavy cream
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For the buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 16-oz. package powdered sugar
Splash of milk or cream (as needed)
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For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream your butter until light and fluffy. Add your sugars and beat until well-combined. Beat in your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then beat in your vanilla and butter flavoring.
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Alternate adding your buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients in batches until all are well incorporated. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and cake springs back to the touch. Cool completely on wire racks.
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For butterscotch filling: In a double boiler (heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water on the stove), combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream and stir until completely combined and smooth. Cool to room temperature. Fill a squeeze bottle with ganache and insert into the center of each cupcake, squeezing until filling begins to overflow.
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For buttercream frosting: Cream butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add in ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. Add milk or cream by the Tablespoon as needed. Frost cupcakes and top with a drizzle of butterscotch ganache.
