Butterbeer Cupcakes

As promised last week, here is another post dedicated to my jaunt to sunny Florida. But instead of featuring their famous fruit, this time I'm focusing one of their famous attractions -- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Last spring we spent our entire trip at Disney World (as evidenced by my Mickey Cupcakes), but since then Universal has opened Harry Potter land, and so Ryan, my brother Scott, and I had a reason to go back in 2011. I've always loved Island of Adventures because of their really great roller coasters, but now with this whimsical addition, the park is even more of a "must see" in Orlando. I had seen these cupcakes on Amy Bites before we left, and knew I'd want to give them a try after I had sampled "real" Butterbeer at the park and as a way to celebrate our trip.

We really enjoyed their rendition of Diagon Alley and Hogwart's -- the buildings were kind of tilted in towards the walkway so you really felt like you were there. And I was impressed with just how HUGE the castle was, not to mention how fun the ride was inside. Of course we got ourselves some butterbeer to try, the frozen variety, and although Ryan LOVED it, I found it a bit too sweet. I know, hard to believe with a name like Erica Sweet Tooth, but this was just a little over the top with sweetness, especially for a drink. That being said, I knew the flavors were perfect for a cupcake, something meant to be overly sweet, and couldn't wait to give Amy's recipe a try now that I knew for myself how JK Rowling intended butterbeer to taste.

Universal won't release their official recipe for butterbeer, but HP fanatics have suggested it is made with a combination of cream soda, butter, and butterscotch. I'm a big fan of butterscotch, and was glad to see that that was the main flavor Amy used in her recipe. The butter flavoring definitely adds to it as well -- it's called butterbeer for a reason! To achieve the overall butterbeer flavor, the cupcakes are made with butter flavoring and some cream soda, filled with butterscotch ganache, and topped with frosting made with more cream soda, butterscotch, and butter flavoring. I'm not sure how significantly the cream soda contributes to the flavor to the cupcakes, since there's just not much in the batter, but I was glad to buy a bottle of it since Ryan made some delicious cocktails with the leftovers (cream soda, vodka, and Kahlua, mmmmmm). My one issue with the recipe was that the cupcakes were a little dense, any one know how to remedy that? If I get some good suggestions, I'll make a comment in the recipe below.

If you know a Harry Potter enthusiast, these are the perfect treats for them. Maybe make a batch in anticipation for the movie coming out this summer, or even if you can't stand wizards, this flavor combination would make anyone's day!

Butterbeer Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Amy Bites

For the cupcakes:

2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda

For the butterscotch ganache:
1 11-oz package butterscotch chips
3/4 cup heavy cream

For the buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring
1/8 tsp salt
1 lb powdered sugar
Splash of cream (as needed)

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffly, about 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each.
- Add in vanilla and butter flavoring.
- Combine buttermilk and cream soda in a small bowl and alternate adding that combination with the flour mixture with the mixer on low, starting and ending with the flour.
- Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

- For the butterscotch ganache, melt butterscotch chips and heavy cream together using a double boiler until completely smooth. Cool to room temperature to allow the ganache to slightly thicken.
- Fill a plastic squeeze bottle with the ganache, and insert tip into each cupcake, filling until the ganache starts to slightly overflow.

- For the frosting, cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar and allow it to come together for about 2 minutes. Add cream a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Pipe frosting onto cupcakes with a large tip and drizzle leftover butterscotch ganache over each.

Recipe yields 18 cupcakes.

The cupcake liners I used can be found here from Fancy Flours.