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Butterbeer Cupcakes

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Butterbeer, in cupcake form!

For most fans of the Harry Potter series, getting to Florida to drink real butterbeer at the Wide World of Harry Potter isn't easy. The next best thing? Butterbeer cupcakes! Here's a real quick and easy recipe to have you making these sweet treats to enjoy while reading your favorite Potter book!

About these yummy cupcakes

I've been a fan of the Harry Potter series for several years now and have yet to make my own version of "butterbeer", the popular drink in the Wizarding world. My cousin loves to bake and told me to figure out a new cupcake recipe to try. One day I stumbled upon a recipe for making a frozen version of a butterbeer drink and decided, hey, why not try this but with cupcakes! Thus, butterbeer cupcakes were born!

The butterbeer flavor comes from the addition of butter flavoring and a cup of cream soda. Try as we might, finding a bottle of butter flavoring was next to impossible. We hunted high and low before finding a bottle at a local Fred Meyers. Hopefully if you try this recipe you won't have as much trouble as we did. Also, if you have a favorite type of cream soda, try it in the recipe. We chose A&W's because we grew up on it.

Some other handy tips for your cupcakes are to remember to make the buttercream frosting stiff enough to hold the butterscotch ganache. We didn't give ours enough time to sit after we frosted the cupcakes and the ganache was a bit runny, so we ended up decorating the counter top as much as the cupcakes. Next time we'll probably frost the cupcakes first, let them sit a while, and make the ganache a little thicker.

We hope you enjoy these butterbeer cupcakes as much as we did!

Butterbeer Cupcakes

Serves: Makes about 18 Cupcakes

Ingredients

3 large eggs
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. dark brown sugar packed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter that's been softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. butter flavoring
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. A&W Cream Soda

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line your cupcake pans with paper liners.

First, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. Cream the butter in a large bowl or in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugars to butter and beat until well-combined, then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Finish mix by beating in vanilla and butter flavoring.

Begin to add the buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients alternately until well-incorporated. Fill cupcake liners to 3/4ths full. Bake cupcakes for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick or other tester inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on wire racks.

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Baking Butterbeer Cupcakes

A Photo Gallery

All the ingredients needed to make Butterbeer cupcakes, frosting, and ganache!

Make sure to line your cupcake pans.

The combined dry ingredients.

Combining the butter with the rest of the wet ingredients.

The finished batter for the Butterbeer cupcakes.

Try to be less messy then we were when filling the cupcake pan.

Butterbeer cupcakes cooling on the wire racks.

Butterscotch ganache in the squeeze bottle, ready to fill the cupcakes!

A filled cupcake. Insert the squeeze bottle into the top of the cupcake and gently squeeze until it starts to overflow.

Our decorated Butterbeer cupcakes, ready to enjoy!

Butterscotch Ganache

Ingredients

1 c. heavy cream
1 11-oz. pkg butterscotch chips

Instructions

Combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream in a double boiler, stirring until completely combined and smooth. Cool ganache to room temperature. Reserve 1/3 c. of ganache for frosting. To fill cupcakes, fill a plastic squeeze bottle with the ganache then insert tip into center of cupcake. Fill each cupcake until they begin to overflow. Use any left over ganache to drizzle on top of frosted cupcakes.

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Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

1 16-oz. pkg powdered sugar
1/3 c. butterscotch ganache
1 stick unsalted butter that's been softened
1 tsp. butter flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
Optional: milk or cream as needed

Instructions

Cream butter in large bowl or in stand mixer until fluffy. Add the reserved ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt. Mix until well-combined. Beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. If needed, add a tsp of milk or cream.

Frost fully cooled cupcakes, adding a drizzle of leftover butterscotch ganache.

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