Harry Potter Cupcakes
These Harry Potter cupcakes are a magical treat for Hogwarts fans. Each butterbeer cupcake hides a surprise filling of red, green, blue or yellow candy drops - representing each Hogwarts houses - tucked beneath a swirl of butterbeer buttercream. Bite in to reveal your house in the most delicious way!
Servings: 12 Cakes
Calories: 490kcal
Ingredients
For the Brown Sugar Cupcakes
- 125 g Unsalted utter softened
- 125 g Light brown sugar
- 2 Eggs (large, free range)
- 2 tablespoons Whole milk (full fat)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 125 g Plain flour (all purpose)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
For the Butterscotch Sauce
- 60 ml Double cream (heavy cream)
- 50 g Light brown sugar
- 30 g Unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Golden syrup (light corn syrup)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
For the Butterbeer Buttercream
- 300 g Unsalted butter softened
- 200 g Icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 Batch Butterscotch sauce (listed above)
For the Coloured Drops
- 30 g Red candy melts
- 30 g Green candy melts
- 30 g Blue candy melts
- 30 g Yellow candy melts
Decoration - your choice of sprinkles, chocolate coins, molded caramel hats or paper flags
Instructions
Make the Butterscotch Sauce
- Put all ingredients except the vanilla extract into a small, heavy based pan, and cook over a low-medium heat until the sugar has dissolved (stirring frequently60 ml Double cream, 50 g Light brown sugar, 30 g Unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon Golden syrup, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 2 minutes
- Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate for several hours1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Make the House Drops
- Melt the red candy melts, put into a piping bag fitted with a small circular nozzle and pipe small drops (3-5mm) onto baking parchment. Leave to set30 g Red candy melts
- Repeat for the remaining colours (ensure you wash and dry your piping bag and nozzle very well to avoid colour contamination).30 g Green candy melts, 30 g Blue candy melts, 30 g Yellow candy melts
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven 170C/ 325F/ GM3 and line a cupcake tray with paper cake cases
- Using electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy125 g Unsalted utter, 125 g Light brown sugar
- Briefly mix the eggs in a jug and gradually add a teaspoon at a time into the creamed butter & sugar, beating well in between each addition (adding the egg really slowly reduces the risk of the mix splitting)2 Eggs
- Add the vanilla extract and milk then beat again2 tablespoons Whole milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and gently fold in until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Take care not to overwork the batter though125 g Plain flour, 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- Divide between the cupcake cases - filling each case around ⅔ full - and bake for approximately 20 minutes
- Test that the cupcakes are baked through: poke a cocktail stick into one of the cakes - if it comes out clean then the cakes are ready. If not, return to the oven for a couple more minutes, then test again
- Once out of the oven remove from the baking tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack
For the Butterbeer Buttercream
- Put the butter into a medium bowl and beat until smooth and soft300 g Unsalted butter
- Sieve in the icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and beat well between each addition200 g Icing sugar
- Once all of the icing sugar has been mixed in, beat in the vanilla extract1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Spoon the butterscotch sauce into the buttercream and beat in (use less butterscotch for a subtler flavour and leave a little sauce aside if you intend to drizzle some over the cakes as decoration)1 Batch Butterscotch sauce
Assemble the cakes
- When ready to assemble cut a small cone from the middle of each cake (see my image)
- Fill 3 cakes with red candy drops, 3 with green and so on
- Put the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a suitable nozzle (I used Wilton C4) and pipe the buttercream onto the cakes, ensuring that the coloured drops are completely covered up
- Add your choice of decoration
These cakes keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container
Notes
- Use digital scales and gram measures for accuracy - cups vary in size and filling method, making them unreliable.
- You can use self-raising flour instead of plain flour. Remember to omit the baking powder if you do.
- Don't worry if the cake batter splits after egg is added. Once the flour is folded in the batter will look much better and it will still bake well.
- This recipe makes 12 cupcakes (standard UK size). Ensure you use cupcake wrappers rather than fairy cake wrappers as these are too small for these cakes.
- Make the butterscotch sauce well ahead of time: It does need to cool and chill prior to being added to the buttercream - it keeps well for up to one week in the fridge.
- This recipe makes 3 cupcakes for each house colour. To make more/ less of particular houses you will need to increase/ decrease the amount of candy drops used as required.
- Replace the Candy Melt drops with coloured vanilla buttercream if desired.
1. First of all, make a vegan butterscotch sauce and some vegan cupcakes
2. Next make some vegan vanilla buttercream and mix some of the butterscotch sauce into it (vegan buttercream can be softer than regular buttercream, so add the sauce gradually and stop before the buttercream gets too loose to pipe and hold its shape)
3. Finally, Candy Melts are not vegan, so you will need to source an alternative product or fill your cupcakes with coloured vegan buttercream
Make them Gluten-Free
Simply make some gluten-free vanilla cupcakes and ensure that your icing sugar is gluten-free before making the buttercream (not all of it is). The other point to note is that Candy Melts may contain gluten so they must not be used. Either use coloured buttercream inside each cupcake or find some suitable sweets to use.
Exact nutritional information will depend on your choice of decoration. The following figures are an approximation only.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cake | Calories: 490kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 1065IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
