Butterbeer Cupcakes

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Butterbeer Cupcakes
adapted from Amy Bites

Oh yes, this is happening.  With just two weeks till Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Deux hits theaters, it's time to let our nerd flags fly, friends.  I'm not ashamed of my love for Harry Potter or my curiousity about butterbeer!  I've never read the books, but what from my UBER HP nerd friends tell me, J.K. Rowling says it's a less cloying butterscotch.  Butterbeer is supposed to give you an all over warm feeling and make you a little more honest, so be prepared to feel warm and to start being really honest with your friends about how amazing these cupcakes are and how you ate six of them on the way over.  I'm going to try and avoid any wizarding cliche's in this blog, but bear with me if I slip and say something about whipping out our wands or achio-ing something...

Butterbeer Cupcakes

• Butter, room temperature: 1 C
• Granulated Sugar: 1/2 C
• Brown Sugar, Dark: 1/2 C
• Eggs, whole: 3 Large
• Vanilla Extract: 1 1/2 t
• Cake or AP Flour: 2 C
• Baking Soda: 1/2 t
• Baking Powder: 1 1/2 t
• Salt, table: 1/4 t
• Almond, Whole or Buttermilk: 1/2 C
• Cream Soda: 1/2 C

Butterscotch Ganache

• Heavy Cream: 2/3 C
• Butterscotch Chips: 1-11oz. Package

Butterscotch Frosting

• Powdered Sugar: 3 3/4 C
• Butter, room temperature: 1/2 C
• Butterscotch Ganache: 1/3 C
• Vanilla Extract: 1 t
• Salt: 1/8 t
• Cream: As needed

Preheat your oven to 350 Farenheit and make sure you have a rack right in the middle of the oven.

Make sure that your butter is a room temperature.  If you're starting with your butter a little cooler than room temperature, place it in your mixer by itself and beat it just until there are no hard lumps of butter left.  If you start at room temperature (always advised!) place your butter and both sugars into the mixing bowl and cream them together on medium speed (speed four on my Kitchenaid) for five minutes, scraping down the sides about once a minute.  This will ensure that everything is getting mixed in consistently.  Do not forget to make sure you get right down to the bottom center of that mixing bowl, as butter is sneaky and likes to hide down there.

Add your eggs, that are preferably at room temperature, one at a time after the one before it has been incorporated fully.  You can add your vanilla at any time during this process.

Sift together all of your dry ingredients.  Cakes should be light and airy, and the more you sift, the more air you're going to have the opportunity to incorporate.  I sift my dry ingredients three times.  You can do it once or twice, but you should DEFINITELY sift, especially if you're using cake flour.  Add a third of your dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until the dry is ALMOST completely incorporated.  Scrape your bowl! Now add half of your wet ingredients. You can add all of your milk, or all of your cream soda, or just half of the total, and mix on low speed until the liquid has been completely incorporated.  Scrape that bowl, again. Add another third of your dry ingredients and mix on low speed until almost completely incorporated.  Scrape! Add the rest of your liquid and mix until completely combined. You guessed it, scrape, again.  Add the rest of your dry ingredients and mix on low speed until dry ingredients are almost incorporated.  Turn off your mixer and fold in any remaining dry ingredients that are left hanging around the edge of your mixing bowl.

Line your cupcake pan with your liners.  I use an medium sized ice cream scoop to portion out my cupcakes so I get a consistent size.  Your liners should be very close to 3/4 full.  If you overfill, you're going to have a big ol' mess, so less is better if you're worried about your portions.

Bake on your center rack for seven minutes, spin your pan, and bake for another six to nine minutes.  Use a toothpick or cake tester to make sure your cupcakes are done.

Let them cool thoroughly on a cooling rack.

While your cupcakes are baking, get started on your ganache.  In a medium sauce pan, heat your heavy cream over medium heat until your cream is scalded, and small bubbles start forming around the edge of the cream.  Turn off your burner, or remove your pan from your heat source and pour in your butterscotch chips.  Make sure they're all submerged in the cream and let them sit for one to two minutes.  Stir in small circles from the center out.  Be gentle or it'll splosh all over your work space.  Stir until all your butterscotch is melted.  If your chips won't fully melt, place it back on your cook top and heat slightly over your lowest heat, stirring constantly.  Since there's not chocolate in this, you don't have to worry about burning your chocolate, which is why you can't put normal ganache over direct heat.  Put your ganache in your refridgerator to cool.

To make your frosting, place your butter, butterscotch ganache and vanilla in a bowl and whisk together on medium speed until completely combined.  Scrape that bowl.  Add your powdered sugar and whisk together on low speed until your sugar is completely moistened then kick it up to high speed until frosting is light and fluffy.  Because of the way I was decorating my cupcakes, I knew I wanted my frosting a little more stiff so I only add about a tablespoon or so of cream to loosen it up.  If you're doing a more simple design, you may want to add a little more liquid to loosen things up.

I decorated each cupcake by piping a spiral with a small round tip (about 3/4 centimeter opening), starting in the center and working my way out to the outside and then building up a wall around the outer rim.  Each wall ended up being about three to four layers thick.  I then whipped my ganache on high speed for about two minutes to get it nice and stiff, and then pipped in a layer of ganache to the center of each "cup." 

Enjoy!

Now Try This:

• Leftover cream soda?  Pour your leftover cream soda into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until it is reduced by half.  Use a pastry brush to brush your undecorated cupcakes with your cream soda 'syrup,' this will keep your cupcakes moist until you eat them, which is ideal if you're refridgerating them over night or aren't eating your cupcakes that day. 
• Reduce your cream soda to 1/8th the original volume and pour over the top of your ganache in your "cup." It's a zing of cream soda flavor!