Butterbeer Cupcakes (1.0?)

Ever since I tried the J.K. Rowling approved butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (which, by the way, is only a section of a theme park. It is not--I repeat, it is *not*--its own park) I have been aching to make a butterbeer cupcake. Well, I have good news and bad news. In fact, two good news and one bad news, though I supposed you could look at them a bit differently.

Good: For those of you fans that have yet to go to the Wizarding World, rest assured that the butterbeer is incredible. Honestly, if you don't think this looks incredible, well then I challenge you to go to Orlando and taste it and tell me to my (virtual) face that you did not like it. Of course, that would make you Vernon Dursley, but if you're willing to own up to the fact...

Good: I did, in fact, come up with a recipe for butterbeer cupcakes. This was actually my second attempt, as my first attempt was wildly experimental and was mainly to see how certain ingredients changed the cupcakes' flavor and texture. Also, I want to explain that this is not the only butterbeer cupcake recipe out there, but I think this one is different from the others. Maybe I'm just being vain and naive, but I think I focused more on making it butterbeer-y rather than just butterscotch-y. Also, all the other recipes I found seemed to be almost exactly the same. Of course, some of my ingredients are still similar, but, ah well.. You can decide what you think.

Bad: Like I said, the butterbeer at Universal is amazing. It has a very rich flavor, and its liquid coolness really helps make it what it is. So, unfortunately, I don't think a butterbeer cupcake could measure up to the real thing. Also, it's quite hard to get the cream soda flavor to be strong in a cupcake. Most of it gets lost somewhere in the actual baking.

BUT I don't think this is a bad start. While it is a lot more subtle than the butterbeer itself, I think there's a definite similarity. A fellow HP-fan friend of mine who had recently had the real butterbeer tried it and liked it a lot. She said that if the tastes had been stronger, it might've been too sweet. Either way I hope to continue experimenting with this a bit more, though it'll have to wait until I can get back to my kitchen and mixer.

Now, a bit about the actual cupcakes. I know, I know; this is a terribly long introduction, but I feel it is necessary. As you know, I modeled the cupcakes after the actual butterbeer from the Wizarding World, and so I made the cupcake itself like the cream soda-y liquid that is the main part of the butterbeer, and I made the topping a butterscotch whipped cream that is similar in taste to the butterbeer's white topping. I also made another whipped cream that tasted like cream soda and I filled a few of the cupcakes with it. I think the idea was good, but it ended up being too much whipped cream, so I think I need to make an actual frosting or some other sort of cream soda filling for that. Therefore, I'm not including that filling in this recipe for now. Okay, I think that's more than enough. Here we go! This recipe makes and tops 12 cupcakes.

Butterbeer Cupcakes:

•          1 ¼ cups + 2 tbsp flour
•          1 1/8 tsp baking powder
•          a small pinch of salt 
•          1 stick (1/2 cup) + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
•          1 cup sugar
•          2 large eggs, at room temperature
•          1 cup cream soda
•          1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.      Line 2 tins with cupcake papers
3.      In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4.      In a large bowl, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5.      Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
6.      Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and cream soda. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
7.  7  Add the vanilla and mix.
8.      Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
9.      Cool the cupcakes in tin for 15 minutes. Remove from tins and let cool completely.

     Butterbeer Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 3/4 tsp butterscotch extract (you'll have to buy this online)
• 1/4 tsp butter flavoring

1. Whip cream until it looks like whipped cream. (To do this, increase the speed of the beater until it is close to forming soft peaks, then decrease speed slightly until it has reached that point)
2. Mix in sugar, butterscotch extract, and butter flavoring until just combined.

Well, that's it, folks! If you try this out at home, feel free to critique it in the comments. Oh, and for all of you Harry Potter fans reading this, there will be a post about Pottermore real soon!