Harry Potter Cupcakes
"Lumos" and "Nacht" inspired; these Harry Potter Cupcakes with black and white frosting and felt toppers are a cinch to bake and decorate!
Servings: 24 cupcakes
Calories: 646kcal
Equipment
- 2 Cupcake pans (24 cups total)
- large cookie scoop (optional, but makes transferring cupcake batter much easier)
- large piping bag + star tip (linked is a set that contains both)
- 24 Harry Potter cupcake toppers (linked is the set I bought on Amazon)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (350g)
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar (450g)
- 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder (100g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (5g)
- ¾ teaspoon salt (4g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks/250g, room temperature)
- 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk (350mL)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ganache filling (optional)
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (12 ounces)
White / Black Cream Cheese Buttercream Frostings
- 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
- 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 4-8 Tablespoons milk (divided)
- 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup black cocoa powder (save & add later!)
- 2-3 Tablespoons food-grade activated charcoal powder (or 20-25 capsules; save & add later!)
- 2-3 drops Black gel food color (save & add later!)
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (180C) or 320 FC (160C) for a convection oven. Prepare cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
- Mix together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle (or hand mixer or whisk) until well combined. Add in bits of softened butter, mixing until no lumps of butter are visible and the mixture looks crumbly.
- Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix until no dry ingredients are visible. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another 20 seconds.
- Fill cupcake liners evenly - I like to use a large cookie scoop for this part. Liners should be about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 19-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans, and cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired. (This is a great time to make your filling and frostings!)
Ganache filling (optional)
- Place chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Add whipping cream and microwave in 30 second intervals on half power until melted and smooth.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, you're ready to core them. There are a few ways you can do this....you can buy a cupcake corer, you use the back end of a large piping tip, or....you can do what I do and cut a cone-shaped core out with a plastic knife. Up to you! Transfer ganache into cored cupcakes with a piping bag or spoon.
White / Black Cream Cheese Buttercream Frostings
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with 2-4 tablespoons of milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt and beat until well combined.
- Divide frosting in half, transferring half to a separate bowl. Add cocoa powder, activated charcoal, and black gel color until desired black color is reached, adding more milk as needed to maintain a pipeable consistency.
- Pipe in large swirls onto your cupcakes (or however you feel like icing them). Decorate the top of each frosting swirl with a Harry Potter-themed cupcake topper. Done and done! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
(Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 646kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g
Did you make these Harry Potter Cupcakes?
Send me an email and let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!
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Pictured: Harry Potter 'Happee Birthdae' Cake, Sorting Hat Cupcakes, Harry Potter Graduation Cake
(Or click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)
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