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Tag: Harry Potter cupcakes

  • Harry Potter Cupcakes

    Harry Potter Cupcakes

    “Harry’s never traveled by flue powder before!” 

    Lately activated charcoal seems to be *all* the rage! Activated charcoal is a dark black powder that can be used as food coloring since it’s edible and fairly tasteless in small amounts. (While it can inactivate certain medications in large amounts, in small amounts it’s completely safe.) And with a little black cocoa powder and gel food coloring, it can make some pretty wicked-looking black frosting! 😉 

    The characters in the Harry Potter series occasionally travel chimney-to-chimney via flue powder….which didn’t seem alllll that far off from charcoal powder 😉  I’ve also discovered black cocoa powder since the first posting of this recipe. It makes gorgeous black frosting without having to add tons of food dye!

    Aaaaanyways. After finding some awesome Harry Potter cupcake toppers on Amazon, I was all set for a batch of Harry Potter Cupcakes!

    Recipe below! 

    Why you’ll love these cupcakes – 

    • Scratch chocolate cupcake recipe comes together in one bowl and makes the most decadent chocolate cupcakes! 
    • Optional ganache filling – definitely highly recommended! Chocolate ganache is hard to beat 😉 
    • Black and white frosting make the cupcake toppers really pop – and the black frosting won’t stain anyone’s teeth! 
    • (By comparison, tons of Harry Potter cupcake ideas take tons of assembly time. Fondant shaping, making golden snitches by hand, complicated piping, etc.) These rely on just a set of toppers – so they’re the EASIEST thing in the world to decorate! You don’t even have to pipe on the frosting if you don’t want to. 😉 

    FAQs

    “Will the black frosting stain everyone’s teeth?” 
    • Nope! Since the original post of this recipe, I’ve discovered black cococa powder – and it’s seriously the best thing for dark-colored frosting! You can still use the activated charcoal, and it’ll deepen the black, but you don’t need much if any gel color to get a deep black frosting. And since it’s just cocoa powder – not dye – it won’t stain your mouth! 

     

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Harry Potter Cupcakes - black and white cupcakes with Harry Potter Toppers
    Print Recipe

    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!
    Prep Time20 minutes
    Cook Time25 minutes
    Decorating time20 minutes
    Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Harry Potter Cupcake toppers, Harry Potter Cupcakes
    Servings: 24 cupcakes
    Calories: 646kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    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)

    White / Black Cream Cheese Buttercream Frostings

    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!

    You can also add a comment or a recipe rating at the bottom of the page! 🙂

    Other recipes you may love…

    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!)

    Happee Birthdae Harry Potter Cake - from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
    Harry Potter Sorting Hat Cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes with toppers and filled centers)
    Harry Potter Graduation Cake
  • Sorting Hat Cupcakes

    Sorting Hat Cupcakes

    “Difficult. Very difficult. . . So where shall I put you?”

    Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
    “Not Slytherin, eh?” said the small voice. “Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no? Well, if you’re sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!” ( J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ) 

    Why make these Sorting Hat Cupcakes? 

    • These are a fantastic idea for a Harry Potter Movie night snack or a Harry Potter birthday party!
    • Filled with the four colors of the Hogwarts houses, these Sorting Hat cupcakes are perfect for any Harry Potter party or movie night! Easily ‘sort’ your guests into their houses. 😉 

    FAQs 

    “Yeesh. Recipe’s more complicated than I was hoping. Any way to simplify it?”

    • For sure – I 100% get you! I have two small kids as I update this post, and I know sometimes your kitchen time is limited! 

    • You can substitute your favorite cake mix (plus the ingredients the mix calls for). Substituting butter for oil, buttermilk for water, and adding an extra egg will help the cupcakes taste more homemade! 

    • If you use store-bought or canned frosting – just know it’s generally more thin and runny than the recipe I posted.  I recommend adding some extra powdered sugar and cocoa powder to thicken it a bit. Add a 1/4 cup of extra powdered sugar alternating with 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder a a time, mixing until you reach a consistency that pipes and stays in place on the cupcakes well. 

    “Do I need gel food coloring?”
    • Short answer is ‘it depends.’
    • If you want really bright colors, then the answer is probably ‘yes.’
    • Liquid food coloring – most commonly available at grocery stores – tends to produce light colors because it’s not very concentrated. If you don’t mind kind of light pastel-ish colors, you’re good to use liquid food coloring. Bu if you want your cupcake centers really bright colored, gel coloring is the way to go. 
    “Do I need the Harry Potter cupcake toppers?”
    • Again – lol short answer is ‘it depends.’ 
    • I piped these cupcakes and added the Hershey’s kiss to make them look more pointed – like the sorting hat – and man. They still looked uncannily like the poop emoji. :/ I mean tbh they still do – but I felt like the cupcake toppers really distracted from that, lol. Soo leave the toppers off if you choose – just be forewarned you may get a lot of ‘poop emoji’ comments! 

    Annnnd I think that’s everything before we get to the recipe! Happy baking – and have fun! 

    (Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!) 

    Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! 

    Sorting Hat Cupcakes pinterest pin
    Harry Potter Sorting Hat Cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes with toppers and filled centers)
    Print Recipe

    Sorting Hat Cupcakes

    "…but where to put you?" Add some magic and Hogwarts house rivalry to your next Harry Potter movie night with these Sorting Hat Cupcakes!
    Prep Time30 minutes
    Cook Time20 minutes
    Decorating time35 minutes
    Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Harry Potter Cupcakes, Harry Potter House Cupcakes, Harry Potter Sorting Hat Cupcakes, Sorting Hat Cupcakes
    Servings: 24 cupcakes
    Calories: 464kcal
    Author: Sarah H

    Equipment

    Ingredients

    Cupcakes

    • 1 cup butter (melted and cooled)
    • 3 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 cups granulated sugar
    • 5 large eggs
    • 1 T pure vanilla extract
    • 1 cup milk – I used whole milk
    • 1/2 cup sour cream

    Sorting Hat Fillings & Frosting

    • 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
    • 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
    • 5 ½ -6 cups powdered sugar
    • 2-4 Tablespoons milk
    • 1 Teaspoon clear vanilla extract
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
    • 1-2 drops each red, blue, yellow, and green gel food coloring (Save and add later! I used Americolor gel colors)
    • 1 cup cocoa powder (Save and add later!)

    Decorations

    Instructions

    Cupcakes

    • First – melt your unsalted butter and set aside to cool. This ensures it won’t be too warm and cook your eggs when you add it!
    • Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F, and prepare 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
    • In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and sour cream until well combined.  Add the cooled melted butter and whisk again until well combined.
    • Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix! The batter will be a bit lumpy and quite thick.
    • Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full. (I like to use a large cookie scoop for this part – makes the process a little cleaner and my cupcake sizes a lot more consistent!) Bake for 14-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Cool completely before decorating.
    • Meanwhile, make your fillings, frosting, and decorations!

    Sorting Hat Fillings & Frosting

    • Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches a pipeable consistency. Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.
    • Remove about ½ cup of frosting into each of 4 small bowls, and stir in red, yellow, blue, and green gel food coloring until desired color is reached. Gel food coloring is pretty strong, so it only took about 1-2 large drops to get the bright colors I wanted.
    • Add cocoa powder to the remainder of frosting and mix until well combined, adding additional milk to maintain consistency.

    Assembly:

    • Once the cupcakes have cooled, core them. (You can use a cupcake corer, the back end of a large piping tip, or….you can do what I do and cut the cores out with a plastic knife. Up to you!)
    • Fill cupcakes with colored fillings using a piping bag or a spoon – I made six of each color.

    Decorating

    • I used brown fondant to cover the cupcakes and make the ‘brims’ of the hats – fondant can be purchased, or it’s fairly easy to make your own! I like Amy’s Confectionary Adventures recipe.
    • Whichever type of fondant you decide to use, soften it slightly in the microwave and then roll it out into a large sheet on a cutting board or clean countertop. Use a biscuit cutter or a large glass roughly the size of your cupcakes, and cut out 24 fondant circles. Place these over the tops of your cupcakes.
    • Transfer the chocolate frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe in large swirls onto your cupcakes and top each one with a chocolate kiss. Add Harry Potter cupcake toppers – to be completely honest, I thought they helped a *lot* to keep the cupcakes from looking just like the poop emoji    ><
    • Done and done! Enjoy!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g

    Did you make these Sorting Hat 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!

    You can also add a comment or a recipe rating at the bottom of the page! 🙂

    Mentioned in post:
    Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream 

    Other recipes you may love…

    (Click / tap the photos to be taken to the recipe pages!)

    Happee Birthdae Harry Potter Cake - from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
    Harry Potter Cupcakes - black and white cupcakes with Harry Potter Toppers
    Harry Potter Graduation Cake