Let me start off by saying that I have never been a Harry Potter fan. While many of my friends were enveloped by the Harry Potter books and films (and all the games, and playing cards that followed) I was on my own adventure in Middle Earth. I was and am a Lord of the Rings kind of girl and I had no room in my heart for any of this Harry Potter business. And now it just feels too late to join that band-wagon. Unfortunately for me, I have a few friends who love Harry Potter. The amount of conversations that have completely passed over my head because of all these terms which made no sense to me are too many to count (and I still don't understand what a horcrux is!). One of the most fervent fans is my good friend Jade. She went to Harry Potter World in America, she has memorabilia, she's got a wand; she lives and breathes Harry Potter. Last Friday she turned 22 and she had a pretty average day (she was sick and the exhaust on her car fell off on her way to work). So I wanted to show her how much I love her (despite her love for all things Harry Potter related). Alas, she got Harry Potter cupcakes.
On Thursday morning I got up and started baking some choc-hazelnut cupcakes. I used my favourite chocolate mudcake recipe, however I substituted the plain flour for hazelnut meal and used hazelnut extract instead of vanilla extract.
I allowed them to cool while I went out for the day, and then returned home that night to decorate them. I made up two types of icing for the 24 cup cakes. A raspberry buttercream and a nutella buttercream icing. To make the raspberry buttercream I made a coulis, however with a lot less sugar so the raspberry flavour would shine through. I thought the raspberry icing tasted great especially since the tartness of the raspberry cut through the sugar in the icing. The nutella icing was pretty straight forward, I made it in the same way I would've made a chocolate buttercream, but I added in warmed nutella instead of melted chocolate. I think I might make a swiss meringue nutella icing next time (I was decorating these cupcakes at midnight so I had a time restraint).
After making the icings I started dying the fondants and making shapes to place as toppers on the cupcakes. I made 'sorting hats', 'snitches', brooms and Harry scar shaped toppers. I could've dyed the raspberry icing maroon so they would look like 'Gryffindor' coloured cupcakes, but I didn't realise that they were the colours until I had finished the icings. I guess I can do this for her 23rd birthday next year! I think they turned out alright considering I was a little pressed for time and am not a Harry Potter fan (I am eternally thankful to good for providing me with pictures!) Anyway, I'm glad I got to make these for her because she is wonderful and deserves all the love and appreciation in the world. Happy 22nd Birthday Jade!
On Thursday morning I got up and started baking some choc-hazelnut cupcakes. I used my favourite chocolate mudcake recipe, however I substituted the plain flour for hazelnut meal and used hazelnut extract instead of vanilla extract.
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| About to go into the oven |
I allowed them to cool while I went out for the day, and then returned home that night to decorate them. I made up two types of icing for the 24 cup cakes. A raspberry buttercream and a nutella buttercream icing. To make the raspberry buttercream I made a coulis, however with a lot less sugar so the raspberry flavour would shine through. I thought the raspberry icing tasted great especially since the tartness of the raspberry cut through the sugar in the icing. The nutella icing was pretty straight forward, I made it in the same way I would've made a chocolate buttercream, but I added in warmed nutella instead of melted chocolate. I think I might make a swiss meringue nutella icing next time (I was decorating these cupcakes at midnight so I had a time restraint).
After making the icings I started dying the fondants and making shapes to place as toppers on the cupcakes. I made 'sorting hats', 'snitches', brooms and Harry scar shaped toppers. I could've dyed the raspberry icing maroon so they would look like 'Gryffindor' coloured cupcakes, but I didn't realise that they were the colours until I had finished the icings. I guess I can do this for her 23rd birthday next year! I think they turned out alright considering I was a little pressed for time and am not a Harry Potter fan (I am eternally thankful to good for providing me with pictures!) Anyway, I'm glad I got to make these for her because she is wonderful and deserves all the love and appreciation in the world. Happy 22nd Birthday Jade!
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| Harry Potter Cupcakes! |
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| The 'Broom' toppers (left) and 'Sorting Hat' toppers (right) |
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