9.9.12 I'm baaaaaaaack!!! (and I brought Butterbeer Cupcakes with me)

Hello again!  I've been gone from the Blogosphere almost 2 years to the day.  A lot has happened since my last entry: I now teach Biology part-time at a community college and Science at a high school full-time; Steve & I have bought & moved into a new house; we have a new dog, Molly; and MOST exciting, we have a new baby boy, Mr. H! 

I have still been baking and trying out new recipes; I just haven't been posting about them.  Well, if I'm going to get better at this, I need some feedback, right?  Right.  Also, truth be told, I am sick of trying to find a recipe that I used months earlier, but forgot to bookmark.  I could save myself a heck of a lot of time if I just had this online cookbook of sorts up-to-date.

Tonight is "Going Back to Work Full Time" Eve.  I'm a little sad and very nervous to leave Mr. H at daycare for a full week.  So what better way to unwind and settle the nerves than creaming butter and sugar together!  Since it felt so (relatively) cool today, I decided to give a nod to fall and Harry Potter (cooler weather always make me want to watch the movies again) by making some Butterbeer Cupcakes (adapted from Tennessee Sugar).  These are yummy cupcakes with cream soda in the batter (yum), a butterscotch ganache filling (double yum), and a butterscotch buttercream icing (YUM!!!).

Butterbeer Cupcakes (makes approximately 18 cupcakes)

• 2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp butter flavoring
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup cream soda 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tins with liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffly, about 2-3 minutes. 

4. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each.

     5.  Add in vanilla and butter flavoring.
     6.  Combine buttermilk* and cream soda in a small bowl and alternate adding that combination with the flour mixture with the mixer on low, starting and ending with the flour.
 

7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

*You don't have to buy buttermilk, unless you're like my grandfather and actually like to drink sour milk - EW!  Just pour 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice into a measuring cup and then add milk to make 1 cup.  Use what you need!

Butterscotch Ganache

• 1 11-oz package butterscotch chips
• 3/4 cup heavy cream 

1. While the cupcakes are baking, make the ganache: melt butterscotch chips and heavy cream together using a double boiler (or on low heat, stirring constantly) until completely smooth. Cool to room temperature to allow the ganache to slightly thicken.
2. Fill an decorating bag or plastic squeeze bottle with the ganache and once cupcakes are cool insert tip into each cupcake, filling until the ganache starts to slightly overflow.

Butterscotch Buttercream

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp butter flavoring
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 lb powdered sugar (3 /12 - 4 cups)
• Splash of cream (as needed) 

1. Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

     2.  Add ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined.
     3.  Beat in powdered sugar and allow it to come together for about 2 minutes.
     4.  Add cream a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

     5.  Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and drizzle leftover butterscotch ganache over each.

Do you have some extra butterscotch ganache left over?  Don't throw it out.  Use it as a topping on ice cream or brownies - DELICIOUS!!!