Harry Potter Sleeping Cupcake Recipes (Gluten Free!)

Makes 8. Takes 1 hour.

It's that time of year when I rewatch all of the Harry Potter movies, and this time round I noticed there were some good looking bakes! So here is the start of a wee mini series in which I bake all the foods from Harry Potter, and of course make them gluten free. First up - Hermione's Sleeping Draught Cupcakes! Check out the video below on how to make them, or read on for the recipe.

Equipment & Storage

For this recipe, you will need an electric beater, muffin baking tray, muffins cases and a piping bag. These cupcakes are best stored in a sealed container for 3-4 days.

Why do my cupcakes crack?

If you are like me and struggle to get those perfectly rounded cupcake tops without cracks, let me throw you some tips that helped me. Firstly, the reason they crack is because they have risen too quickly, which means the either that the temperature is too high, or the batter has been over-mixed. If you notice the tops beginning to crack, turn the heat down so they won't split any further. Next, try to resist opening the oven door otherwise they might sink. And lastly, make sure your oven has properly pre-heated as well, so as not to mess up the baking process. Take this knowledge and may you be blessed with perfect cupcakes.

Can you make these dairy free?

Yes, you can easily make these dairy free. For the cupcake, all you need to do is swap the butter for a vegan alternative 1:1 and carry on with the recipe as normal. For the ganache, swap the double cream for a vegan alternative - I like using the Elmlea variety which can be found in most chain supermarkets. And use a dairy free chocolate instead of a milk one. Also, don't forget to check your sprinkles to make sure they are both gluten free and dairy free if needed.

I don't have self raising gluten free - can I use regular?

Yes! That works fine, for this recipe just add in 1 and a half teaspoons of baking powder when adding in the gluten free flour to the wet mix.

The general rule for making your own self raising flour is to add 1 tsp of baking powder per 100 grams of flour.

The below is the image from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that we are recreating from! (Don't worry, this recipe contains no actual sleeping pills....)

I N G R E D I E N T S

• 150 grams gluten free self raising flour

• 105 grams caster sugar

• 2 eggs

• 125 grams butter

• 150 grams chopped chocolate

• 150ml double cream

• Chocolate sprinkles (make sure they are gluten free)

M E T H O D

1. Preheat the oven to 165° Celsius/Bake. Prepare a standard muffin tray by lining 8 of the muffin moulds with muffin cases.

2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. One at a time, beat in the eggs until smooth.

4. Sift in the self raising flour and fold in by hand until no flour is visible.

5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin trays, filling up to about 3/4 high.

6. Bake in over for about 12-15 minutes or until golden on top. To check if the are cooked through, stick a kebab stick into the middle of a cupcake - if it comes out clean then they are ready!

7. While the cupcakes are baking, let's prepare the ganache. Chop the chocolate finely and move to a heatproof bowl.

8. In a saucepan, gently heat up the cream over a low-medium until it's simmering. Make sure you are stirring occasionally while the cream is heating up so as not to burn on the bottom.

9. Once the cream is simmering, remove it from the heat and pour over the chop chocolate.

10. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate before stirring together until smooth and velvety.

11. Place the ganache in the fridge to cool.

12. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

13. When the ganache and the cupcakes have cooled, beat the ganache with and electric beater for 30 seconds to lighten in colour and give it more air. Then spoon the ganache icing into a piping bag.

14. Pipe the ganache over the cooled cupcakes, like in the pictures above, and then sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.

15. Make sure to add a sleeping charm if you are using them for the purposes of stealing someones hair for Polyjuice potion... and enjoy!