Our family is obsessed with all things Harry Potter, so I figured why not celebrate his July 31st birthday by recreating his 11th birthday cake from the first Harry Potter Book? When Rubeus Hagrid showed up to deliver Harry his Hogwarts acceptance letter and school list in “The Sorcerer’s Stone”, he also has a birthday cake for Harry. It’s the first birthday cake Harry ever receives in his life. You might notice that in the book’s account, the writing on the cake is spelled correctly and it only mentioned green icing. For all we know, it was likely a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, but at some point when the first movie was being made, a decision must have been made to frost this cake with pink and green frosting and intentionally misspell the message. That’s the version that seems to be the most iconic, so that’s what I went as well. From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing. ~ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone I made my version of Harry’s birthday cake by using our family-favorite chocolate cake recipe paired with a classic buttercream frosting dyed bright pink and green. Not only did this cake taste incredible, but it was fun and easy to make because it is supposed to look rustic and haphazard – like it has been sat on even! No worries about perfect piping or anything.
What You Need to Make a Chocolate Cake
Chocolate – This is a chocolate cake so unlike other chocolate cake recipes that only use cocoa powder, my version has both cocoa powder AND chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate for a truly delicious chocolate cake experience. Sugar – I use a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar for the perfect amount of sweetness and depth of flavor. Cake Flour – You can bake this cake with an equal amount of all-purpose flour, but it has an even softer, lighter crumb from cake flour. See the recipe notes for a good cake flour substitute using cornstarch. Eggs – Using room temperature eggs helps the ingredients combine better and the cake rise more evenly. Butter & Oil – I like the combination of both butter and oil in this cake batter because the oil keeps the cake extra moist while the butter imparts flavor and richness. Vanilla Extract – An important ingredient in most baking because it rounds out other flavors and adds dimension to the finished bake. Buttermilk – Adds dimension and tang to the cake as well as contributing to the deliciously soft & moist texture. Baking Soda – This leavening agent helps the cake rise so it is light and tender. Salt – Another must-have ingredient so your bake doesn’t taste bland. Boiling Water – I either let my tap run until the water is super-duper hot or heat a cup of water in the microwave for a minute or two. Not only does this melt the chopped semisweet chocolate but it makes the cocoa powder bloom for an even more intense chocolate flavor.
What You Need to Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Powdered Sugar – The recipe below makes the perfect amount of frosting for this size of a cake. It uses powdered sugar for a perfectly sweet finish. Salted Butter – Let this sit out on the counter for an hour so it can soften before mixing. Vanilla Extract – I always use my homemade vanilla extract. Heavy Cream – You can get away with just using milk here if you don’t have heavy cream on hand. Food Coloring (affiliate link) – I like using gel food coloring (affiliate link) which you can get at hobby or craft stores or order online. AmeriColor and Chefmaster are my two favorite brands. I used “deep pink” and “leaf green” to get the colors I wanted for this cake.
How to Make Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake
That’s all there is to it! The cake comes together like, well, magic – no wands required! My Harry Potter-loving kids thought this was the most impressive cake I have ever made when in reality it was one of the easiest.
Got Questions? I’ve Got Answers
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Use room temperature ingredients. They will mix together better and you will have a better rise, a more even bake, more moist results with a softer crumb. Basically, it’s good baking practice when making cakes to use room temp ingredients and it will level up all of your bakes when you make it a part of your baking routine. Don’t overmix the cake batter. Mix the flour and dry ingredients alternately just until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl. Overmixing can result in a cake that is dense and dry, two things we don’t want for this sticky, moist chocolate birthday cake. Use a kitchen scale. I always test my recipes using a kitchen scale, not just measuring cups, and include both to accommodate bakers of all levels and skills. But you will get the best, most consistent results when you start using a kitchen scale to measure your flour, especially.
