How to Make Harry Potter’s 11th Birthday Cake
Updated: Aug. 23, 2023Learn how to make a copycat Harry Potter birthday cake from the iconic films and books.
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“Got something for you. Afraid I might have sat on it at some point, but I imagine it’ll taste fine just the same. I baked it myself, words and all!”
More thoughtful than a pair of Uncle Vernon’s old socks (and far more appetizing than a Cockroach Cluster), a moist, fudgy chocolate Harry Potter birthday cake with vibrant pink coconut cream frosting and green lettering is the perfect way to tell the Harry Potter fan in your life happy birthday. It would be the perfect centerpiece to any Harry Potter-themed party.
The Official Harry Potter Baking Book shares the recipe for this iconic cake from the wizarding world along with 40+ other official recipes. Flipping through the pages, there were countless tantalizing recipes that had us hungrier than a hippogriff to try, from Hagrid’s rock cakes to a homemade treacle tart from Hogwarts’ Great Hall. It seemed fitting, however, to put the recipe that started it all for Harry to the test. This cake is vegan and we followed the recipe as written; however, we imagine you could use ingredients that contain dairy without any issues.
How to Make Hagrid’s Harry Potter Birthday Cake
Keep reading to learn how you can bring some magic into your kitchen with a homemade version of Hagrid’s birthday cake for Harry. Then buy yourself some butterbeer to wash it all down!
This recipe makes one 8-inch layer cake.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dairy-free milk
- 3.5 ounces vegan chocolate, melted
Frosting:
- 4-6 fresh beets
- 3-1/2 ounces creamed coconut block
- 1/2 cup dairy-free milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4-1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2-3 drops green food coloring
Tools
- 8-inch Cake Pans: Choosing the right size pan for a cake recipe is key. Don’t be tempted to size up to a 9-inch cake pan. Using a larger pan will result in thinner cake layers that will also be prone to drying out.
- Offset Spatula: For spreading the thick batter into the pan and the sweet, colorful icing.
- Piping Bags with Round Tips: For duplicating Hagrid’s messy scrawl of “birthdae” wishes on the finished cake.
Directions
Step 1: Prep cake pans
Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and set them aside.
Step 2: Whisk together dry ingredients
Next, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and cocoa powder.
Editor’s Tip: You can also mix this cake the Muggle way with a bowl and spoon. (Bonus points if it’s with one of these Harry Potter kitchen items.)
Step 3: Add wet ingredients
Add in the vinegar, vanilla, dairy-free milk and beat until smooth, creamy and slightly paler in color; about 3-4 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in chocolate
Stir in the melted chocolate and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 5: Bake
Divide the batter equally between the two prepared cake pans, spreading it into a smooth, even layer. Then bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cakes are firm to the touch (here are more tips for testing cake doneness). Remove promptly, loosen the cakes from their pans, and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Step 6: Prepare the icing
While the cakes cool, whip up the icing. In a saucepan, warm the dairy-free milk and creamed coconut until melted and homogenous. Transfer to a bowl and combine with the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. Whisk until a thick, smooth, spreadable frosting forms.
Editor’s Tip: If the frosting is too thick, you can add a bit more dairy-free milk. If it’s too thin, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.
Step 7: Divide the icing
Transfer a third of the icing into a mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. Mix until combined then set aside. Scoop 2-3 tablespoons of the white icing base into another small bowl. Add the green food coloring, a few drops at a time, stirring after each addition until the desired green color is achieved. Set aside.
Grate the beets into a clean bowl lined with paper towels or cheesecloth. Wrap the beets in the cloth to make a bundle and squeeze over the bowl to collect as much juice as possible. Discard the beets and then gradually begin to add the beet juice to the remaining icing base, stirring after each addition, until a bold, vibrant pink color is achieved.
Editor’s Tip: While we appreciate the use of beets as a natural food dye, feel free to use a few drops of pink gel food coloring if you don’t want to hassle with the beets (we are sadly Muggles, after all).
Step 8: Assemble the cake
To assemble the cake, spread the chocolate icing generously over the top of one of the cooled cake rounds.
Step 9: Decorate
Place the second cake on top and then, using an offset spatula, spread the pink icing evenly over the entire cake until smooth and uniform. (Here’s how the pros decorate a cake.)
Next, add your “Happee Birthdae” message (remember, Hagrid is not the greatest speller), personalizing the cake with the name of your choice. Use a piping bag fitted with a small round tip to pipe the letters onto the cake.
Step 10: Sit on the cake
Well, maybe don’t actually sit on the cake as Hagrid did. Instead, take a sharp knife and use it to cut a jagged vein through the center of the icing layer and between the letters, as desired.
Cut into slices and serve with a glass of homemade butterbeer.
Harry Potter Birthday Cake FAQs
Can you make a non-vegan version of a Harry Potter birthday cake?
Yes! Simply use the potion’s recipe’s method as a guide and swap for a classic chocolate cake recipe and traditional buttercream frosting (dyed pink and green, of course).
Can you make the cake ahead of time?
Absolutely. You can prepare this cake to its finished state up to 2 days in advance before serving. Because the cake is dairy-free, it does not have to be refrigerated. Store in a covered cake keeper at room temperature (or in Hagrid’s coat pocket) until ready to slice and serve.
Can you freeze the cake?
We have not tested freezing this cake fully decorated, so it would be somewhat of an experiment. The frosting is a bit unique, so it may or may not freeze and defrost as well as a traditional buttercream.
The undecorated cake layers can be frozen, however. Let cool completely and then wrap tightly in plastic and store in a sealed freezer bags for up to 2 months. For more tips, follow this handy guide to learn how to freeze a cake like a pro.
Here’s What I Thought
We were skeptical as we mixed up this cake. The batter was very thick and pretty dry making it difficult to mix. Additionally, the absence of any oil or fat (not even applesauce) had us concerned that the cake would be dense and dry.
But we were wrong. In the words of Gilderoy Lockhart, “This is just like magic!” The cake turned out incredibly moist and ultra-decadent with rich chocolate flavor.
As for the icing, we’ll admit it was a bit tricky to work with. In fact, we suspect conjuring a Patronus for the first time may be easier than spreading this icing. In testing, we found the icing set very quickly, making it challenging to spread evenly and smoothly.
However, perhaps it’s not meant to be perfectly smooth, so the cake retains a bit of rustic Hagrid charm.
We’re not quite why the authors decided to make this Harry Potter birthday cake vegan. Perhaps they wanted to make sure the recipe in this book was as inclusive as possible for different diets.
Another theory is that perhaps they figured that Hagrid, being a friend of all magical creatures, would have preferred to bake vegan to ensure none would be harmed in the making of this cake.
Whatever the logic may have been, there’s no doubt that this Harry Potter birthday cake is delicious!
