Harry Potter Cake
This Harry Potter Cake is a replica of Harry’s birthday cake from the movie! Underneath that iconic pink and green frosting is my famous moist vegan chocolate cake.
If you are a fan of the wizarding world of Harry Potter, then you are already familiar with this cake! This is the chocolate cake that Hagrid gave to Harry on his 11th birthday—a chocolate cake which, in the movie, had pink frosting and green icing that spelled out HAPPEE BIRTHDAE HARRY. Bake this cake for a Harry Potter themed party or to celebrate the birthday (or birthdae) of the Harry Potter fanatic in your life.
Why This Harry Potter Cake Is Sure to Be a Hit
Even people who have never read the books or watched the movie will love this cake!
- Adapted from my famous chocolate cake recipe. My Vegan Chocolate Cake is a reader favourite and this Harry Potter cake starts with all the same ingredients, with applesauce added for a fudgier texture to match the description of the cake in the book.
- Light, fluffy buttercream. My vanilla buttercream is another fave around here and it’s tinted pink and green to create the frosting for this Harry Potter cake.
- Fans will be delighted. Everyone who’s seen the movies remembers Harry’s 11th birthday cake!
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to grab to make this Harry Potter cake. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Apple cider vinegar – This is combined with the vegan milk to create Vegan Buttermilk.
- Soy milk – Or another unflavoured, unsweetened vegan milk.
- Cane sugar
- All-purpose flour – Want to make a gluten-free cake? Follow my Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – You can use natural cocoa powder for a classic chocolate cake flavour or Dutch process, which has a more intense chocolate flavour.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Sea salt
- Unsweetened applesauce – This makes the cake fudgy.
- Neutral oil – Like canola or sunflower seed oil.
- Vanilla extract
- Boiling water
- Instant coffee – This doesn’t make the cake taste like coffee; instead, it makes the chocolate flavour stand out more.
- Vanilla frosting – I use my Vegan Buttercream Frosting, but you could use store-bought or another recipe you like.
- Pink and green food colouring – I like to use gel food colouring because you can get deep, vibrant colour with it without watering down the frosting with a lot of liquid.
How to Make a Harry Potter Cake
Let’s get started! This step-by-step guide will show you the process of making a Harry Potter birthday cake.
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour two round cake pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper circles.
- Make the vegan buttermilk. Whisk together the vegan milk and vinegar and set aside until thickened.
- Mix the batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add the buttermilk, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and instant coffee dissolved in boiling water. Beat on medium speed to combine.
- Bake the cakes. Divide the batter into the pans and bake for 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 30 to 60 minutes, then turn out onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
- Prepare the frosting. Follow the recipe directions for the frosting. Reserve a small portion and tint it green; colour the rest pink.
- Frost the cakes. Frost the first layer and then set the second layer on top. Spread the frosting over the top and sides, then use a piping bag to write your message in green frosting.
Tips and Variations
Here are a few more pointers for the perfect Harry Potter cake.
- Don’t overmix the batter. For maximum lift, mix the cake batter just until the wet ingredients are incorporated into the dry ingredients.
- Customise the message. Of course, you don’t have to write Harry on the cake if you’re celebrating someone else’s birthday! You can wish Happee Birthdae to anyone.
- Swap in cream cheese frosting. My Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting can be tinted to look just like the frosting used in the movie, but with a tangy cream cheese flavour!
- Add a filling. Although it’s not true to the book or movie, you could add a layer of Strawberry Cake Filling between the two layers of chocolate cake.
How to Store
- Room temperature: This Harry Potter cake will keep up to a day at room temperature, assuming your kitchen isn’t too warm.
- Refrigerator: You can refrigerate this cake for up to 4 days. Loosely wrap it in plastic wrap or transfer leftovers to an airtight container.
- Freezer: Freeze leftover Harry Potter cake in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this Harry Potter cake, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Harry Potter Cake
This Harry Potter Cake is a replica of Harry’s birthday cake from the movie, with pink and green frosting and moist vegan chocolate cake!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 30mL
- 1 cup soy milk, or other vegan milk – 240mL
- 1 ¾ cups cane sugar, 350g
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240g
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 60g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, 5g
- 2 teaspoons baking soda, 10g
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, 5g
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, 120mL
- ½ cup + 2 teaspoons neutral oil, e.g. canola, sunflower – 110mL
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 10mL
- 1 cup boiling water, 240mL
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee, 6g
- 1 batch vanilla frosting
- Pink and green food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Grease and flour two 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper circles to prevent sticking.
Make the Cake Layers:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 5–10 minutes until curdled.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cane sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Add the soy milk mixture, applesauce, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Mix boiling water and instant coffee in a small bowl until dissolved. Immediately pour into the batter.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the batter on medium speed for 2 minutes until fully combined. Scrape down the sides and stir once more by hand to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
- Bake for 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 30–60 minutes.
- Run a butter knife around the edges, then carefully turn out and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
Frost and Decorate:
- Tint most of the frosting light pink (use beet powder or plant-based pink food coloring).
- Reserve a small portion of frosting and color it green for piping the message.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand.
- Add a layer of pink frosting over the first cake.
- Top with the second cake layer and apply a layer of pink frosting over the top and sides. Don’t worry about it being smooth—it should look like the homemade cake Hagrid gave Harry.
- Use a piping bag with a small round tip (or a ziplock bag with a snipped corner) filled with green frosting to write: “Happee Birthdae Harry”
Notes
- Room temperature: This Harry Potter cake will keep up to a day at room temperature, assuming your kitchen isn’t too warm.
- Refrigerator: You can refrigerate this cake for up to 4 days. Loosely wrap it in plastic wrap or transfer leftovers to an airtight container.
- Freezer: Freeze leftover Harry Potter cake in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
- Nutritional information is for cake without frosting, as the exact calculations will depend on the type of frosting you use.
Calories: 342kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Sodium: 509mg, Potassium: 200mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 97IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 2mg
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
