Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake (Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Frosting!)
This post may contain affiliate links, please visit our privacy policy for details.
Celebrating the end of July with Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake! We’re going back to the Sorcerer’s Stone and re-living the magic. A decadent two layered chocolate cake, sandwiched between the easiest homemade strawberry frosting, and finished with the classic green piping. Every bite is sweet, chocolate-y, creamy, and perfectly balanced with strawberry/vanilla flavors. It truly is a magical cake! The best part? It’s actually SO easy to make and oh so impressive. Bake this cake to celebrate Harry’s birthday this weekend, to return to Hogwarts in September, as your own birthday cake, or as a really cute cake for your Halloween display! There’s so much you can do with this cake and it is SO delicious.
About The Recipe
Happy Friday!!
Can you believe we’re at the end July? This summer is FLYING by! Honestly, just this year seems to be flying by. It feels like it was just January when my mom, brother, and I watched the 20th anniversary special of Harry Potter. Which, was the inspiration behind this cake!
True enough that it’s technically almost the 21st anniversary, but we’re not there just yet. So, we’re celebrating Harry’s 42nd birthday, as well as the anniversary of the Sorcerer’s Stone!
If you’ve read the blog before, you’ll know that me and my family are huge Harry Potter fans. From books to movies. They hold a special place in our hearts!
It was actually the first book I ever read on my own. Even as I get older and need some comforting nostalgia, there’s nothing better than curling up with a big blanket and either the books or films.
Especially Sorcerer’s Stone! I mean, there are so many iconic and instantly recognizable things from the films, but I think there is nothing better (or more wholesome!) then the cake that Hagrid brings to Harry.
Which brings us to this cake.
Inspired by the movie, the cake is a chocolate cake with pink frosting. I always interpreted the frosting to be strawberry! I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate and strawberries?
But, if you are a book fan, then you know Harry’s birthday cake was actually chocolate with chocolate frosting! (And, if you want a seriously decadent chocolate cake, you need to check out our Ultimate Chocolate Cake!)
I never knew why they changed it, but I think the movie cake is absolutely precious. I have wanted to make it my entire life!
This cake is every bit as magical as that scene in Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s sweet, easy to make, and SO cute. There’s no way to be…well, just harry with this cake!
Turn on the films, grab your wands (or mixing spoons!), and get to baking because this cake is the best way to celebrate this weekend!
Reasons You Need To Bake Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake
- It’s SO easy to make.
- The strawberry frosting is naturally dyed pink.
- A great treat for celebrating the films, a birthday, or even Halloween!
- Absolutely delicious! Tastes kind of like a chocolate covered strawberry.
- Stores well (even when sat on by Hagrid 😉)
What Flavor Was Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake?
Both the books and the films were a decadent chocolate cake made by the one and only Rubeus Hagrid, but the frosting is where they differ! In the books, the frosting was chocolate. In the films, it was bright pink! I don’t know why, but in my head it was strawberry frosting. So, that’s what this is!
The best part? Since it’s strawberry frosting, it’s naturally pink! Win-win.
Equipment Needed
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- 8 Inch Cake Pans
- Stand Mixer
- Sieve
- Food Processor
- Offset Spatula
- Piping Bag
- Piping Tips
Ingrediens
(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)
For The Cake:
- Natural Process Cocoa Powder
- Boiling Water
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Large Eggs
- Vegetable Oil
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla Extract
For The Frosting:
- Salted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Green Food Coloring
- Freeze Dried Strawberries
How To Make Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake
Step 1: Make the cake batter
In a medium sized bowl, combine the boiling water and cocoa powder. Mix together with a whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined.
In another medium sized bowl, mix together the wet ingredients with a whisk until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together.
Stir in the bloomed cocoa powder.
Step 2: Bake
Divide the batter amongst 2 greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until the cakes start to pull away from the pans and test done.
Take out of the oven and let rest for about ten minutes. Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Step 3: Make the frosting
With an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth.
Beat in powdered sugar until smooth.
Add 4 Tablespoons of milk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Remove 1/2 cup frosting and place in a small bowl. Add green food coloring. Set aside.
Stir in strawberry powder and remaining milk. Beat until smooth.
Step 4: Assemble and Decorate
Level cooled one cake layer and place on serving plate. Spread about 1-2 cups of frosting on top. Top with unleveled cake layer.
Frost entire cake with remaining frosting.
Using a dull knife, drag knife tip vertically on top of the cake and towards the right side to create signature “crack” across top. Pipe the words, “Happee Birthdae Harry” across cracks.
Accio some plates, forks, and a knife and enjoy!
How To Store
One of the best things about a magical cake, such as this, is that it freezes really well. You can freeze this cake as a whole or just freeze slices. I recommend freezing individual slices of cake, as it’s already portioned out and ready to eat whenever you want a slice of cake!
You can also keep this cake in a cake plate on the counter for about 2 days, but we recommend placing it in the refrigerator as it is a very moist cake! It should keep in the fridge for about a week.
– Harry Potter Pop Quiz –
What animal tail does Hagrid give Dudley after he sees him eating Harry’s Birthday Cake? (hint: it’s pink and curly!😉)
Looking for more magical recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: Butterbeer Cupcakes, Ultimate Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Jam Filled Doughnuts, Strawberry Sheet Cake
Magical Tips
- You can boil the water in a microwave, on the stove top, or in a kettle!
- Mixing the boiling water and cocoa powder is a technique called, “blooming”. This allows for the powder to dissolve and release all of it’s amazing flavors. That means you wind up with a much more flavorful and delicious cake!
- Be sure to check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda
- Use a cake tester or a toothpick to test when this cake is done! This is a very large cake and bake times may vary depending on your oven and how it bakes.
- Don’t forget to spoon out about 1/2 cup of frosting to color green! We used leaf green, as it gave us the closest color to the film’s that we could find.
- We used freeze dried strawberries and ground them ourselves. You can use strawberry powder or, if you don’t have any, red food coloring can be used, but it won’t taste like strawberries.
- When it comes to assembling this cake, don’t stress! This cake is, quite literally, meant to be a mess.
- To create the “crack” look from Hagrid sitting on the cake, use a dull knife and draw the crack on top of the cake by dragging the tip through the frosting.
- To pipe the letters, I used a #4 piping tip.
- Feel free to make this a celebration cake! Know a Harry Potter fan with a birthday coming up? Make this cake and, instead of writing “Harry”, write their name instead!
- To get clean slices, wipe your knife after each cut!
When you make Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Harry Potter Birthday Cake (Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Frosting!)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup natural process cocoa, sifted
- 1¼ cups boiling water
- 2½ cups all purpose flour*
- 2¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting
- 2¼ cups salted butter, room temperature
- 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 6 Tablespoons whole milk, divided
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups freeze-dried strawberries, ground and sifted
- 5-8 drops leaf green food coloring
Instructions
Cake
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Spray 2 8 inch x 3 inch round cake pans with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and boiling water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
- Pour over dry ingredients.
- Whisk together.
- Whisk in bloomed cocoa powder.
- Divide between prepared pans.
- Bake 35 minutes, or until done.
Frosting
- With an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth.
- Beat in powdered sugar.
- Add 4 Tablespoons of milk.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Beat until smooth.
- Remove ½ cup frosting and place in a small bowl.
- Add green food coloring. Set aside.
- Stir in strawberry powder and remaining milk.
- Beat until smooth.
Assembly
- Level one cake layer.
- Place on serving plate.
- Spread about 1-2 cups frosting on top.
- Top with unleveled cake layer.
- Frost entire cake.
- Using a dull knife, drag knife tip vertically on top of the cake and towards the right side to create signature "crack" across top.
- Pipe birthday message on top.
Notes + Tips!
- You can boil the water in a microwave, on the stove top, or in a kettle!
- Mixing the boiling water and cocoa powder is a technique called, “blooming”. This allows the powder to dissolve and release all of it’s amazing flavors. That means you wind up with a much more flavorful and delicious cake!
- Be sure to check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda.
- Use a cake tester or a toothpick to test when this cake is done! This is a very large cake and bake times may vary depending on your oven and how it bakes.
- Don’t forget to spoon out about 1/2 cup of frosting to color green! We used leaf green, as it gave us the closest color to the film’s that we could find.
- We used freeze dried strawberries and ground them ourselves. You can use strawberry powder or, if you don’t have any, red food coloring can be used, but it won’t taste like strawberries.
- When it comes to assembling this cake, don’t stress! This cake is, quite literally, meant to be a mess.
- To create the “crack” look from Hagrid sitting on the cake, use a dull knife and draw the crack on top of the cake by dragging the tip through the frosting.
- To pipe the letters, I used a #4 piping tip.
- Feel free to make this a celebration cake! Know a Harry Potter fan with a birthday coming up? Make this cake and, instead of writing “Harry”, write their name instead!
- To get clean slices, wipe your knife after each cut!
Tools You May Need (affiliate links)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
– Still Hungry? –
Here are a few recipes may like!
