This simple and sweet cake was made for one of the greatest. She's spunky, knows what she likes, and flaunts it. Even if it's requesting a Harry Potter birthday cake. I never caught the HP fever and didn't realize how rampant it runs - from children to adults.When I told a mutual friend about the cake plan, she immediately caught a real, "cat in a bathtub vibe," and started throwing decoration ideas.
The HP fever is real.
The inspiration for this cake comes from a post I saw (of course) on Pinterest. Unfortunately, there is no source site so I cannot even give proper credit where it is due. My version of the cake is greatly simplified. Thank you, mystery post!
I'm still not a big fondant fan so I was determined to minimize its usage. I restricted its usage to the trademark Hogwarts' scarf (which nobody ate) using a rectangle of burgundy fondant with stripes of gold fondant distributed evenly on top. Cut the ends to create a little fringe! The frosting covering the actual cake is my beloved Swiss Buttercream (courtesy to Smitten Kitchen).
I am a firm believer in avoiding inedible or excess objects on cake. Rather than make the other decorations in fondant (that nobody wants to eat), we got creative. The wand is actually made entirely out of chocolate that I happened to find at the craft store. Talk about luck! The Golden Snitch is a a little Ferrero Rocher candy with wings made out of wax paper and two small, straightened paper clips (thank you, husband). The glasses are from the Halloween clearance at Party City and a keep-sake that the birthday girl got to wear! And lastly, the "Happy Birthday" sign is wax paper with the edges lightly singed.
This cake surprised me and the beautiful birthday girl. It was fun and easy to make - once I got over the panic of putting the scarf on top : ) As always, special thanks to my artistic husband for his amazing writing skills and crafting the Golden Snitch!
Harry Potter Cake
"The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake"
from In Jennies Kitchen
NOTE: This cake in this post is two layers of a six-inch round; I HALVED the recipe linked above to create this portion size.
Swiss Buttercream
from Smitten Kitchen
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk occasionally until you can’t feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.
Transfer mixture into the mixer and whip until it turns white and about doubles in size. Smitten Kitchen tip: when you transfer to the mixer, wipe the condensation off the bottom of the bowl so that no water gets into the egg whites. This can keep them from whipping up properly.
Add the vanilla. Finally, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time and whip until smooth.
Raspberry Filling
Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves
Hogwart's Scarf
Rectangle of burgundy fondant with edges snipped to create fray. Cut even slices of gold fondant for the stripes; distribute evenly on burgundy base using water as glue or fondant adhesive.
Chocolate Wand
Chocolate Wand
Golden Snitch
Ferrero Rocher candy with wings made out of wax paper and two small, straightened paper clips.
Golden Stars
Wilton Golden Star Sprinkles