“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 Stone, J.K Rowling

Happy belated birthday to Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling!

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake
400 gr sugar
245 gr flour
75 gr cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 eggs
240 ml milk
108 ml vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
237 ml boiling water

Chocolate Frosting
173 gr butter, room temp
150 gr cocoa powder
853 gr powdered sugar
160 gr milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Frosting
85 gr butter, room temp
720-880 gr powdered sugar
80 ml milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Red food colouring
Green food colouring

How to bake:

Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C.
2. Grease two round 9″/ 23 cm diameter baking pans with nonstick spray or butter.
3. Mix the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the eggs, one at a time.
4. Add the milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix.
5. Now add the boiling water and mix until everything comes together.
6. Pour your batter into the two pans, splitting it equally between them.
7. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick/skewer comes out looking clean.
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes.
9. Then, carefully transfer the cakes to a cooling rack to let them cool completely.
10. When the cakes are totally cool and you’re ready to decorate them, take a knife and slice them in half like a hamburger bun so you end up with four circular cake layers.

Chocolate Frosting
1. Mix the cocoa powder and powdered sugar together.
2. In another bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer or by hand until the butter looks fluffy.
3. Mix in 1/3 of the cocoa/sugar mixture.
4. Add about 1/3 of the milk.
5. Repeat this process until everything is added and mix in the vanilla extract.
6. The frosting should be spreadable at this point. If not, add in more milk or powdered sugar as needed.

Vanilla Frosting
1. Cream the butter with an electric mixer or by hand until the butter looks fluffy. When you first make the chocolate frosting, keep in mind to clean your utensils between making the frostings.
2. Mix in 1/2 of the powdered sugar.
3. Add 1/2 of the milk.
4. Repeat with the remaining powdered sugar and milk and mix in the vanilla extract.
5. The frosting should be spreadable at this point. If not, add in more milk or powdered sugar as needed.
6. Now scoop out a portion of the frosting to a separate bowl (enough for the frosting letters).
7. Add a few drops of red food colouring to the remainder of the frosting and mix to make it pink.
8. In the other bowl, add green food colouring to get green frosting. Keep the bowl covered until you are ready to use it.

Assemble
1. Cover your work surface with a sheet of plastic wrap. Cut out a circle from a piece of cardboard and cover it with foil. Place it on your plastic wrap, followed by your first layer of cake.
2. Dollop some chocolate frosting on the cake and then smooth it out.
3. Place another cake later on the first, dollop frosting, and smooth it out.
4. Repeat the process with the third layer of cake.
5. Place the final cake layer on top. Press down on top of the cake to make sure it is firmly sandwiched.
6. Take your pink vanilla frosting and start your crumb coat by thinly coating the top of the cake.
7. Continue the crumb coat on the sides of the cake, making sure to get it fully covered. Don’t worry if it looks ugly at this point.
8. Clean off your knife and apply a second layer of pink frosting.
9. Put your green frosting it in a piping bag (or plastic bag) and cut a hole at the tip. Pipe on “Happee Birthdae Harry” and you’re done!

Ideas for the cake comes from Food in literature & Diamonds for dessert.