Aunt Petunia’s Cake Recipe — Inspired by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Today’s magical recipe is inspired by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

You see, I love, love, love the Harry Potter films, especially the earlier years. Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets will always be two of my favorites. I love watching these to this day and experiencing aspects of the magical world with Harry for the first time.

First time on the Hogwarts Express? Adorable. (Anything from the trolley, dears?)

First time in the Great Hall? Breathtaking.

First time Harry saves the school from imminent danger? Epic.

First time Ron gets a howler? Scary.

There are a lot of great moments in the early films, but one that will always be memorable is when Harry meets Dobby the elf for the first time in the Dursley’s home on Privet Drive. Yes, technically Dobby was trying to save Harry, but things definitely got a little messy.

I’ve always been amazed by Aunt Petunia’s pudding cake (pre-Dobby mischief), and finally, I decided to make a version of this cake myself, sans pudding!

Aunt Petunia’s Cake from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

What You Need:

• Three 9-inch circular cakes
• 4 sticks of salted butter, room temperature
• 2 lbs. of powder sugar (1 bag), sifted
• 2 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 3-5 tbsp. milk
• Food gel coloring — purple, green, red
• Parchment paper
• Angled spatula
• Icing bags
• Icing couplers
• Icing tips — round, star, leaf

Prepare and bake three 9-inch circular cakes (you choose the flavor!).

CAKE BAKING TIPS: Grease your cake pans and then sprinkle flour all over the surface. Next, cut out a circular piece of parchment paper and lay it on the base of the pan before pouring the batter into the pans. These steps will help your cakes slide right out of the pan once they cool.

Once your cakes are out of the oven, set them aside to cool and begin your icing preparation.

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat your softened butter, vanilla, and a tablespoon or so of milk until blended and smooth. Slowly add your sifted powdered sugar, a few cups at a time, until all of it is incorporated. Next, add one tablespoon of milk at a time until you reach your desired frosting consistency. Taste test to be sure it’s perfect! 🙂

Before you begin to ice your cooled cakes, place several small pieces of parchment paper on your cake stand or cake plate and then place your first cake on top. By doing this, you will help to keep your cake plate clean and free of extra icing while you work.

Place a scoop of icing on top of your first cake. Using your angled spatula, smooth the icing out across the top of the first cake. Once your icing is smooth and even, place your second cake on top of the first iced cake. Repeat the process, adding a scoop of icing to the top of the second cake. Spread the icing across the top of the second cake with your angled spatula and spread the excess icing over the edge of the cake. Repeat process for your third cake, icing the top of it and the sides.

NOTE: This is the perfect cake for beginnings because if your cakes aren’t perfectly flat (like mine), that actually works in your favor! See image below. The gaps between each cake make the perfect ledge for your icing decorations to sit on!

Next, you’ll need to prepare three colors of icing in total — purple, green, and red. You’ll need the largest amount of purple icing (as it will be used on each layer and on the top of the cake), so separate your remaining white icing accordingly.

Remember, you can always add more color, but it’s harder to lighten it. Use only a drop of food color gel to start since we’re going for a pastel green and lighter purple for this cake.

Prepare your icing bags with your icing couplers and icing tips. For the purple icing, I chose a star tip. For the green icing, I chose a leaf tip. For the red icing, I chose a round tip.

Disclaimer: I’m no icing expert, so I apologize if my icing terminology is incorrect.

Once your icing bags are filled, start with the bottom layer and alternate between adding a purple “swirl” and a green “leaf” shape. Make a purple “swirl” by adding icing in a circular motion. Make a green “leaf” by adding your icing and pulling your tip straight out to form an icing peak. Continue adding green and purple icing shapes until you entire layer is filled, then proceed to complete the same steps for the top layer.

Next, it’s time to decorate the top of your cake. Using your purple icing, add 1.5 inch icing swirls around the edge of the cake.

Then, using your red icing, add small “cherry-like” drops of icing in between each purple swirl.

To finish your cake, add extra green “leaves” and red “cherries” around the base of your cake — if you have enough icing left, that is, I almost ran out!

And there you have it! Fingers crossed no mischievous elves show up during the middle of your joke’s punchline!

*No magic was used during the making of this cake.*

Looking for more Harry Potter recipes, party ideas, and DIYs? Accio Harry Potter blog posts!