For the Love of Everything Harry Potter {Recipe: Harry Potter-inspired Butterbeer Cake}

Just when I thought we were done with Harry Potter, a new Harry Potter book comes out. When my daughter, Lili,  found out that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was coming out, the obsession with everything Harry Potter started all over again. It even prompted her to re-read all of the Harry Potter books until the new book arrived. Not that I am complaining, I am all for books like these that promote a love of reading.

Now that my daughter is all about Harry Potter again, she wanted a Harry Potter themed birthday. A friend of mine showed me a picture of a Harry Potter-inspired Butterbeer Cake her daughter made and knew Lili would love it. I set out to make her one and surprise her, but then realized she would have more fun making it herself. So I set her loose in the kitchen and left. If I stuck around in the while she made it I would be too tempted to interfere. I know I am biased, but I think she did a great job! The only thing she asked for my help with is figuring out how to make the Golden Snitches. I came up with using the Ferrero Rochers, but it was her idea to use the gold foil for the wings.

Harry Potter fan or not, this cake is really good!

Harry Potter-inspired Butterbeer Cake

Adapted from the recipe found at: http://www.bijouxandbits.com/2016/04/butterbeer-cake/

Ingredients for cake:

2 cups cake flour (like Swan's Down)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter flavoring 

1/2 teaspoon Foldgers Flavors Caramel Coffee Enhancer-optional

Ingredients for brown butter vanilla buttercream frosting:

3/4 cup butter, divided 

3 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup brown sugar

Ingredients for caramel sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons water

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces

Additional ingredients:

6 Ferrero Rocher-hazelnut chocolates in the gold wrappers

Instructions for cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment, then grease and flour it.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Add the sugar and mix until combined.

3. Add the softened butter to the mixture on low until the texture is crumbly.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla, butter flavoring and caramel coffee enhancer. Slowly add to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. 

5. While the mixer is on low, slowly incorporate the buttermilk until smooth. 

6. Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch round cake pan and bake 25-28 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake or the cake will be dry!

7. Once the cake is done, let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. 

Instructions for the brown butter cream frosting:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 1/4 cup butter. This can be tricky. The butter will foam and just start to brown, I recommend pulling the butter from the burner as soon as it starts to brown, whisk in the flour, then return to the heat. Once the butter starts to turn brown, it can burn very quickly. It usually continues to brown a bit more after it has been pulled from the burner. 

2. After returning the brown butter/flour mixture to burner and slowly whisk in the milk, working out any lumps. Keep whisking while bringing the mixture to a boil so it thickens. At this point, it looks almost like a choux pastry.

3. Once boiling, whisk in the vanilla extract and remove pot from heat and let cool. 

4. While the mixture is cooling, cream together 1/2 cup butter with the brown sugar. 

5. After the flour mixture is completely cool, beat it into the mixing bowl with the butter/sugar mixture. Cream both mixtures together until fluffy. 

Note: This butter cream frosting is different than anything we have ever tried before. With the mixture on the burner looking like pastry dough, my daughter thought she did something wrong. But she persisted and it turned out great." -Mother Always Told Me

Instructions for the caramel sauce:

1. Combine the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel (or other light colored) pot.

2. Set your other prepared ingredients and a whisk within easy reach. Caramel can burn easy, so have everything handy so you can work quickly.

3. Place the pot over medium heat and stir frequently with a spatula until the sugar has dissolved. If you see sugar crystals forming along the  sides of the pot, use a pastry brush wet in a small town of water to brush the crystals away. 

4. Once the sugar has fully dissolved, stop stirring! Swirl the entire pot gently if needed, during this next phase of cooking. 

5. Turn the heat up to medium-high and watch for the sugar to change color. This takes about 4-5 minutes, but you cannot walk away, because the color changes in an instant! Once the dissolved sugar mixture reaches a medium copper color, quickly turn off the heat, and add the butter and heavy cream, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes homogeneous and all clumps dissolve. If you heed to , place the pot over a very low hear while you stir to help the caramel sauce smooth out. 

6. Transfer immediately to a heat-safe container, allow to cool. The caramel sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. 

Instructions for making Golden Sniches:

Ferrero Rocher Golden Snitches

1. Carefully unwrap 4 of the Ferrero Rochers and flatten the gold foil. Fold one of the gold foil squares point to point forming a triangle. Cut a curve to look like a wing from one point on the end of the fold to the opposite point along the fold. Repeat with the other three pieces of gold foil using the first one as a template so they are all the same. 

2. Take two of the gold foil wing and use a clean gold tack to push through two of the corners of the wings, then push the tack with the wings into the top of one of the two remaining Ferrero Rochers; repeat with the other two gold foil wings and the last remaining Ferrero Rocher. 

3. Enjoy the 4 unwrapped Ferrero Rochers, they are not needed for the cake. 

To assemble the cake:

1. Put a dab of frosting on your cake plate, then place the cake on top. Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake, then drizzle the cooled caramel sauce over the top of the cake. 
2. Carefully place the Golden Snitches on top of the cake. Once the Snitches are placed where you want them, the wings may have to be adjusted a bit. The gold foil wings are a bit delicate, so be careful.

Enjoy!

"...after all this time?"

"always."

Happy Wizarding!