Magical Harry Potter Cake Ideas for Your Next Party

Are you looking to celebrate a birthday or special occasion with a Harry Potter cake? You’re not alone- Harry Potter is one of the most popular and beloved book and movie series of all time. And I’m here to help!

Are you here because you followed a link titled 101 Harry Potter cake ideas (or something like that)?

I have a confession: there’s more than 101 inspiring cake ideas and tutorials here. They range from easy to aspirational.

If you’re looking for a cake idea to make yourself, there’s definitely going to be a few recipes you can use.

If you’re looking for design inspiration to ask someone else to make a magical cake for you, I can guarantee you’ll find more than a few ideas to work with.

Finally, if you’re looking for a way to jazz up a plain bakery cake into a Harry Potter themed dessert, I have what you need for that, too!

But I bet you’ll be surprised to know that making a Harry Potter cake that looks amazing and tastes delicious isn’t as hard as you might think.

In addition to the best Harry Potter birthday cake ideas I could find online, I’ll share with you some practical ideas and tips on how to create a magical Harry Potter cake

Even if your guests aren’t already fans of the books, movies or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, they might be after they see what you’ve made! They might even carve a Harry Potter pumpkin when Halloween rolls around next year!

We’ll start with ideas for narrowing down your cake design, then move onto the best ideas and directions for as many Harry Potter birthday cakes that I could find!

An important note on J.K. Rowling and TERFing

Before we get into the Harry Potter cakes, I want to make it clear that I’m not a JK Rowling supporter, I don’t agree with her opinion on trans rights and she’s made it abundantly clear that she’s not a good person. However…

Instead of getting into it or trying to articulate my feelings, I’m just going to quote the perfect words of author E.L. Massey: I do not support TERF extraordinaire JK Rowling; however, I refuse to let her sh***y worldviews ruin my nostalgia or my love of the HP fandom I’ve grown up with.

Learn more about how to be an ally to the trangender community here.

Ok, I’m ready to get back to the real reason you’re here: finding the best Harry Potter cake!

The Easiest Harry Potter cake for beginners

First of all, I want to make it clear that the number one easiest Harry Potter cake is one that you pay someone else to make.

But that’s not why you’re here! 

If you don’t have cake decorating skills OR you’re not up for commissioning a cake, hiring a custom cake decorator and/or working with a local bakery to get what you’re looking for, I have the next best idea.

If you have the cake decorating skills (like you can make fantastic drip cakes), skip right over this section!

This is totally a cheater’s way of making simple Harry Potter cakes that will wow others, but won’t require you to have years of decorating practice under your belt. 

I promise, it will still look great to any Harry Potter fan!

Here’s what you do:

1. Buy or order a plain frosted cake from your favorite local bakery. You can usually custom order a plain 2 layer or 3 layer cake for much cheaper than a specially decorated one. 
2. Buy some props or a fun cake topper from the suggestions below. There are even some great LEGO cakes below that make the whole idea super easy!
3. Artistically place the props and cake topper on your bakery cake. Use icing for glue if you need to. Then, poof! You now have a Harry Potter cake that tastes delicious and doesn’t require any specialized skills!

Make your dessert extra delicious when you serve it with my recipe for birthday cake ice cream!

Harry Potter cake toppers and props for decorating cakes

Use one of these decorations or accents on your bakery cake for the best beginner easy Harry Potter cake. Click the links below to get to the individual products, or click here to see a list of all of them.

Magical Symbols Harry Potter CakeClick for Details Harry Potter Cake Decorating SetClick for Details Happy Birthday Harry Potter CakeClick for Details Harry Potter Cake TopperClick for Details Wizard Harry Potter Birthday Cake TopperClick for Details The Chosen One Cake TopperClick for Details Harry Potter Slytherin cake topperClick for Details Wizard Harry Potter Cake ToppersClick for Details

 

Choose Your Cake Theme and Design

The first step to making a Harry Potter cake is to choose your theme and design. There are so many options to choose from, depending on your preferences and skills.

From houses to Hagrid to Horcruxes, there are a few ways to popular ways to think about what you want your cake to look like.

Here are some of the most popular themes and designs for Harry Potter cakes:

Cakes with Hogwarts Houses

You can make a cake that represents your favorite Hogwarts house, or all four of them. I like to think I’d be put in the Ravenclaw house, but really, I’m pretty sure I could be a Slytherin.

You can use the house colors, crests, symbols, and mascots to decorate your cake. For example, you can make one of these:

• a red and gold cake for Gryffindor
• a green and silver cake for Slytherin
• a yellow and black cake for Hufflepuff
• a blue and bronze cake for Ravenclaw.

You can make a checkered cake with all four the house colors, or a layer cake with each layer representing a different house.

I love the way the castle looks! You can consider a cake with the main Hogwarts castle or Hagrid’s hut.

Cakes with Harry Potter Characters

You can make a cake that features characters from Harry Potter:

• Harry Potter
• Hermione Granger
• Ron Weasley
• Albus Dumbledore
• Severus Snape
• Rubeus Hagrid
• Voldemort

All of these characters have enough defining qualities that you can easily create a themed cake with them.

You can use fondant, buttercream frosting, or edible images to create the faces and bodies of the characters.

Another option is to use figurines, toys, or candles to place them on top of the cake.

Cakes with objects from Harry Potter books and movies

Another idea is making a cake that looks like an object from the Harry Potter world. Here are some ideas that would work well:

• The Golden Snitch
• Hagrid’s iconic Happee Birthdae Harry cake
• The Sorting Hat
• Harry’s glasses and scar
• Magic wands
• Butterbeer
• The Deathly Hallows
• The Triwizard Cup
• The Whomping Willow

Cakes showing scenes from Harry Potter

I have one final idea: a cake that shows scenery from the books or movies. These places would all look great on a cake:

• The Great Hall
• The Forbidden Forest
• The Chamber of Secrets
• The Yule Ball
• The Quidditch pitch

You could also choose a standout scene for your cake, like the Yule Ball, The Battle of Hogwarts or Harry Potter’s birthday party.

Harry Potter Cake ideas

I know what you’re really here for – the best Harry Potter cake that perfectly fits what you’re looking for!

I’ve tried my best to find all sorts of scenes and themes from the books, movies and even the theme park. I think there’s something here for everyone.

I’ve even broken it down into categories to help you find what you’re looking for.

Homemade Harry Potter Cakes (with tutorials)

let’s kick off this roundup with something fun – the various ways of making a homemade Harry Potter cake!

In this section, you’ll find a variety of tutorials that show exactly how to make a Harry Potter cake. Some are simple. Some are complex. Some even start with a bakery cake and end with a LEGO minifigure!

 LEGO Harry Potter Quidditch Trunk 76416Click for Details LEGO Harry Potter Minifigure 75954Click for Details LEGO Quidditch Harry Potter MinifigureClick for Details

 

Each post will walk you through the steps to whip up a wizarding wonder that’ll impress both kids and adults.

The clickable links to each of these homemade cakes can be found under the image.

I love the scarf and the surprise Gryffindor layers on the inside! Get the recipe and instructions for this easy Harry Potter cake here.

The baker of this homemade Hedwig cake made it as a smash cake for a one year old’s party! Read all about it and get the step by step directions here.

This genius DIY Harry Potter Quidditch cake made with pipe cleaners and black tape. Here’s how this mom made it.

Butterscotch sauce, cream soda and marshmallow all add up to the most beautiful Butterbeer cake that’s perfect for a birthday party! Get the recipe and instructions here.

I love that these instructions for making this cake are super thorough! Get them here.

Bake a simple round cake, grab some piping bags and you’ll have a Harry Potter cake! Click here to see how.

This Gryffindor unicorn cake with glasses and a lightning bolt scar is one of my favorites!

Isn’t this homemade Monster Book of Monsters cake hilarious? I’m a big fan of this one, because it starts with a simple boxed cake mix and has stunning results!

This simple Harry Potter cake is easier than it looks.

You can make either an edible cake topper design out of premade fondant or a simple inedible paper design from black and yellow cardstock.

Wilton Preferred Black Fondant IcingClick for DetailsWilton Preferred Yellow Fondant IcingClick for Details

 

Harry Potter book cakes

These cakes all feature at least one book from the Harry Potter series.

Image credit: @lanzarotecakes

Image credit: @maversiondu_cakedesign

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Quiddich cakes

See how a store bought bakery cake was concerned into a Quidditch cake with the addition of a LEGO minifgure here.

Image credit: @ella_tortella

Image credit: @vanessas_confections

Image credit: @camilocakes

Harry Potter uniform cakes

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Image credit: @belier_pastelariacriativa

Image credit: @cakeria.br

Image credit: @krainamuffinekmarty_torty

Image credit: @backliebe84

Hogwarts House cakes

Hogwarts divides students into houses to foster a sense of belonging, promote healthy competition, and nurture individual traits.

This system honors the school’s founders, who valued different qualities, ensuring a balanced education that emphasizes character development and teamwork alongside academics.

Here’s some background information on each house before you see cakes that represent each one.

Gryffindor values bravery, daring, and chivalry, represented by the lion, symbolizing courage and strength.

Hufflepuff celebrates hard work, patience, loyalty, and fair play, with the badger as its mascot, emblematic of dedication and tenacity.

Ravenclaw prizes learning, wisdom, and wit, symbolized by the eagle, reflecting the broad perspectives and intelligence of its members.

Slytherin emphasizes ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness, represented by the serpent, indicative of its members’ potential for greatness and determination.

Slytherin cakes

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Hufflepuff cakes

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Image credit: @brightside_cakery

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Gryffindor Cakes

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Image credit: @chloescakes3

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Ravenclaw cakes

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Unicorn Harry Potter cakes

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Hogwarts Castle cakes

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Cakes featuring Hogwarts classes and books

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Image credit: @misweetcake. I love the Harry, Ron and Hermione peg people made out of fondant!

Image Credit: u/raccoonmagoo

Image credit: @houseofpastry

Wizarding World of Harry Potter cakes

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Dobby cakes

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Harry, Ron and Hermione cakes

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Harry Potter character cakes

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Hermione cakes

Image credit: @celine_cakedesign45 (This one hits all the right notes with all the books! I especially like seeing Hermione’s cat Crookshanks at the base of this cake!)

Image credit: @mastika_dlyadushi

Ron Weasley cakes

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The Burrow Cakes (The Weasley family home)

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Cakes with Harry Potter symbols and icons

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Happee Birthdae Harry cake and more

Hagrid gave this pink cake to Harry on his 11th birthday in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In the book, the cake doesn’t mention that the spelling is incorrect. This was an added detail for the movie.

Image credit: @kogumaitan. I think this cake would be outstanding with a vanilla cream cheese icing!

Image credit: @unpensieveable

I love the twist on Harry Potters birthday cake (the pink one from Hagrid) that this baker made for Neville Longbottom’s birthday! The plants and special wand are a great touch!

Honeydukes in Hogsmeade cakes

Honeydukes is a candy store for wizards. It’s located in the wizarding village of Hogsmead. The store also supplies the food trolley on the Hogwarts Express. (source)

All the best Honeydukes cakes seem to have one thing in common: lots of candy!

Image credit: @saucybakes. I feel like I’m not supposed to like that lime green icing as much as I do. It really works for this design!

Image credit: @saucybakes.

Image credit: @makeandbakemama

Pretty Harry Potter Cakes

By “pretty” do I mean, anything with flowers or made with soft colors? Yes, yes I do. Enjoy these beautiful designs that could easily be used for wedding cakes!

Image credit: @trinascake_n_bake.

Image credit: @thecustombakehouse

Image credit: @swhisted

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I think I have inspiration if you’re looking for a subtle design. I’m loving that soft stenciled Hogwarts castle at the bottom of this cake. Isn’t it all just so gorgeous!

Image credit: @lecupcakeperu

Image credit: @satin.cake

Pink Harry Potter cakes

Image credit: @tandcakess

Image credit: @irinadreamcake

Image credit: @slastice.marinakralj

Image credit: @slodkoslodka

Image credit: @klaudis_cakeart

I love how the super pale pink frosting works with both the metallic gold accents and the Gryffindor gold in the scarf.

Image credit: @little_bird_bakes_

Image credit: @Tissas_Bakehouse

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Blue Harry Potter cakes

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Image credit: @nectarbakes I love the drama of the navy blue instead of a more traditional pale, pastel blue icing. This would work well over a chocolate cake.

More Harry Potter cake ideas

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