Here Comes Hagrid: A Recipe Inspired by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

In the first book and movie, Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone, we are introduced to Harry's life with the Dursley family. As we all know, that life was not good. Harry was unaware that he was a wizard and was only known as the boy who lives under the stairs until Hagrid comes and tells him differently. The first time Harry meets Hagrid (that he remembers) was while the Dursley's were hiding him from Dumbledore and the school of Hogwarts. Hagrid finds Harry and the Dursley's in a shack away from their usual home. Hagrid also finds Harry the moment he turns 11. So, being that it is his birthday, Hagrid brings him a special surprise, as we can see in the video below:

Hagrid bringing this birthday cake for Harry makes Harry begin to trust him, seeing that he has never received anything so kind and thoughtful from the Dursley's. This cake is so important, because it's the first of the many nice things Harry receives in his life. Shortly after this scene, Harry finds out he's a wizard, turning his life completely around for the better. This cake symbolizes the first of a better life at Hogwarts.

Here is my attempt at recreating this cake given to Harry by Hagrid:

The goal of this cake is to not make it look pretty. Hagrid is a large, ungraceful man.. his cake is not going to look good. All that matters is that it tastes good, and is made with love. 

Now, there are two ways you can go about making this. You can either buy a cake mix, add three eggs, 6 tablespoons of oil, and some water, or if you're brave, you can make the entire cake from scratch. Here's a recipe if you choose to go with the second (bless your soul):

Ingredients:

• Butter
• 1 3/4 cups of flour
• 2 cups of sugar
• 3/4 cups of cocoa powder 
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or around 175 degrees Celsius). Take two round cake pans and butter them so the cake won't stick. Then line the pans with parchment paper, and coat it with more butter and some flour. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder into an bowl fitted for and electric mixer and mix on the lowest speed. In a different bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla and slowly add into the other bowl, keeping the mixer on low speed. Pour the batter into the two cake pans, splitting it evenly between the two. Next, take your magic wand and bake the cakes using a spell for 5-10 minutes. If that doesn't work, you're probably a muggle and should use the oven to bake them for 35-40 minutes. When they are completely done, place them on a cooling rack and leave them to cool completely.

Just like with the cake, there are two options you have for the frosting. You can either buy a container of plain vanilla frosting and pink food coloring, or you can make your frosting from scratch. If you choose the second option, here's a recipe for that:

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups of confectioners' sugar
• 2 tbsp of milk
• 1/3 tsp of vanilla extract 

Combine all of the ingredients together until light and fluffy. Set aside a small amount for the writing, and add pink food coloring to the rest until you get it to the right pink, without making the frosting taste bad. If your cakes are cooled completely, put a small amount of pink frosting on top of the first cake. Set the second cake on top, and frost the entire cake with the pink frosting. Take the small amount of frosting you set aside earlier, and add green food coloring to it. Write "Happee Birthdae Harry" in your most childlike handwriting on top of the cake, and you are finished!

If you have a friend named Harry and it just happens to be his birthday, you can undoubtedly give him this cake for that occasion, only after you bust down his door and tell him he's a wizard. If he questions the spelling errors or what on earth you are doing, obviously he is a muggle and probably not a person you should continue to be friends with.

I solemnly swear I am up to no good,

Brittany

Magic and Butterbeer: Food inspired by the Harry Potter Series.

Hello, and welcome to Magic and Butterbeer, a blog revolving around Harry Potter. My name is Brittany, and I have created this blog to explore the importance of food in the Harry Potter series. What do you think of when you hear Harry Potter? Maybe the magic, the friendships, which house you would be in, but does the food featured in the series ever cross your mind? Food is a big part of the Harry Potter series, but how? This is just one of the many questions that will be answered over the next couple of weeks in this blog. I will be taking one food/drink related scene from each of the books/movies and explaining the importance of it in that scene. Along with this explanation will be a recipe, and my best attempt at recreating the food in the scene to the best of my abilities. Here's what you have to look forward to:

• Entry 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (or Philosopher's depending on where you're from)                     Stone 
• Entry 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Entry 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 
• Entry 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Entry 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 
• Entry 6: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• Entry 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Come check back every week to see the new entry and recipe, and, if you're brave enough, attempt to recreate the food along with me. 

I solemnly swear I am up to no good, 

Brittany