Harry Potter’s Butterbeer Drip Cake
This Butterbeer Drip Cake is the perfect dessert for a Harry Potter birthday party! It’s easy to make, and has a delicious butterscotch flavor that isn’t overwhelming. Plus, it looks impressive and difficult, but is actually super easy to make!
My son is absolutely obsessed with Harry Potter, and he came up with the funniest ask recently. He’s still got a bit of time until he turns eleven, so he decided he wanted a small party to celebrate… are you ready for this? Turning 9 ¾ .
Yes, my genius child will figure out any and all ways to get himself cake, and this time he worked out the exact date he will turn that specific age, which is sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving this year.
And just like when my oldest discovered that some folks celebrate half birthdays, and when my third son watched Alice in Wonderland and discovered the concept of unbirthdays, he fully expects me to celebrate this milestone with all the vim and vigor of a normal birthday.
And people……. I’m seriously considering it. If only to whip up this absolutely beauty of a cake. Because I can’t think of a better reason to put in the hours and hours of work and sweat to make this fancy cake than to make my child’s dreams come true….
Actually, that’s a total lie. This cake takes about an hour, is really simple to make and decorate, and doesn’t actually need any particular special occasion. But you can be sure I’m going to make him think it took days to put together.
Everyone deserves to feel special, after all.
How to Bake a Butterbeer Cake
Ingredients
- 2 (15.25oz) Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 (3.9oz) Jello brand instant butterscotch pudding mix
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups water
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup cream soda
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
To begin, preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray or (my favorite) EZ Greazy.
In a large bowl, add the cake mixes, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil, and mix until incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract and cream soda. Fold them in, then immediately place the batter into prepared 8 x 2 cake pans.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven, then set aside.
Once cooled, level the tops of the cakes while still in their pans.
For best results, once they are leveled, remove from pans, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze overnight. This will make it easier to frost the next day and help make for a moist cake.
How to Make the Butterbeer Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cream soda
In a mixing bowl, combine butter and shortening until smooth. Add in half the powdered sugar and ¼ cup cream soda. Mix until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar and ¼ cup cream soda. Mix until combined, then mix on HIGH until fluffy (around 4 – 5 minutes).
How to Make Butterbeer Ganache
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butterscotch chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 40 seconds. Pour on top of the butterscotch, and let it rest for around 7 – 9 minutes. Stir until ganache begins to form.
If for some reason all of the chips haven’t melted, place in microwave for 10 seconds, stir and let cool.
Add ganache to piping bag.
Assembling the Butterbeer Drip Cake
Add a dollop of buttercream to the cake board. Place a layer of cake down with the cut side up. Add buttercream and spread on the cake.
Add a drizzle of the butterbeer ganache to the frosting.
Top with the second layer of cake, cut side down. Frost the cake with more buttercream.
Add thick layers of buttercream to the cake, all the way around.
Use a cake comb to create the pattern on the side of the cake helping to remove excess buttercream.
Run the comb through the top of the cake as well, and make sure no cake is seen through the frosting.
Begin adding drips to the outside rim of the cake. Remember that a little goes a long way.
Add remaining buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip. Add rosettes around the top of the cake and immediately add sprinkles.
That’s it! SO EASY!
After that, it’s simply a matter of styling. You can add a birthday cake topper and accessories to really jazz it up, or you can leave it plain and let the cake stand on its own.
If you are going for a Harry Potter theme, you can check out my Harry Potter Birthday Party idea page for inspiration, but otherwise, this cake pretty much stands on its own as a delicious butterscotch cake. No one needs to know its magical origins if you want to keep it to yourself.
The cake itself is moist and delicious, and despite its butterscotch flavor, it’s not too sweet at all. The frosting is definitely on the sweet side, but so is any frosting. This one is light and airy, and the ganache isn’t overwhelming since we don’t add too much of it.
This cake truly looks like it took hours to make, and it seems like it should take a lot more effort than it did. But it’s a simple cake that uses a box mix, so there’s not a lot for you to mess up.
I truly hope you’ll give it a try. Don’t forget to save it, share it and pin it for later. You’re going to want to gave it in your back pocket!
Harry Potter's Butterbeer Drip Cake
This Butterbeer Drip Cake is the perfect dessert for a Harry Potter birthday party! It’s easy to make, and has a delicious butterscotch flavor that isn’t overwhelming. Plus, it looks impressive and difficult, but is actually super easy to make!
Ingredients
Butterbeer Cake
- 2 (15.25oz) Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 (3.9oz) Jello brand instant butterscotch pudding mix
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups water
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup cream soda
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Butterbeer Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cream soda
Butterbeer Ganache
- ¾ cup butterscotch chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Baking the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, add the cake mixes, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil, and mix well. Add the vanilla extract and cream soda. Immediately place the batter into prepared cake pans.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven, then set aside.
Once cooled, level the tops of the cakes while still in their pans.
Making the Frosting
In a mixing bowl, combine butter and shortening until smooth. Add in half the powdered sugar and ¼ cup cream soda. Mix until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar cream soda. Mix until combined, then mix on HIGH until fluffy (around 4 – 5 minutes).
Making the Ganache
Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 40 seconds. Pour on top of the butterscotch, and let it rest for around 7 – 9 minutes. Stir until ganache begins to form.
If all of the chips haven’t melted, place in microwave for 10 seconds, stir and let cool.
Add ganache to piping bag.
Assembling the Cake
Add a dollop of buttercream to the cake board. Place a layer of cake down with the cut side up. Add buttercream and spread on the cake.
Add a drizzle of the butterbeer ganache to the frosting.
Top with the second layer of cake, cut side down. Frost the cake with more buttercream. Add thick layers of buttercream to the cake, all the way around.
Use a cake comb to create a pattern on the side of the cake & removing excess buttercream.
Run the comb through the top of the cake as well, and make sure no cake is seen through the frosting.
Add drips to the outside rim of the cake.
Add remaining buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip. Add rosettes around the top of the cake and immediately add sprinkles.
Notes
- For best results make the cake layers the day before.
- Once cooled and leveled, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
- This will make it easier to frost the cake.
- The cake will thaw out in about 1.5-2hours and the moisture will be trapped inside making for a very soft crumb (or what people consider a moist cake)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 1308Total Fat: 80gSaturated Fat: 34gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 224mgSodium: 582mgCarbohydrates: 141gFiber: 1gSugar: 111gProtein: 8g
This nutrition information is automatically calculated and may not be entirely accurate. Please do your own research if you are overly concerned about specific macros.
Katie Reed is a passionate writer and mother of four vivacious boys from Salt Lake City, Utah. Drawing from her own journey through TTC, pregnancy, and the joys of raising children, she offers a wealth of insight into the world of motherhood. Beyond her heartfelt tales, Katie delights her readers with family-friendly recipes, engaging crafts, and a curated library of printables for both kids and adults. When she’s not penning her experiences, you’ll find her crafting memories with her husband and sons—Dexter, Daniel, Chester, and Wilder.
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