First introduced in 1854, Qizilbash Quality Confectionary cauldron cakes can still be found in sweet shops like Honeydukes and Sugarplum’s. Different versions of the sweet treat materialized over the years.
Today, these brightly topped, super sweet cakes can only be purchased at Universal Studios’ Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Various recipes reveal several styles of cauldron cakes that can also be conjured up at home.
A Magical Journey
Cauldron cakes have been a part of J.K. Rowland’s wizarding world of Harry Potter from the beginning. Tempting Harry Potter on his first trip to Hogwarts (1991), cauldron cakes accompanied a host of mouth-watering wonders found on Hogwarts Express’ food trolley. From that first fantastic food find in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” cauldron cakes materialize within 5 more Potter novels, two film adaptations and several video games.
Since served in stacks, some see cauldron cakes as more of a pancake than the more popular cupcake style incarnation.
Muggle Munchie
When Hogsmeade Village arrived at Universal Studios Florida theme park Islands of Adventure, in 2010, cauldron cakes came along for the ride. Found nestled among a host of Harry Potter inspired treats within Honeydukes, these cauldron shaped confections cast their sweet spell on visiting muggles from day one.
Originally conceived as a small chocolate mousse filled chocolate cake, dipped in chocolate ganache with matching ganache handle, cauldron cakes offered a delightfully delicious, but not overly sweet sensation.
Stirring the Pot
Seven years later, the popular Potter treat received a reimagined makeover. Slightly larger (palm sized) and now much more uniform in appearance, cauldron cakes arrived at Honeydukes and Sugarplum’s in new, brightly colored, Qizilbsh Quality Confectionary boxes.
Within these bright orange containers, silicone cauldrons contain a generous portion of rich chocolate cake. Orange and yellow flame shaped buttercream icing form final elements of this new bewitching beauty.
Comparing Cauldrons
Early cauldron cakes appeared hand (or wand) made and were no uniform in appearance. Original recipe renderings balanced chocolate cake with light chocolate mousse filling. Chocolate candy coating and handles provided perfect amounts of semi-sweet sensation to a milder cake flavor. Not nearly as sweet as their successor, many muggles miss this version.
Contemporary cauldron cakes cost $9.95 each, are larger, much more eye appealing than their predecessor and come with an added bonus: a reusable silicone cauldron (complete with recipe to make additional cakes).
Above advantages, however, loose their appeal when it comes to consuming this overly sweet treat. Generous amounts of buttercream icing, though spellbinding, overpower already ridiculously rich chocolate cake. For those who love supremely sweetened confections, new cauldron cakes cast the perfect spell.
Confectionery Conclusion
From a personal perspective, I did find the new version to be too sweet for my tastes. The new box makes a nice addition to my growing confection collection of Potter paraphernalia, as does the silicone cauldron. Outside of keepsake bonuses, cauldron cake’s original offering is preferred.
Magic manifests in many forms. Many muggles managing dietary mischief may enjoy super sweetened, silicone surrounded, butter cream topped chocolate cake known as cauldron cakes. For me, admittedly almost a year late, succumbing to temptation’s spell cast from within Sugar Plum’s confection case proved somewhat disappointing.
Have you tried the new version of cauldron cakes at Universal Studios’ Wizarding World of Harry Potter? What are your thoughts? Which version do you prefer?
Source and images: Harry Potter Wiki, ITM Archives, Michael Gavin
