My niece loves all things Harry Potter, so when I was given an advance reading copy of The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids by Alana Al-Hatlani, I knew she would be thrilled to check it out. Not only does she love the Harry Potter book and movie series, but she also loves to cook.
Q+A with Alana by Sofia English
Q. When did you start to read Harry Potter?
A. I started reading Harry Potter when I was in elementary school.
Q. What inspired you to write this book?
A. I wanted to make a cookbook that inspired kids to get in the kitchen.
Q. Did you like to cook as a child?
A. I loved cooking as a child. I particularly loved to bake cakes.
Q. What sort of candy would you make that could be sold in Honeyduke’s at Hogsmeade?
A. If I had to create a new candy that could be sold at Honeyduke’s at Hogsmeade, I would make giant chocolate spiders inspired by Hagrid’s spider Aragog.
Q. What was your favorite food from Harry Potter?
A. Pumpkin pasties!
What Sofia baked from The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids
“Cauldron Cake” 
“Cauldron Cake”
The recipe below is excerpted from The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids by Alana Al-Hatlani. Copyright © 2021 Ulysses Press. Reprinted with permission from Ulysses Press. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
Cauldron Cakes
Here’s a fun take on cauldron cakes, which are sold on the train trolley: a rich chocolate cake with a melty molten center. If you want to practice transfiguration, try to turn one of these cakes into a cabbage. Though be careful—that’s a spell for sixth-years!
Yield 4 large or 6 small cakes
Cook time 30 minutes
- nonstick cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- powdered sugar (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease 4, 6-ounce ramekins or 6 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Dust the ramekins or muffin tin with the cocoa powder, making sure there are no blank spots.
- To a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and butter.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in 30-second increments, stirring the mixture between each increment. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In the base of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or in a bowl with a whisk, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt until pale and increased in volume.
- Slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture to combine, then whisk in the flour.
- Divide the batter among the 4 ramekins or 6 muffin cups, filling them three-quarters of the way up.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges of the cake look set and the center is puffed. If using a muffin tin, bake for only 8 to 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 1 minute before having an adult help invert the warm cakes onto a plate. Dust the tops of cakes with powdered sugar, if using.
- Serve warm, cracking open the center of the cakes to watch the little cauldrons ooze.
From the publisher
The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids: 50 Magically Simple, Spellbinding Recipes for Young Witches and Wizards by Alana Al-Hatlani, a new hardcover cookbook packed with 50 delicious recipes, easy step-by-step instructions, and spellbinding full-color photographs.
Perfect for any young fan of Harry Potter, The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids will have aspiring witches and wizards brewing potions, baking stellar treats, and cooking creative dishes in no time. From breakfast all the way to dessert, this book makes any meal or snack extra special (and educational!), with recipes like Rock Cakes, Granola Bars “Owl Food,” Pumpkin Soup, Magic Star Fruit Salad, Fish & Chips, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Acid Lollipops, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Butterscotch Beer and much more!
The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids is the perfect primer to get the young chefs-in-training active in the kitchen with their parents. As a family, you’ll have fun learning cooking terms and kitchen skills with recipes that range in complexity so that all kid chefs and their potions masters (or parents) can whip up something amazing.
Bring the wizarding world into your kitchen with The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids!
About Alana Al-Hatlani
Alana Al-Hatlani is a baker by morning and food writer by night. Her writing has appeared in Saveur, Eater, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, and the Independent. She is a cake-stand collector, a very competitive bowler, and Great British Bake-Off zealot. She started baking as soon as she could reach the counter with a step stool and hasn’t left the kitchen since. Alana holds a BA in journalism from New York University and a pastry degree from the Seattle Culinary Academy. To see more of her baking or writing, visit www.alanaalhatlani.com.
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