======Cakes in the Wizarding World======
=====Overview=====
Cakes are a common form of confectionery in both the [[Muggle]] and [[wizarding world|wizarding]] communities, often associated with celebrations, comfort, and affection. Throughout the //Harry Potter// series, cakes serve not only as food but also as significant symbols of kindness, love, and major plot devices. They range from simple, homemade creations to popular commercial sweets sold at magical establishments and can also be enchanted for various purposes.
=====Notable Instances in the Series=====
  * **Hagrid's Birthday Cake:** A large, sticky chocolate cake with "Happee Birthdae Harry" written in green icing. This was the first birthday cake [[Harry Potter]] had ever received, delivered by [[Rubeus Hagrid]] on Harry's eleventh birthday at the [[Hut-on-the-Rock]]. It represents the beginning of Harry's new life in the magical world and is a powerful symbol of Hagrid's affection for him. A piece was later eaten by [[Dudley Dursley]].
  * **Mrs. Weasley's Cakes:** [[Molly Weasley]] frequently bakes and sends cakes to her children and Harry at [[Hogwarts]], demonstrating her maternal care. Notable examples include a Christmas cake topped with tiny, edible [[broomsticks]] and, for Harry's seventeenth birthday, a large cake baked in the shape of a [[Golden Snitch]]. She also baked a magnificent multi-tiered cake for the wedding of [[Bill Weasley]] and [[Fleur Delacour]].
  * **Hagrid's Rock Cakes:** A signature, albeit infamous, baked good made by [[Rubeus Hagrid]]. He often serves these to [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] during their visits to his [[Hagrid's Hut|hut]]. They are notoriously hard and nearly inedible, a running gag that highlights Hagrid's well-meaning but unrefined domestic skills.
  * **Cauldron Cakes:** A popular sweet sold on the [[Hogwarts Express]] food trolley. [[Harry Potter]] buys "a bit of everything" from the trolley on his first journey to school, including [[Cauldron Cakes]]. They are a staple of wizarding confectionery. In their second year, a boy on the train attempts to sell one containing a [[Filibuster's Firework]].
  * **Petunia Dursley's Pudding:** While not explicitly called a cake, the pudding [[Petunia Dursley]] prepared for the Masons was a cake-like dessert described as "a mountain of whipped cream and sugared violets." It became a crucial plot point when [[Dobby]] the [[house-elf]] used a [[Hover Charm]] to drop it on a guest's head, framing Harry and leading to the [[Dursleys]] imprisoning him in his room.
  * **Kreacher's Cakes:** After [[Harry Potter]] shows kindness to [[Kreacher]] by giving him [[Regulus Black's Locket]], the [[house-elf]]'s demeanor and cooking improve dramatically. While the trio is hiding at [[12 Grimmauld Place]], Kreacher begins preparing delicious meals for them, including freshly baked cakes, signifying his shift in loyalty.
=====Magical Variations=====
Cakes can be used as vehicles for magical substances and potions. The most significant example occurs in //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, where [[Hermione Granger]] uses magic to embed a powerful [[Sleeping Draught]] into two small chocolate cakes. She then leaves them as bait for [[Vincent Crabbe]] and [[Gregory Goyle]], causing them to fall unconscious so that Harry and Ron can use [[Polyjuice Potion]] to take their forms and infiltrate the [[Slytherin]] [[common room]].
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, Hagrid's cake is depicted with pink icing instead of green. This pink "Happee Birthdae Harry" cake has become an iconic image from the films (film).
  * The Pottermore (now [[Wizarding World]]) website has published official recipes for fans to create their own versions of wizarding world treats, including [[Cauldron Cakes]] and a recreation of Harry's birthday cake (Pottermore).