A Birthday Cake Fit for a Hobbit

Once again, the kid of the cake designer doesn't get the 3D sculpted masterpiece with spinning parts and shooting sparklers.  But, this *was* the cake the birthday boy requested, being he was having a Hobbit Birthday Party and all.

So, he wanted it just like Bilbo Baggins' birthday cake. Fresh fruit. Fresh flowers. Made by Hobbits. And big enough to feed the entire Shire, and so heavy it needs to be carried by four hobbits (but two adults would be an equal trade, he says).

For reference, this is the cake I was working from, Bilbo's Cake from The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring.

Of course this was a HUGE cake, and though there were about 20 kids and half as many parents who stuck around, we surely didn't need that much cake.  I decided to use a great trick to get size without substance...er, tons of leftover cake that is.  I flipped a 16" cake pan over and used it as a dummy tier and placed the 12" cake on top. I put the whole creation on a round of masonite for stability. 

Once finished in a rustic swirl buttercream, I popped on some flowers and berries, and then topped it with a field of candles.  Not well pictured is a number "7" sparkler candle as a nod to Gandlof and his love of fireworks. 

The cake itself was three thick layers natural strawberry sour cream cake (natural meaning using a strawberry puree and none of that cloying faux strawberry taste and bright pink glow). I filled it with vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream and frosted it in vanilla bean American buttercream--just to make sure everyone had their favorite buttercream included. Finished off, it stood just shy of 6", making even the thinnest slice a feast. Most of the kids also opted to top off their slices with a big spoon of  fresh raspberries, strawberries, black berries and blue berries along with a dollop of whipped cream. 

Each family who wanted one also got a plate of cake to go, 

leaving just enough cake for tomorrow's second breakfast.