It's about time...

I love me some Harry Potter. Seriously. Love. So, when I was looking through the old cake scrapbook the other day, I was surprised to see that I haven't made a Harry Potter cake yet. Now, granted, it's only been about a year and a half since I baked my very first cake, but still.

It should come as no surprise, then, that I completely took advantage of a friend who said I could design his birthday cake however I wanted. He just wanted a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing (yes, THAT peanut butter icing.) And because this friend dressed up as Harry Potter last Halloween...

I started like this: devils food cake stacked with peanut butter icing- placed on a lumpy ring of fondant that I made the night before:

More layers, more peanut butter icing, a little carving, then some cereal treats at the top:

Do you see where this is going?

Cake scraps stuck into the icing:

Cover it in fondant:

Airbrush, make fondant patches and band, airbrush again:

Add royal icing stitches, brush with dark cocoa powder, and I'm done!

The back:

Some stitches:

So, I copied the Sorting Hat's song from Sorcerer's Stone and changed a few words to be cake-related:

Oh you may not think me pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A sweeter hat than me.

You can keep your bundt cake round,

Your shortcakes and your tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try a piece and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their crumb coat, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of royal (icing);

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of sculpted fondant,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use peanut butter

To achieve their ends.

So cut a piece! Don't be afraid!

Eat up for goodness sake!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm your Birthday Cake!

And the birthday boy seemed to like it:

And there it is. Watch out, Honeydukes...

I read a description of how to make this cake somewhere on the interwebs a few months ago. I take no credit for this design.