Here's the cake beside the book it's based on.
Somara has done it again! My friend Flynn commissioned this one as a birthday present after he had seen the PHB version she did for our friend Leslee. This one was relatively easier to make because of all the lessons she learned from the predecessor. The trickier part was changing the color and I think it’s an entirely different type of cake underneath. Leslee’s was chocolate and Flynn’s is a carrot cake. I’m sure Somara will post a clarification.
This side view is cool. The "book's" bulge is more noticeable. Tomes from the Middle Ages and photo albums tend to have it.
Hopefully, Flynn will tell everyone about the cake’s success on his webpage [nothing posted yet]. Somara did say Flynn and Faith [my friend’s wife] were very, very pleased with it in their words and facial expressions. That’s enough reassurance for me. Getting invited back to his place to play Star Wars will cinch it.
Hello
I was searching for D&D cakes and came across your magnificent creation. Wow what an awesome job! My boyfriends birthday is March 20th & he is into D&D big time. I thought maybe I could attempt something like this for him. Any hints would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Nik,
I hope this isn’t too late. I was just notified about your request today. You’ll need fondant, metallic food grade powder (mixed with a little vodka), and lots of buttercream. Measure out the base of your cake pan onto some parchment paper and use this to draw out the shapes for the fondant design. You can copy one of the books or create your own. Once you have the pieces drawn, cut them out. Roll out your fondant with corn starch (to keep it from sticking to the table), and a rolling pin until it is as thin as you want it–not too thin or they are difficult to place on the cake without problems. Place the cut-out shapes on top and cut with a small knife or an exacto blade around the paper. Place them on more parchment paper and let them dry out a bit. Roll out the hinges and balls. Ice your cake with buttercream that is the color you want the leather. Crumple up a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it across your frosted cake, making sure you cover the top. Place into the freezer until the frosting is stiff. Paint your fondant with the food grade color and let dry. Remove the plastic wrap from the cake while the frosting is hard. Mix ups some black or brown color and thin enough to make a color wash. Lightly brush this wash on the frosting to make it look more like old leather. Place the fondant on the cake, and any fondant that is placed on top of fondant for a layered look needs to be lightly wet on the bottom to stick to the first layer. The pages on the sides are just thin strings of white butercream drawn with a #2 tip. It’s supposed to look like an old book, so they don’t have to be exactly straight.