The start of a new project ... but it's all under wraps! part one.

So it's my partner's, brother's, girlfriend's (phew!) birthday on Thursday, and with some level of what you might perhaps refer to as "obsession" being present in both my life, her's and my housemate's, I felt that this occassion would be a superb opportunity to start a new project...

... a Hogwarts castle cake, complete with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore figurines.  Yes, we are all that cool.  Harry Potter is my shameful (not so) secret.  My housemate and I have come to own it and take a strutting, we don't care what you think style of approach, and have been present at the earliest possible viewing of all of the films since we had our own money to spend on such things! And the birthday girl, also loves Harry Potter, so what better opportunity, to create a cake that will have both me, and said housemate all weak at the knees with excitement and anticipation, before the cake even makes it to the birthday girl! So shhhh it's still all a secret as she doesn't know I'm making her a cake yet!  I'm sure you will promise not to tell her .....

I will be creating a Hogwarts castle after I finish work this evening (pesky job getting in the way!), but have spent some time up until now creating the figurines which will sit in various locations of the castle.  I wanted to pop up a few pictures up for these as I think they are rather cute, and I'm very excited about continuing the creation of the remaining characters, and the cake itself.

From left to right; Hermione, Harry and Ron, who need a little work, as Hermione is currently perhaps a little tall, and I think it is rather mandatory that Harry has at least a pair of glasses and a scar added.

I have also created a snape, on the far left in the picture above, and started working on Professor McGonagall, the two pieces on the far right make up her body, and hat. 

These figurines were inspired by those used in this birthday cake:

http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/coolest-hogwarts-birthday-cake-9.html

I made them using fondant icing, which I have rolled into slightly elongated balls, for the bodies, which I then flattened the bottom against a board.  I then rolled out fondant from which I cut the capes, ensuring a neat and tidy finish.  The heads are small balls of fondant, which I have then added, rolled out and cut pieces too, to create hair.  Professor McGonagall's hat was made from a flattened ball with a rolled cone shaped piece of fondant stuck on top, I then folded over the top edge of the cone, to give the hat a slightly more worn look.  I will be adding her head with some hair tied in a bun later this evening, before placing the hat on top ... fingers crossed! 

These figures will be quite dried out when the cake is eaten, so they probably won't be edible, but I am enjoying the cute look that they will bring to the finished cake.

Watch this space for part 2 when I will post up the final pictures of the whole cake!  Castle and all .... I am very excited! 

Thanks for reading :)