This Tolkien-inspired cake is based on the Shire and Bilbo's Unexpected Party from, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again." The design is based on the very beginning of the book as Bilbo sits at his doorstep one good morning, just before the arrival of the wizard, Gandalf (and forever altering his life). The cake is mostly Bilbo's hobbit hole home, with a tree on top and round door. The figures are all made from fondant. The tree is a grape stem dipped in chocolate and the grass is dyed coconut. It was a lot of work, but all the guests loved looking at it, and later, eating it - most of all the birthday boy.