When I asked Son #2 what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, he did not hesitate in requesting The Lord of the Rings. We threw around a few ideas (Bilbo's hobbit hole was a contender, but I thought that would require way too much fondant), and then settled on the map of middle earth. I will admit to pushing for the map because I thought it would be pretty easy. Ha! So, sorry out there to all the super fans for the inaccuracies. Buttercream is harder than you think! The cake is a triple recipe of my vanilla cake, baked in an 11x15x2 pan. Standard buttercream frosting, chocolate chip mountains, and diluted Wilton gel colours painted on for the coloured accents.