Over the school holidays, we saw the final Hobbit movie on the big screen, so I suppose it’s no surprise the kids wanted Hobbit themed cakes this year for their birthdays. The joint birthday party this year was held at Okain’s Bay—a weekend on the beach with a few friends. The party cake had to be able to travel, so a big elaborate confection like last year’s Smaug cake wasn’t going to work. I suggested decorated cupcakes instead, and the kids immediately decided they had to be dwarf faces.

So I pored over the cast photos from the Hobbit, made dozens of marzipan noses, and agonized about how to create braided icing. Some ideas worked, and some didn’t. Here are the results.