A spectacular cake depicting Hogwarts Castle has been created by artist and cake sculptor Michelle Wibowo, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone releasing in UK & Irish cinemas.
Standing 1.5 metres tall and nearly 2 metres wide and weighing over 100kg, it was no cake walk for Wibowo, who took over six weeks to create the mouth-watering masterpiece, which is even internally illuminated with 30 lights.
Michelle, from West Sussex, unveiled the cake to the delight of local fans who arrived early to Warner Bros. Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter in Watford to give Michelle a Hollywood handshake of approval and enjoy the first slices at the very table fans will recognise from the films, where Harry, Hermione, Ron and co tucked into their own first meal at Hogwarts.
The special anniversary cake was made from vegan friendly ingredients and took over 320 hours to build; from planning, building the structure, baking, sculpting, and hand painting the masterpiece.
Michelle first discussed the idea back in March and began studying the incredible architecture of the world-famous castle that has been home of many epic adventures and battles and featured in nine films to date. She began by sketching the castle from various photos and the actual model on display at the Studio Tour, before building the structure in 10 different sections.
Wibowo said: “There could not be a more exciting assignment for a cake sculptor than to bring to life one of the most famous and magical structures ever imagined, so as a Harry Potter fan I leapt at the chance to bring Hogwarts to life in cake form.”
“This has undoubtedly been my biggest challenge yet and has involved many long days and late nights, but it’s been worth it to see the reaction today as the fans witnessed it for the first time and were served the first slices!”
Once revealed at the Studio Tour, the cake was donated to One Vision, a local charity dedicated to fighting food poverty, with the cake being distributed to disadvantaged and deserving families and individuals. The food programme aims to break the cycle of poverty by temporarily providing basic food items for individuals who are facing financial poverty.
Polly Cochrane, Country Manager of WarnerMedia UK & Ireland says, “What celebration isn’t made better with a cake? For this anniversary we wanted to celebrate with an extra special – and really big – one! The detail on this creation is truly unbelievable, matching up to the stunning vision that is Hogwarts. I’m incredibly impressed by Michelle’s artistry and it has been wonderful to celebrate two decades of Harry Potter movie magic, in the Great Hall, right where it all started”
Enoch Kanagaraj, Founder and Chief Executive of One vision Charity, said: “This Hogwarts cake is a monumental achievement! Huge congratulations to Warner Bros. on the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter film, and to Michelle for producing this incredible cake. Hundreds of our service users and key workers will be delighted to receive a piece!”
The official 20th Anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be celebrated on the 16th November 2021.
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