Look at the detail on this statue of Alduin, the badass villain of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The plated scales, the individual teeth, the glowing red eyes, the curled tongue. It's insane.
Now, know that the inscription on the base reads "Happy Birthday Tim".
Yup. This is a cake.
It wasn't meant for looking. It was meant for eating. Which means this thing doesn't even exist anymore. There's these photos, Tim's memory of the most amazing cake he'll ever see, let alone eat, and...that's it.
I should be sad, but at least we have the photographic record.
It was made of four 13″x18″ sheets of chocolate cake, soaked in strawberry syrup, and sandwiched with bittersweet strawberry ganache (5 lbs of chocolate). Alduin's core is made of modeling chocolate. His scales, horns, and spikes are made from gum paste. The double-sided wings are half-and-half (fondant/gum paste).
Alduin the World Eater Dragon Cake [Baking OBsession]