Bake Cake Layers: First, grease and line the bottom of two 11 x 7-inch brownie pans with parchment paper. Prepare your box cake mix according to the package directions. Fill the prepared pans no more than two-thirds full with batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, following the box instructions for timing.

Cool Completely: This step is crucial. Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in their pans on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes. Then, carefully invert them onto the wire rack to cool completely. They must be entirely at room temperature before decorating to prevent frosting from melting.

Prepare Frosting: While the cakes cool, prepare your frostings. If using homemade, ensure they are at a good piping consistency. If using canned, give them a good stir to smooth them out.

Tint Chocolate Frosting: If you want a darker, more menacing fur for your Book of Monsters Cake, mix 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into about two-thirds of your chocolate frosting. Stir well until the color is uniform.

Assemble Cake: Turn one cooled cake layer out onto a cardboard cake board or serving platter and remove the parchment paper. Spread a generous layer of vanilla or cream-colored frosting evenly over the top of this layer. This forms the delicious filling.

Stack Cake: Carefully turn the second cake layer out onto the first frosted layer. Gently press down to secure it, creating the main book shape for your Monster Book Cake.

Frost Pages: Generously cover all four sides of the stacked cake with the remaining vanilla or cream-colored frosting. This creates the "pages" of the book. Ensure an smooth coat.

Create Page Texture: Immediately after frosting the sides, take a fork and gently drag it horizontally across the vanilla frosting on all four sides. This creates parallel lines, mimicking the texture of individual book pages.

Pipe Book Spine: Load your piping bag with the darker chocolate frosting, fitted with the grass piping tip (Wilton 233). Choose one of the longer sides of the cake to be the book's spine. Begin piping short, overlapping bursts of "fur" along this entire long edge, building up a textured spine.

Pipe Bottom Cover: Continue using the chocolate frosting and grass tip. Pipe a distinct row of fur along the bottom of the three "page" sides. This creates the bottom book cover, distinguishing it from the pages.

Prepare Fondant Tongue: On a clean, lightly powdered surface, roll out the red fondant until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Using a paring knife or pizza cutter, cut a narrow strip, approximately 1.25 inches wide, and then trim one end into a forked tongue shape.

Place Tongue: Carefully drape the prepared red fondant tongue from the top of the cake, allowing it to hang down over one of the frosted "page" sides. Secure it gently to the frosting.

Finish Fur: Now, pipe the remaining chocolate fur over the entire top surface of the cake, starting from the spine and working your way across. Cover the top completely with the fur texture, forming the menacing front cover of your Book of Monsters Cake.

Add Eyes: Finally, place the candy googly eyes strategically on the top fur of the cake. Position them so your Harry Potter Monster Book of Monsters Cake looks like it is staring out!

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