Cheap Princess doll cake kit - do they exist??

[cabbageandbeans]

I would like to make a princess doll cake for my DD's 3rd birthday. I do not bake at all so am a bit scared of this and see it as a complete challenge. I have seen these cakes at parties and I am sure the person I asked about it said they used a really cheap kit from wilkinsons. I've checked online and can't find one there and the only one I found seemed a bit more expensive than I would like. Anyone know where I can get a cheap kit or any tips on this in general?

You can use a round Pyrex bowl to make the skirt shape. Then use a skewer to put a small hole in that you can insert the dolls legs into. With the princess kits you are just paying for the metal dome shaped cake mould and a barbie that's missing it's legs that you can insert in the top. After you make the cake, cover it with pretty icing- we used lots of colorful sweets to decorate it. You don't have to use a Barbie, I used a doll that was one of my DD'sfavourites. Good luck!

Our local cake shop sells the legless doll for £2,25 and I just use a pyrex bowl for the dress.

Ok, so if I want to use a whole doll (she wants a Repunzel cake and she does have a doll with a plastic bodice on top so no decorating her boobs!), I should buy a tin like this right because her legs will too long for a pudding bowl cake? I don't have any pudding bowls so I can't check this but expecting did you have that problem and if not what size bowl do I need?

Onto the icing, how do you colour this fondant icing stuff so that it looks perfectly even? Can you buy it ready in a colour? or is their a technique I should know about? I seem to remember a very stick experience with fondant icing.......It was awful and I haven't baked with my kids ever since!

You can buy it ready coloured from cake shops or online. If you are colouring it yourself then you need to buy gel colours or it turns into a horrible sticky mess. If you get gel colours then all you need to do is add the colour a little at a time ( a tiny amount on the end of a tooth pick as the colour is very strong) and knead, knead, knead - if it gets stick add a little cornflour to the surface you are kneading and rolling it on.

We have always been horrid and removed poor old Barbies legs if we couldn't get a half doll. If you stand her in the pudding bowl (take her shopping with you) she should be deeper than her waist in the bowl. If you have a local cake shop they may well hire the dolly tins.

I did one with a Pyrex bowl and a real Barbie like Expecting said.

I added more height to the top of the dress with extra icing.

Charity shops always have loads of barbies. Buy one and take her legs off. Bake a cake in a bowl, but be a bit careful, I made one once that was raw in the middle. Level off the bottom. Get a ready rolled circle of icing from the supermarket- make sure it's a circle- they come in squares as well. Put a thin layer of butter cream over the cake. drape the icing over in artistic, skirt like folds. Stick the legless doll in the top. Then decorate. Sugar flowers, jelly tots whatever takes your fancy. Dissolve a scrap of icing in a little boiling water to make glue. Then cover with edible glitter.

Oh, and if you don't like the slightly pannier effect caused by the shape of the bowl, use extra fondant icing to change the shape of the top of the cake to your satisfaction. I sometimes do this, but often don't bother- small children have very low standards!

get lots of sugar flowers to stick over the skirt of the dress to hide any little imperfections in the fondant (or a lot of tears, scratches and gaps if you are me). We put a ribbon round barbie's waist to hide the join between cake and doll.

a tub of royal icing is pretty useful for glueing the flowers on - you just warm it in the microwave - less hassle than making your own as it sets quite quickly

I made mine with white icing then realized my DC would much rather have a pink one. I mixed some red coluring with water then just painted it on. Because it was quite streaky it made the skirt look all draped. Two packets of tutti fruttis on top to look like jewels and some silver balls and that was it. As seeker said small children have low standards so don't worry too much

You are all brilliant! seeker & shopping I need tips like the icing in water and the royal icing microwave trick. Thankyou!

the circle of icing - which supermarket? I looked online and can find a Renshaw 'ribbon' wichi you roll around your cake? I am online so can't get a good look at it to see if it a circle or a block. Anyone one know? Also, I need this ready rolled circle to be in lilac (tangled is the theme) - can I get one of those? anyone recommend a good baking website?

Ok. The circles of icing come from bot sainsburys and tesco. They only come in white. But you can then paint the skirt with food colouring- dilute it and experiment on a spare bit of icing until you get the right depth ofncolour. You get better results if you dilute with vodka- I kid myself it all evaporates so there's no alcohol left! But water works fine too.

D you think I could roll out a circle of ready rolled - or is that going to be more tricky than painting? I have seen good colours of ready rolled online - do you think I could roll a circle. I am looking for the most simple option. Painting or rolling?!!

I rolled the circle myself with Pre coloured pink icing. I am rubbish and rolling so it was a bit bumpy with a few little cracks but as seeker said kids have low standards and the little flowers I stuck on hid the worst. Found it hard to get a neat line where the skirt met the board so I piped icing spodgy flowers around the hem.

At rolling

I bought a bell shaped one from ebay, as having two girls I seem to make these twice a year minimum.

I usually roll the icing out and use a plate to get the circle.I have also found it easier to remove the legs as my tin is usually slightly too short for the dolls legs.Also if you wrap the head and hair in foil or cling film it stops the hair leaving strands on the cake while making it.

Yes, I must bare in mind that children have low standards - being a perfectionist myself I have already painted i my mind the most fabulous doll cake that ever there was - have been watching al sorts of video's on you tube so picking up various ideas but they not really aimed at complete idiots my level which is complete utter beginner so you have all offered me the most excellent advice. I am going to aim for internet purchase of coloured icing and roll and use the plate idea - I like the idea of the draped effect.

Nervous excitement as i realise I am actually going to do this!

I used a Pyrex bowl and cake tin. Found bowl wasn't quite tall enough so stood that cake on top of one from tin trimmed to size. Buy a cheap doll from pound stretchers or similar and snap off the legs. Do not let DD see you do this (causes nightmares apparently or did for my DD!!).

Colouring icing yourself isn't too difficult but wear those disposable gloves so you can really knead it in without ending up with purple hands!

Have just taken the cake out of the oven! there was a little damage on removal from the tin but so far it is looking wonderful. I am armed with edible sparkles, ribbon, pretty little icing flowers, and a massive amount of lilac icing.........Here we go!

Just felt I had to gush about my cake success! I am amazed by my creation! I don't EVER bake and am totally patting myself on the back! Thanks for all your tips. I used a Wilton tin in the end (managed to borrow one) but I cannot see any difference between that and a pyrex bowl TBH, I guess if you use a bowl you need to place something metal in the middle so that the cake can cook evenly? Anyhow, If I do it again, I will probably buy a tiffin tin or hire one from the local cake decorating shop (which I didn't even know existed until this week!) because it is taller and less wide than the wilton or a pudding bowl and means that you can use a brand new doll with legs and therefore your little girl gets a new dolly for her birthday too. However, I just increased the height of mine with masses of icing so that I could put a new doll in the cake.

I did use 1kg of cake mix but that in future I will definitely make from scratch. I bought Lilac ready to roll icing (again from the cake decorting shop) becasue I couldn't find the circles and I was a bit concerned about painting white icing the right colour would be a hideous nightmare! I did the skirt in two separate pieces, which I think may have been harder than a circle but it worked and the icing really looked lovely. I used little icing sugar flowers on the skirt and they were brilliant at covering up the join! Also used a ribbon around waist which really looked great! Will do again!

Again, thanks for all the advice I think I used a little something from everyone.