Please help me make a fairy-shaped cake

[frisbyrat]

Dd (rising 4) has expressed a fervent desire for a birthday cake that is
pink
shaped like a fairy 'a real fairy in a pink dress'.

I have a nice victoria sponge recipe, a vile doll to stick in the top, 3 packets of ready-to-roll icing, lots of pink decorations, and some questions.

Will it work if I make 2-3 separate cakes, stick them together with jam/butter icing, and sort of carve the resulting pile into a cone shape? Will the sponge crumble? I then envisage shoving a cling-filmed-up-to-the-waist doll into the centre. Will it be too wobbly?

How long will the sponge last within being too dry? Can I make the cakes tomorrow, and ice them on Saturday night, for a party on Sunday?

Will the rolled-out icing stick onto the outside of the cake? How do I join the edges together?

Aaarrggghhhh.... (am not much of a baker).

Cling film around legs before sticking into cake...

another vote for baking the sponge in a pudding basin

Cut hole to fit doll, then I'd use a piece of string to measure distance from top centre of sponge to bottom edge, then roll out the icing and cut a circle using the string length as the radius.
Buttercream the cake quite lavishly (more forgiving than jam IME) and then drape the circle of rolled-out icing over rather than smoothing it too much to the cake.
Then slit icing and shove doll in hole

your time schedule sounds fine to me

You can hire these doll tins from baker's shops (the sort who make cakes). Mine crumbled when I put the doll in and my DH had to rescue it with icing. I think I'd panicked and tried to stuff it in, without making space for it first. Great fun icing the dress, though. I used butter cream, but you need to use melted apricot jam to stick rolled-out icing, and just brush with water to seal the edges. It is bumpy, but you won't notice once the decs are on. Tbh, 4 y/o girls are not at all critical - they're just thrilled with all the pink and the doll. I always try and have the cake as fresh as possible, but you could maybe freeze it on Friday, although it's probably fine to do what you say.

Sorry my post crossed with the others. They sound much more experienced than me.

Am listening to all of you!

Okay, I think I'm going with the pudding basin approach (then I can try making steak and kidney pud later. Mmmmmm).

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. Lots of really good tips there. I'll post photos for general entertainment on Monday...

Cake is now complete. Picture on my profile. Feel v domestic goddessy now.
Thanks all!

Just seen this ! Fantastic - you are domestic goddess !!

well done you - that's fab

"not much of a baker" indeed

So - was everyone suitably impressed, and what does DD want next year?

Oh, and LL, at the mixer with dough hook [knackered hands from kneading colour into icing]

I thank you.

All parents v impressed/jealous/putting in orders. Girl child happy with pink icing and vile doll.
Result.

stealthsquiggle Next year she will get a shop-bought cake!

I like the idea of making the fairy cake in a pyrex bowl but would someone please tell me just how long to bake a cake in this kind of container without it being under/over done. Thanks

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