You know those princess cakes with a doll torso poking out of a cake skirt?

[DuffyFluckling]

Are they really tricky?

I can't find a mould. Could I use a roughly the right shape bundt tin?

Or could I bake a cake in a pyrex bowl?

Has anyone made one? Any tips?

ALTERNATIVELY... a simple, effective mermaid cake? Any ideas?

I'm sure I saw one on stealthsquiggle's profile - she helped me out this morning with my Hamster cake ishoos. Keep bumping for stealthsquiggle!

I made the doll one, but I used a pampered chef batter jug... (it was for my friend who does pampered chef and she wanted a photo of the cake!) Im sure pyrex bowls can go in the oven, or use a few round cakes, stacked and shaped into a dome? (and eat the rest or use as precut bits to give out at party)

Take the dolls legs off and just stick torso in the top.

you can buy the tins - i bought one earlier this year - will try and find ewhere from. it was v. easy with the tin but looks impressiv.

they look like bog rolls, there are nicer ways of doing pretty/princessy cakes...

here

the pampered chef batter bowl can go in the oven at 160c.

Here's some examples you could look at:

here

and

here

I used a pyrex bowl for mine - it take quite a bit longer to cook. I cut out a hole in the top and stuck the legless dolly in upto her waist. Then piped her dress on.

I'm not in UK, so may not be able to buy one easily. Have been scouring the shops though and have a few days to go.

You're not wrong Greensneeze, but dd has seen a plastic torso cake and thinks it is the most awesomly fabulous thing ever to have existed ever in the history of the world EVER. Not known for their good taste, 3-year-olds .

oh well, if it's the one she wants

pyrex pudding dish sounds like a good shape...

in that case, do a search as there are quite a few threads on the subject and people have done them all sorts of ways - pyrex dishes and building up layers.

Love the cakewreck links catinthehat.

I'll use a pyrex dish then I think.

I have to make a mermaid sitting on a rock in the sea .

Now. Do I remove special singing Ariel's legs and jam her into the cake, or do I buy a cheap plastic dolly for the cake?

Please please please look at the links above.

I want someone else to enjoy them.

ooh sorry Duffy, got distracted mid post.

I have cakewrecks on my blog feed, it makes me very happy. I am a simpleton.

could the 'skirt part' be the rock,then stick the dolls torso in at an angle and make the mermaids tail with blue transclucent plastic?

I did one for dd's birthday. We hired the cake tin from a local cake decorating shop for £3 for 4 days. They don't advertise the service on the website, but might be worth seeing if there are any cake shops near you that might do that? They also sell top-half only barbie-esque dolls, with a spike where the legs should be to 'insert'

Also, don't use a normal victoria sponge - it takes too long to cook into the centre, so you'll be left with a goo-ey hole in the middle. I have a good recipe somewhere - eggwhites and almonds type. Can post it later if you want?

I shoved whole doll into hole in cake then washed & reused after

The cake shop also sold edible glitter to scatter on the skirt - all designed to delight the heart of a 3yo girl.

I just did a sponge mix in a pudding basin(you'll need to cover it in foil and cook longer than if in a tin).

I then got a cheap £4 Disney Princess Cinderella doll and took her legs off. I covered the cake in roll out white icing,stuck the doll in. She has blue earings so got one of those blue icing tubes from Asda. Coloured a bit of the roll out blue for a bodice then decorated with the icing tube. Then stuck silver balls,blue flowers on.

It was fab dd (4) nearly cried ahe was so happy. She still talks about the doll she got to keep(you can put the legs back on).

If you don't want to take the legs off the doll, wrap the lower half of the doll in cling film before sticking it in the cake. It's also a good idea to wrap the dolls hair in clingfilm while you are icing the cake.

Sorry - just seen this. There is indeed one on my profile - no mould involved. DuffyFluckling I will add you to my mates list so you can see it - let me know if I can help or if you already have it sussed.

I left the legs on and sank a glass into the cake for her to stand in (which had the added advantage of making the cake more stable for transport) but because Barbie has unaturally long legs that did mean I had to put a cake under my pyrex bowl-shaped cake to make it tall enough.