How to Make a Princess Cake Using Fondant
How to make a princess cake – Step 1
Make your cakes and gather what you need
You will need:
A round and a bowl shaped cake – see recipe at end of post
1 quantity of buttercream – see buttercream recipes here
Doll to go inside you cake – or you can make your own out of fondant. The video below shows you how to make a fondant face. Lots of people seemed to be having trouble finding the reusable food grade molding gel, you can get it here: Food grade reusable mold making material
Cake board or cake stand to put the cake on
Large serrated knife to cut the layers
Simple syrup – see recipe at end of post
Fondant and red gel colour FONDANT RECIPE CAN BE FOUND HERE or you can purchase it ready made
Royal Icing – see royal icing recipe here
silver cachous (edible little silver balls)
flower cutter or small round lid or icing tip that you can use for cutting a circle
fine paint brush
baking paper
rolling pin
plastic wrap
small circle cookie cutter – you can use a knife to cut a circle if you do not have one
How to make a princess cake Step 2:
Vanilla Cake Recipe
(you need to double this recipe to make the princess cake. If making cupcakes this recipe makes twenty)
20mL (0.68 fluid ounces) or 2 Tbsp oil
120g (4.23 ounces) or 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups or 324g (11.43 ounces) sugar (caster or super fine)
2 1/4 cups or 360g (12.7 ounces) plain or all purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups or 313mL (10.58 fluid ounces) milk (4% fat)
1 Tbsp vanilla essence
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 180C (356 degrees Fahrenheit).
For best results put the butter, oil and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 3 minutes on high speed until pale and fluffy. Add all of the remaining ingredients at once and beat on low speed for 1 minute only so it is just combined. Just over half fill a 20cm (7.87 inches) round cake tin and spread mixture over to the sides so it dips slightly in centre. Pour remaining mixture into an 2L (0.53 gallons) ovenproof mixing bowl. Bake in moderate oven until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Tip: For the mixing bowl cake: once it looks done – but when you insert the skewer it is still gooey – move it to the bottom shelf and place an empty baking tray on the top shelf to allow it to keep cooking without the top burning.
Turn your cakes out of their baking dishes and allow to cool completely (warm cakes will melt the buttercream).
Buttercream recipes for various flavors of buttercream area available on the buttercream post.
Simple syrup recipe
100g (3.53 ounces) or 1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar (caster or super fine)
100 millilitres (3.38 fluid ounces) or 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp water
Optional – 1 Tbsp vanilla
Heat sugar and water stirring until sugar is dissolved. Continue to heat until makes a syrup (approx 104ºC or 220ºF).
Remove from heat, allow to cool completely and put into squeezy bottle.
Assembling the Princess Cake
To shape the bowl cake place it flat side down and then slice off the bulging round bits at the top edge so that it looks more like flowing hooped skirt and not a bowl. Hooped skirts are tailored in towards the waistline.
Cut this cake into 3 layers – that is make two cuts through the cake. Split the bottom layer round cake into two layers. Then take a round cookie cutter and cut a circle out of the centre of all of these cake layers.
To construct the cake, first brush each layer with syrup using a pastry brush, then place buttercream between the layers and stack. Make a very thin ‘crumb coat’ of buttercream on the outside of the cake and place it in the fridge to harden – this helps to stop crumbs mixing through the icing which makes it hard to get a smooth finish. Then apply a slightly thicker layer of buttercream and use a strip of baking paper to smooth – stretch it out firmly and drag it up the cake.
Place in the fridge to firm.
Roll out a strip of white fondant and wrap around the base of the cake creating creases and ruffles as you do.
Roll out the pink fondant into a rectangle and wrap around the cake. Making a rectangle helps you to get the fabric gathered look at the waist of the cake. If you roll your fondant into a circle and place it over the cake it results in a skirt that is smooth at the top and ruffled only at the bottom which is not how fabric on these skirts fall. Around the base of the cake at even intervals push up the pink fondant to create a swagged look.
Take your doll and make the hair how you want it to be. This is easier to do while you can hold the doll rather than when you can’t hold it because it is iced. If you are having the hair down then you may like to loosely put it up while you are icing. Surround the legs of the doll in plastic wrap.
Cover the body of the doll in pink fondant and then using a knife shape the top of the bodice. Place the doll into the cake – bending the legs slightly if it needs to sit lower in the cake. Roll out some white fondant and cut it into a circle. Using the base of an icing tip or small round cutter cut a scalloped pattern around the edge of the circle. Cut a small circle out of the centre of this and then split one side and place around the waist of the doll, cutting off any excess.
Using either a flower cutter or the technique shown in the video make fondant flowers, place a silver cachous in the centre. You will need one for the waist and one for each swag on the skirt, make a couple of extra just in case you break one.
Place your royal icing in a ziplock bag (royal icing recipe here), cut off a tiny corner and pipe details onto the cake. If you want to do rows of dots like shown pipe three dots down then two dots next to it in line with the spaces, then another three… when you reach a swag pipe a few more dots going up the dress. Attach the flowers using the royal icing.
Buttercream recipes for various flavours of buttercream are available on the buttercream post.
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All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
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Hi Ann,
I am so excited to be trying this out for my daughter charlottes 4th birthday in a couple of weeks!
I was wondering if I bake 3 x 20cm chocolate cakes (packet ones!) and freeze them solid – could I then slice them into layers and shape the skirt before using ganache to hold them together? I am terrified of the crumb factor!
Also if you don’t foresee any disasters with this idea would I then be able to decorate and leave out for 24 hours without the ganache going bad? It is winter here in Sydney – max daytime temp 20 degrees…I don’t think if will fit in my fridge…
Pls let me know if you have any doubts about the success if this idea!
Thanks!
Hi Teri, yes you can use 3 cakes and shape them, don’t worry about freezing them just put ganache between the layers and carve it then cover in a really thin coating of ganache, put in the fridge and once the thin crumb coat is firm you can put a thicker coat on. Yes you can leave ganache out for more than 24 hours without it going bad, I am in Sydney too. Ganache doesn’t go ‘off’ like cream does even though it has cream in it.
my daughter 3rd birthday
Hi Ann,
Thank you so much for the inspiration and tutorial. I made the cake for my daughter’s 5th birthday,she loving it <3
Beautiful Regina 😀 Wonderful cake and happy birthday to your daughter
Thank you so much for this really clear tutorial. Made this cake for my 3 year old and was overwhelmed by everyones reaction. Thanks again.
awesome great job I bet she loved it
Made the cake Ann. It was a big hit! thanks alot! you are the best 🙂
Lovely Ambreen excellent job 😀
Hi ann thanks alot for the tutorial. Made the doll cake for the first time. It was a huge hit. Thanks for replying to my previous post. Wanted yo show you how the cake looked. Thanks again 🙂 God bless!
Thank you for your help!!! Never in a million years did I think I could do this!! But you made it easy!!! Will be a lifetime follower!! This is my practise cake for my daughters 3rd b day I can’t wait till she gets up tomorrow morning to see her face!!! I wish I had a dress like this haha:)
Wow it looks beautiful I hope your daughter loved it 😀
Hello Ann!
I am a huge fan 🙂 I will be making this cake on friday (if God’s Willing) and I wanted to know how many people will it serve, the doll cake alone. I have to cater 50-55 people so can u pls advice me. I willbe making another round cake on which the doll cake will stand. will a 9″ layered cake as a bottom tier and the doll cake on top be enough? help pls. Also are you on G+ I would love to follow you and add u to my circles. thanks you soooo much.
Hi ambreen, yes I am on google plus https://plus.google.com/b/117974384839655337367/117974384839655337367/posts
As for number of serves it depends how you cut your cake For the 9″ cake if you cut it into 2″x2″ pieces, you’ll get 15 servings, if you cut it into 1.5″x2″, you’ll get 21 servings if you cut it into 1″x2″ you’ll get 31 servings. The princess cake itself again depends on how big the slices are but I would say 12 people from the doll bit of the cake
When I tried to ice the sides the cake crumbled to pieces and went into the icing, I could not get the icing to go on the sides smoothly or even stay on the cake, even though I followed ingredients and recipe exactly. Im sure its something im doing wrong since no one else has mentioned this, wish I knew WHAT! cake completely ruined, whole day off wasted, so frustrated/disappointed. :'(
hi miranda, The fresher your cake the more crumbly it will be. You can do a crumb coat put a thin layer of icing and it will get crumbs in it. Then you put that int he fridge to set. Then you can do a smoother coat of buttercream over the top.
hi ann thank you for your reply should I put pink dress with purple how should I do it like pink dress with purple on the bottom ? I was thinking pink and white like the one you have done if you have any website you think I should look at pls let me know any help is great ty..
hi ann I really need your help I really want to make this cake for my daughter 3rd birthday in 8 weeks she loves dora what I was thinking of using the doll called dora ballet doll do you think I should use that doll or a barbie doll and what colour do you think I really need your help and opinion on this and will it go ok if I use your sponge cake or is it to soft?… and I was thinking to use your caramal for the filling .. do you think it will all go togther? please help ty
hi beth, the sponge cake is probably too soft to cover in fondant. Caramel filling would go nicely with the caramel mud cake, see this recipe… https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/caramel-cupcake-recipe/ Dora ballet doll will be fine, I would use either two tones of pink like on the ballet dress or a purple and pink like is on many dora outfits, but be warned purple can be hard to make, buy purple colouring if you can.
Hello Ann, Thank you for this wonderful tutorial!
I used it to celebrate my last exam in literiture with my class (the cake represents a young girl in a ball from a novel that wev’e studied)
Lovely job Nitzan thanks for posting 🙂
Just wondering how to transport and slice the ace?
Hi Lauren to transport wither have someone else hold it in the car or have your car boot empty, place down some towels to surround the cake board and keep it from slipping and drive carefully. To slice cut around the centre.
Hi, do you need to use a real doll?
Hi amy, if you want to make a fondant doll bodice, head and arms you can do that
Thank you for easy-to-follow instructional video. Here’s a photo.
Using your recipe for the cake, my batter has come out a bit runny twice but the cake still tasted great. Could it be due to the fact that I substituted fresh milt with milk powder mixed with water?
Beautiful Valory, great job. THe powdered milk should not have made too much of a difference as long as it tasted good that is the main thing.
O.K. Thanks Ann.
Hi Ann. It’s me again 🙂 Do have a recipe for a red velvet cake? Thanks.
Hi Valory, I haven’t posted that one yet but it is on the list 🙂
OK. Thanks.
Thank you for easy-to-follow instructional video. Here’s my output.
Using your recipe for the cake, my batter has come out a bit runny twice but the cake still tasted great. Could it be due to the fact that I substituted fresh milt with milk powder mixed with water?
Hi ann just wanted to know mt daughters dora doll has holes at the front it lights up and therebis battry at the back can i wrap it up in clad rap and then over it with fondent will it stick ty ann..
Hi beth, are you meaning the bodice of the doll has holes? If you wrap tightly in glad warp the fondant should stick if you use a tiny bit of frosting underneath it, or jam.
Hi,
Thanks for the wonderful tutorial. I made the doll cake for my daughter’s 8th birthday.
Hi Janeth, I love the little coordinating mini cake with the candles what a great idea.
After watching your tutorial I am excited to be taking on a princess cake! My daughter has asked for red velvet rather than butter cake- do you think it will still be suitable? thanks
Hi Larissa, yes a red velvet cake will be lovely
Hi Marina could you please let me know if the 500g of fondant is sufficient? I have only 500 too.
Thank you
Mee
Hi Ann,
Your video is great and thank you for sharing. It was really helpful. But I must say 500g fondant is a little tricky…/risky for someone handling fondant for the first time.
But I turn out all ok at the end!