Ariel Little Mermaid Cake
Being a mum of three boys I missed out on the whole Disney princess dress ups and excitement with my own kids. But I have seen the unmistakable joy on a little girls face when they see their favourite character sitting beautifully atop a cake. Big eyes, cute giggles, shy smiles and big nods when asked if they’d like to eat some.
To make this Ariel little mermaid cake you will need:
The cake
1 and 1/2 quantities of my fluffy sponge cake or chocolate cake recipe baked in three round 20cm (7.87 inches) tins
two quantities of buttercream coloured with blue gel colouring
The shell
200g (7.05 ounces) bluey green fondant
1 tsp tylose powder
100g (3.53 ounces) purple fondant
100g (3.53 ounces) pale blue fondant
white luster dust
One Ariel doll
Side decorations
40g (1.41 ounces) Pink fondant for the coral
20g (0.71 ounces) x 2 shades of green fondant for the seaweed
40g (1.41 ounces) white fondant for some coral, bubbles and shells
silver luster dust for shells (optional)
40g (1.41 ounces) yellow and orange fondant for coral
Sebastian the crab
50g (1.76 ounces) red fondant
10g (0.35 ounces) white fondant
black food grade marker
1 stick of spaghetti
The pillow:
100g (3.53 ounces) Pink fondant
green fondant left over from seaweed.
The tail:
100g (3.53 ounces) Deep aqua fondant
1/2 tsp tylose powder
white luster dust
green gel food colouring
Make the fondant details ahead of time, you can make them a month before and leave them to dry out (do not put them in a sealed container or they will stay soft).
Stack the three cakes with your choice of filling between the layers (jam, buttercream, lemon curd…). Cover the whole cake in buttercream and smooth the sides and then the top. Arrange some coral and seaweed around the edge. And add Sebastian the crab to one side.
Place the shell on the top, placing it slightly forward.
Make the pillow following the directions in the video. Cut a rectangular shaped hole out of the centre of the cake being careful not to make it too big, you want it to hold the doll securely.
Add the cushion then wrap Princess Ariels legs in plastic wrap and place her into the centre of the cake. Make sure you can still see her hips and the top of her legs.
Make the tail and add it around Ariel then using a little water add the tail fins and support them. Brush the tail with diluted green gel colour. Then once that is dry brush on some luster dust to make it shimmery. Let this dry overnight. I would advise leaving the supports in place as long as possible. Keep the cake at room temperature so that the fondant tail has a chance to dry out.
Just before you are ready to serve the cake remove the supports.
Add the top half of the shell sitting it on top of the base one. Then add two cake support rods behind it to hold it in place. You can hide those with more seaweed if you like.
Take a photo with your birthday child before the party guests arrive to ensure that you get a good picture. You can post a photo of your Ariel cake for me to see in the comments below.
2015
by Ann Reardon How To Cook That
My Cookbook
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All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
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Hi Ann, can’t thank you enough for uploading this video! My 5 year old girl was asking me for an Ariel cake for her 5th birthday this Sunday. I was so surprised and happy to see a notification about your cake!!
My question is, I want to fill the sponge with fruit and cover with cheesecream, which in this case the cake would need to be refregirated. Do you think I can make the tail around the Ariel doll in advance, and prior to serving it I add the doll and the tail to the cake? Or would u have any other suggestions?
Most appreciated!
LB
Hi LB, it might be a bit tricky to add it later but it is certanly possible. It would be easy to add the doll to the cake on the day and mold the tail on. Trying to mold the tail to shape on the doll prior and slip the two pieces in together might be too tricky.
Hi Ann! I’ve tried to contact you on Instagram but you haven’t replied. I was wondering if you could tell me why you started to upload videos on YouTube. I want to know this because I am writing about you in my English class. (I am Swedish by the way.) can I borrow one of your pictures from this website I tell that they are from here of cores. I hope you have time to reply to me. Have a nice life.
Hi Tove, Ann’s story is recorded on the blog here: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/about-howtocookthat-net/ .
Thank you for helping me. Continue being awesome!!
Could you make a crayon cake???
You are great and i love you*.
ann i love you i see you with argentina with my best friend i have 15 years old
thanks for watching mikel 😀
awesome! hey Mrs. Ann.. can you make Attack on Titan cake? its gonna be awesome!! 😀
Ann! This cake is so amazing! Great job! It’s my brother`s birthday today and he thought that all of your tutorials are awesome!
Thanks Tara for your feedback.
happy birthday to your brother 😀
Thank you!! 🙂
Hi there Ann
I am very new to cake decorating and self taught, well actually I have been scrolling through endless videos on youtube to learn as I go along. You are absolutely amazing, with simple instructions, very effective and so clever. I want to thank you I will no longer spend endless hours searching on youtube you have all I need. Just one question though, I have an issue with my fondant, when I pick it up to place on the cake any shapes I’ve cut stretch do I need to use tylose powder to cure this??
Thank you again.
Shaz.
from morocco i want for you a lot of succes and i want to thank you sharing with us this amazing ideas.you are reallly great .:)
Thanks Fatima for the feedback and well wishes.
hey ann ,
can u please make a home movie related cake please please i hope u actually know me because i comment in almost all your videos
Hi ,I have been asked to make a cake from in the night garden I was just wondering if you have done anything like this before.
Hi Elaine, Ann hasn’t done a “In the Night Garden” cake, but you could model something off Baymax for Iggle Piggle or perhaps a cake with figurines like Ann’s Insde Out cake.
Everything she does is perfect.
Hi mrs. Ann I would love it if you could make a cake that looks like a horse maybe black ?
Have a nice day
Hi Elizabeth, Thanks for the suggestion! Ann has made one cake you might like. Check it out here: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/little-pony-cake-rainbow-dash/
Can you make some white chocolate variation thanks
This cake is beautiful! Can you please do an Aurora cake, she is my favourite Disney Princess. Beauty and The Beast is coming out of the ‘Vault’ soon and I think it would be amazing if you could do a Belle cake. Shane Dawson just released a video making a giant KitKat and he used your recipe!
Awesome Cake!
Thanks Payton for the ideas.
Hey Ann!
I just needed to say that I really enjoy your videos. It is so fun to watch the progress from the beginning until the final result, and your voice and the way you explain things is so nice and kind of calming…I could listen to you for hours.
Thank you very much for sharing your creations with us!
Greetings from germany! 🙂
Thanks Linda, It is great to hear that you are finding Ann’s videos helpful. This is exactly why she does them. Happy baking!
Hi Ann, I watched your video on the mermaid cake. I think it is great. Would you do one on a haunted house.
Hi Dora, Thanks for the suggestion.
Beautiful once again. Thank you
Thanks for the feedback Shirley.
Ideals for 18th birthday party for granfdaugther love blue
Awesome. Do post a photo if you make it.
Hi Ann
Wow! this cake is awesome! can you do the princess Belle cake?
Lol surely you are joking!?
Woah, Ann has a lot on her mind! Just remember that, because when people are under pressure it can be really stressful. She’ll get to your request, just don’t worry about it too much.
Bye!
you’re awesome Ann’s Fan 😀
Hi Marina, Thanks for the suggestion.