Fairy Tale Princess Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease four 8-inch springform pans and line with parchment paper.
• Combine 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour in gradually and add the vanilla extract, beating until smooth. Distribute batter evenly between the 4 prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove rings and transfer cakes to wire racks. Cool completely before decorating, about 1 hour.
• Cut out a 2-inch hole from the center of each cooled cake using a round cutter of glass, large enough for the doll to fit through.
• Glue cake board onto a revolving cake stand using a small amount of frosting. Spread 2 tablespoons of frosting on the cake board and lay the first cake on top. Repeat with remaining cake layers, aligning the holes in the center; cake should reach the hips of the doll. Insert 4 straws 1/2 inch from the hole, piercing all the way through the layers, to add stability. Cut off the ends of the straws sticking out from the cake with scissors.
• Measure 1/2 inch from the top edge of the cake using a ruler, rotating the cake and making marks with a skewer. Trim off the edge at an angle to create a dome-shaped skirt.
• Color 2/3 of the vanilla frosting in a bowl with a few drops of pink food coloring. Frost entire cake with a thin layer of frosting, including inside the hole in the center using a thin spatula. Refrigerate cake for 30 minutes to 1 hour to set the first coat.
• Fill a piping bag with a large flat tip with frosting. Pipe frosting around the cake, working from the bottom up, until it is fully covered. Immerse a long icing spatula in hot water and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel. Smooth frosting with the warm spatula for a polished, smooth finish. Repeat process until frosting is smooth. Chill cake in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Wrap the doll's legs with plastic wrap and insert doll into the hole, adding frosting to the hole if necessary to keep the doll in place.
• Divide remaining frosting into different bowls and color pink, green, and/or leave some white. Use the skewer to trace where you intend to pipe any patterns, bows, or other design elements over the frosting.
• Fit a small star tip on a piping bag and fill it with white or light pink frosting. Holding the bag almost perpendicular to the cake, make rows of small stars for the front of the dress. Work from the bottom up. Pipe more stars directly onto the doll from the waist up to make the top of the dress.
• Use a ruffle tip to create ruffles, ribbons, and bows. Use a small star tip to create rosettes all over the skirt of the dress. Use a leaf tip with green icing to add leaves. Keep completed cake in the refrigerator until serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottoms and sides of four 8-inch square pans. In large bowl, beat 1 cake mix, 1 cup of the water, 1/2 cup of the oil and 3 eggs using electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter between 2 pans. Bake 2 pans at a time for 23 to 29 minutes (26 to 34 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining cake mix, water, oil and eggs. Chill cooled cake in freezer 45 minutes before cutting, to reduce crumbs.
• Spoon frosting into large bowl. Stir in enough food color until desired pink color.
• Using serrated knife, cut off domed top from each cake so they will be flat when stacked. On tray, place 1 cake, cut side down; spread 1/3 cup frosting over top. Add second cake, cut side down; spread top with 1/3 cup frosting. Add third cake, cut side down; do not frost.
• Cut fourth cake into quarters. Spread small amount of frosting on center of cake, about the size of a cake quarter. Place 1 quarter, cut side down, on top of frosting. Spread top of stacked cake quarter with 1 tablespoon frosting. Place second quarter on top of first quarter; spread top with 1 tablespoon frosting. Add third quarter; do not frost. Cut fourth quarter into quarters to create four 2-inch squares. Spread a small dollop of frosting on the top center of the second tier of cakes. Place one 2-inch piece on the center; spread top with frosting. Top with one more 2-inch piece. (Discard remaining 2 pieces.)
• Spread thin layer of frosting over layered cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes.
• Frost pointed-end cones with frosting; roll in pink sugar. Frost cake with remaining frosting. Place 1 upside-down cone on each corner of the first cake layer and 1 on top cake layer for center steeple. Top each cone with a candy star.
• Place sugar cubes around edges of the first and second layers. Top each of the 4 corner sugar cubes with a gum ball. Attach 2 cookies on one side of first layer to create doors. Cut 2 additional cookies to desired size for windows; place each cookie on opposite sides of doors. Cut remaining cookie in half; place 1 half in center of second layer to create accent window. Pipe on window panes and doorknobs with white icing. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 3 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment.
• Beat together the eggs and sugar on high speed in a stand mixer or using a hand-held electric whisk. Beat until the mixture reaches ribbon stage-you will be able to see the traces of the mixture when you move the whisk.
• Use a 8-inch diameter plate to draw three circles on baking parchment. Cut these out and place one parchment circle on each of the three baking sheets. Set aside.
• Combine the flour, salt and vanilla in a separate bowl. Sift into the egg mixture, bit by bit, carefully folding using a figure-of-eight movement until incorporated. Pour the cooled melted butter down the side of the bowl and fold carefully again, trying not to knock out air.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the parchment circles on the baking sheets spreading right to the edges of each circle with the back of a spoon. If they go over a bit, don't worry, you can cut these bits off afterwards.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing the baking parchment. If the parchment sticks, slightly dampen the paper side with cold water and the paper will come off easily. Trim any untidy edges using a sharp knife.
• In a saucepan, heat the milk with the scraped out seeds from the vanilla bean.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar and add the cornstarch.
• When the milk has just reached boiling point, take off the heat and pour one third into the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
• Once whisked through, pour the egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk. Return to the stove and bring to the boil, carefully. Whisk continuously as the mixture thickens, for just under a minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the salt and butter.
• Pour into a cold bowl and place a sheet of baking parchment on top to prevent the cream from forming a crust as it cools. The mixture will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.
• If using homemade marzipan instead of store-bought, blend the ingredients together in a food processor until you have a smooth marzipan.
• Roll the mixture into a log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using.
• Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar until stiff. Spoon two thirds into a separate bowl. Mix the remaining one third of the whipped cream with the prepared pastry cream.
• Make sure your prepared layer cake bases are completely even in size. If not, trim to fit. Place the bottom layer on your chosen serving plate; you won't be able to move the cake once assembled.
• Spread the raspberry jam/jelly evenly onto the base layer of the cake, then add half of the pastry cream mixture. Top with the second cake layer. Repeat with the remaining jam/jelly and second helping of the pastry cream mixture. Add the top cake layer.
• Using a cake spatula, spread three quarters of the remaining stiffly whipped cream in a thick layer on the top and the sides of the cake. Make sure the cake is covered evenly all over to prevent jam/jelly from seeping out. Some people prefer to shape the cream into a dome; I quite like more of a level top on my princess cake, but it is up to you.
• Next, roll out the green marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar or over the top of baking parchment (to prevent sticking). Roll out into a large, even circle, big enough to cover the top and sides of the cake (around 14 inches in diameter).
• Carefully drape the marzipan on top of the cake and peel back the baking parchment, if using. Pull gently around the edges to bring the marzipan down to cover the cake, taking care not to overstretch. Once the marzipan is smoothed over and touching the base all the way around, trim away the excess. Press the edges gently in at the base.
• To make the rose decorations, mold the pink royal icing or marzipan into ¾-inch tall teardrop shapes for the inside buds. Then roll out small round petal-shaped pieces of icing around ¾ x ¾-inch and wrap each one around the bud in layers. Cut the base off and fix the roses on top of the cake. Lastly, roll out the green royal icing or marzipan and cut out leaf shapes to fix by the sides of the rose. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Generously grease and lightly flour Nordic Ware® Castle Bundt® cake pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.
• In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter into pan.
• Bake 36 to 42 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Using a long serrated knife, trim cake even with top of pan, if necessary. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack; remove pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Place cake on 12- to 15-inch serving plate, tray or piece of cardboard covered with foil. Pipe pink icing around base of cake; place round candies in 3 rows around base in icing. Add round candies to top of castle as desired, attaching with icing.
• Pipe icing to outline window shapes on cake; top each window with 1 banana-shaped candy. Push 1 candy wafer, flat side up, into cake at bottom edge of each window to look like windowsill. Pipe icing to outline door, roof and entrance of castle. Place mints in icing at entrance of castle to look like walkway. Add gum to rooftop for shingles. Top each tower with candle. Store loosely covered.