9/25/2010

Hosting a Birthday Party? How About a Doll Cake?

Doll cakes are stylish and artistic, and they are as visually appealing as they are delicious. There are various types of doll cakes to choose from which would make any little girl ecstatic with delight. A doll cake would be the perfect accent for a themed birthday party, such as; Princess Dora, Barbie, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and many others. These doll cakes are indeed fabulous as centerpieces and the great news is, although the presentation is indeed sophisticated, they are really not all that hard to make.
So if you are planning on hosting a birthday party for a little girl and want to incorporate an unusually designed cake, or maybe you just want to enhance your baking skills; this article will help you to create the perfect doll cake.
Let's dig in!
Wonder Mold kits from Wilton are just perfect for creating doll cakes. They have regular doll sized molds which can create cakes large enough to serve approximately twenty persons. If somehow, you are not sure you would want to take on such a mammoth task, you will be able to acquire smaller mold as well. Their molds are dome-like with a hole in the center where the doll will be placed upon completion.
Other alternatives to the Wonder Mold would be to use a Bundt cake, a large Pyrex bowl or any other glassware bowl which is suited for the oven.
Regular cake mixes will do just fine for these cakes. Just prepare mixes according to the direction, pour into container, then bake. Ensure however, that the insides of the mold or container is thoroughly greased and dusted with flour to prevent sticking and to aid in the removal of the cake. Fill the pan approximately 2/3 with the cake batter and ensure that the pan is placed on the lowest rack in the oven. You want to be certain that the top of the cake, which will eventually be the bottom, is baked evenly and has a flat surface.
Once cake is done, cool and gently remove from mold by inverting it with the dome side facing upwards. If you chose to use a regular bowl and not the mold or Bundt pan, then you will have to make a hole in the center of the dome for the doll to fit into. Gently lift the cake and insert pieces of wax paper underneath to protect the cake platter from being splattered with icing.
Go ahead and decorate the cake. What you use to decorate the cake is totally dependent on individual preferences; whether you choose to use food paste, icing with food coloring or fondant. However, be sure to start off with a crumb coat if you choose to use icing. Apply the crumb coat, place cake in freezer for approximately thirty minutes and then apply icing. You are almost guaranteed a smooth application if you use this method. If using fondant, then an application of butter cream prior to the fondant covering is highly recommended.
Finally, insert the doll, fill her around with icing to create a seamless appearance and voila! You have created your very first doll cake!