All dolled up :)

I had a really happy start to July - my niece's birthday party, which was also my brother's housewarming bbq :)

I offered to make a cake for the birthday gal and after some serious discussion with my five-year-old client, we agreed on making a barbie doll cake.

Colours were a big thing to her, and the discussion went something like this:

Me: So what colour do you want your cake to be? Pink...yellow...purple...
Laelle: PINK!!
Me: Sure, pink sounds great :)
Laelle: I like purple too.
Me: Yeah i thought you would like purple.
Laelle: PURPLE!
(Hesitates. And after a few seconds...)
Laelle: Ok pink first, then purple for the next cake....
(and while i wondered what 'next cake' meant....)  
Laelle: Pink AND purple ok?

And it is settled that she will have a pink and purple barbie doll cake ;) The kind which has a fully edible skirt!

My sister-in-law provided me with a commerical domed-shaped mould for making such doll cakes. However, the 'doll' provided was just a torso and head, with a stick in place of the legs. I wanted Laelle to have a 'full-bodied' doll after the cake and so...i decided to use an actual doll instead.

There would be about 35 people attending the party and i thought it would be good to add in a base for the doll cake.So first up, it was the three layers of cake which were stacked upon layers of custard.

Then it is onto the doll! This is my first time making a barbie doll cake..and so I was a little nervous.:X

Layer by layer....the cake was gingerly built up - it was quite a rush that day so I did not manage to take photos of the cake-baking process.

And after the cake structure is secured with the doll and some cookie popsticks.. it was onto the fun part - decorating :D

She was shining in her buttercream dress!

The high humidity of our tropical climate makes it almost impossible to a whipping cream based cake icing - I am still doing 'R & D' on making a cream icing that can withstand our heat.

But I managed to find an alternative for time being by using some shortening in the mixture for stabalisation.

I was really happy with how the top turned out, using a pretty drop-flower icing mini tip :) I also added purple rosettes all around the skirt and added a silver dragee on each of them for a touch of glam.

After a very careful drive..the cake arrived safely at the party venue!

The completed cake had a base iced white, with a round of white rosettes round the bottom of the skirt :)

There's the pretty birthday gal, and her cute little sis at the third picture :) 

And here's the cannibal unleashed in the little birthday gal - but it's her day after all, so she got away with it :p

I wish my dress is this yummy too!