Rapunzel Cake

So, the most important cake of my year had arrived; my eldest daughter’s birthday cake! (not to say that my youngest daughter’s birthday isn’t as important, but she’s too small to really care yet!).

My big girl turned four and the cake was a big deal! She remembers her birthdays not by the presents she was given or by the party, or the family day out of her choice, but by the cake that she had!

She had decided months ago that she wanted a 3d Barbie cake for her birthday after seeing one in a cake shop window. About a week before her birthday, she was choosing the plates and napkins for her party (proper little party planner!) and she saw some with Rapunzel on from Disney’s Tangled. She knew instantly that she wanted a Rapunzel Barbie cake.

I was very pleased with her choice of cake as we were going away and I didn’t have a lot of time to make it, so something not too complicated was a blessing (plus, I’ve wanted to make one of these cakes for ages, but never had the excuse).

I opted for a good old vanilla sponge with jam and vanilla buttercream icing. I don’t have a special Dolly Varden cake tin, so I made 3, 8 inch round cakes and one cake cooked in a 6 inch pyrex bowl (1L) and then carved to the desired shape. I then layered them all up with the jam and buttercream and was ready to get to the fun bit, decorating!

I cleaned my daughter’s Rapunzel doll, wrapped it waist down in cling film and put her into the hole that I had created down the centre of the dress and began decorating. I could have got carried away with the detail of the dress, but time restraints meant that I had to adopt the attitude that less is more.

My daughter was thrilled with her cake and I was thrilled with her smiles!!!