Tuesday, January 19, 2010

happy birthday!


One of Lydia's friends had a 5th birthday party this morning! I had the honor of making her cake. I've not done a cake decorating post in a while, so I thought I'd show you this one. It was great fun, and I really enjoyed making it.

She wanted a Barbie cake - I had not done one of these before, but I was willing to give it a try. I used the Pampered Chef batter bowl and the instructions on their website to make the cake. Rather than make a second cake in the bowl, as the instructions say, I made a round cake to put underneath and give a little extra height.

The head and body of the doll are a pick made for this kind of cake, but a regular doll can be used if you make a hole in the cake, or take off the legs. I'm sure you know already that nothing artificial comes out of my kitchen, so food coloring is sometimes a challenge. I made a half-dress for the doll, sewing pieces of sheer nylon and ribbons where the skirt ought to be. These laid down over the cake "skirt" to give it some color. (Leave it to me to combine sewing and baking!) You could achieve the same effect by finding a doll with a swimsuit or a blouse, and attaching the ribbons and sheer fabric or tulle to a rubber band around her waist.

Here's a back view. The wreath on her head is just craft wire wrapped with white florist tape, with loops of the ribbons taped in. And a big ribbony bow on the back, of course.
And here's a close-up - I put some ribbons and fabric at the neck too.

4 comments:

Annelies said...

Yes! And our little girl, Emma, was the recipient of this beautiful cake. It was absolutely gorgeous! The pictures do not do it justice. Kim is a magician with a thread and a needle and not to mention cake batter and icing. I have NEVER met a woman in person who is soooo very talented. Thanks again Kim for rescuing me . The cake made the party.

Love,
Annelies

Amy @ Hope Is the Word said...

Beautiful, Kim! I WISH nothing artificial ever came out of MY kitchen! ;-) I was going to make Lulu (or was it Louise?) a Barbie cake like this for her birthday, and in fact, I still have the leg-less doll. The bakery at Sam's was an easier choice at the time.

Beautiful work, and I love the skirt!!!

Kim said...

Annelies, it was my pleasure and privilege. (I'm just glad it turned out all right!)

And Amy, I'd be glad to help you leave off the artificial stuff anytime - I could stand on that soapbox all day! ;)

Megan said...

That cake is awesome! I love the ribbon! <3