Members' Showcase of Disney Talents

Princess Birthday Cakes - by Jane & Donna Jones

I asked my co-Disney fanatic mother-in-law Donna Jones to tell how she was inspired and put together the 6 Disney Princess cakes and accompanying castles for my daughter Ellory's 3rd birthday in July. Obviously, my mother-in-law is AMAZING and treats Ellory to a fabulous birthday cake every year (her 2nd birthday was a Peter Pan themed 3D crocodile!). I had her tell how she did it in her own words. You'll find that below.--Jane Jones

In the words of baker and grandma extrodinaire Donna Jones of Freeland, Michigan:

The cakes were baked in various size bowls to get the different size skirts for the dresses. I filled each bowl about 3/4 full with batter. Some were not as tall as I needed so I baked a couple of sheet cakes and added a couple of inches by setting the bowl cake on top of layer cake and cut a round circle the size of the bowl and frosted it like a layer cake and put the two together.

I had gone to several dollar stores and bought Barbie style dolls that I could style their hair and had the skin tone and hair color of the varying princesses. Ariel and Snow White were not to be found so I bought blondes and used red and black permanent markers to dye their hair. I just laid them down on a piece of plastic wrap and stroked over and over on the strands of hair until the blondes became one red head and one fair complected raven beauty.

Then the fun began. I took pictures of the princesses my son had e-mailed me and actually cut and styled the hair of each doll. This was done one evening a week or so before I had even baked the cakes.

I went to Meijers bakery and they sold me eight inch cake boards to set the individual cakes on. Once I placed the individual cakes I just pushed the doll legs and all down in the cake so the cake became the dolls skirt. These dolls have very long legs so I had to cut them off so the dolls were not too tall for their skirts. Then I colored frosting in the various colors I needed to match the princess dresses. I simply frosted the botices of the dolls in the style of their dress and frosted the skirts to match. Ariel was a bit harder. I baked a cake in a tube pan and cut it in half the long way. Then when I sat the doll down I put the cake over her legs and added the fin by using a plastic file foler and shaping the fin to match the size of the cake tube.

I got very creative in making the dolls look like the actual individual princesses. I used play rings, ribbon, and stick on earrings from the dollar store. Old jewelry came in handy for the jewels glued on neckleses. The dolls had clothes on them when purchased at the dollar store and I recycled bits and pieces to make a shawl for Ariel and a little overskirt for Jasmine. I finished these two princesses off with eatible glitter from Wilton that I bought at JoAnn Fabrics.

I made the castle last out of two 9 x 13 sheet cakes. I cut walls out for the sides and fronts and sat extra pieces on top of the front and back sides to make roof lines. I used seven ice cream cones with frosting piped on and little silver beads added at random. I used sugar wafer cookies around bottom of cake and filled the center courtyard with sprinkles for the floor. Flags glued in toothpicks were put in the cones for flags flying over the castle. Last a sign went on the highest part of the roof that read ELLORY'S CASTLE. Because, after all, Grandma had lovingly made these cakes and castle for her.