Frozen : Elsa Cake and Snowflake Cupcakes

This is a case of "Best laid plans going haywire!" This past weekend was my daughter's sixth birthday. Obviously like every little girl in this present time, my daughter is crazy about Elsa and Anna from the movie FROZEN! She wanted an Elsa cake for her birthday. You see, last year, I had made an Princess Aurora Cake for her birthday.So, I too acquiesced and accordingly planned a simple birthday party for her and few of her friends on Sunday. She had a birthday party in school on Friday, for which I had made the snowflake cup-cakes! Boy, did the kids have fun or what! I had planned to get everything ready on Saturday, so that I could sit back and relax and enjoy the festivities on Sunday! Well ... That definitely didn't go as I had planned! I had made the cake and cupcakes on Thursday night. All that was left to do was to assemble it and decorate it which would have been no big deal had things happened the way I planned!!! You see we had a snowstorm on Thursday. I had to shovel snow and clean the car so that I could drive to my daughter's school next day! The car was half buried in snow! And I have never used a shovel in my entire life! You know where this is going, right??? Well, come Saturday, my back went out! I was literally stuck! I could not bend forwards nor backwards. The pain wrapped me like a vice around my middle going anteriorly to my abdomen. I couldn't sit, stand or walk! What was I going to do??? The buttercream frosting lay half-made in the stand-mixer on the kitchen counter; the pasta lay cooked on the stove and the cakes were still waiting to be assembled! I was helpless! Tears of despair rolled down my eyes! My husband felt bad for me.. He said " don't worry, I will get a nice cake from Costco and we can order pizza for the kids!" Well, I didn't have much of a choice , did I?? I decided to take an anti-inflammatory medication and sleep it off. I told myself that I will figure it all, come morning. My husband rubbed my back to make me feel better and then set about cleaning and decorating the house.

 I prayed for the pain to go away and slept through the night and when I woke up it was 7 a.m. ! My back was feeling much better!I had lost an hour due to daylight saving. We had moved our clocks an hour ahead 12.00 am. Sunday! The party was to begin at 12 p.m.! Well, I just prayed and set out working! I decided that I was going to try and make the cake as my daughter had her heart set on it and take it from there. I will make the pasta if there is time or else order pizza! I put the cake together, frosted it, put it in the fridge and when I was waiting for the frosting to set, made the pasta and start kneading the fondant. The hardest part was rolling the fondant out. I prayed that it would be enough to cove the cake and that it wouldn't tear! The guide for this cake was from the website: how to cook that.net.Ann had covered the whole doll with the fondant. As for me, I knew for sure I didn't have enough fondant to roll it that big and cover the cake. I decided to skip covering the doll and just cover the cake and then insert the doll. Well, needless to say, it did work, but I had to deal with cracks in the pleats of the dress. I have tried to hide the flaws of the dress with snowflakes placed strategically. Also, since my doll came with a plastic dress, I chose not to make the bodice for the doll. I used what the doll already had on. I also chose not to make the cape for Elsa for sheer lack of time. I didn't think that my daughter would care anyways! This is far from my best cake. There are hundreds of flaws in this cake. But the bottom line is that my daughter was super-thrilled and happy to see her dream cake and all her little friends loved it too.. They couldn't stop going "Elsa, Elsa"! That I believe is " MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"!

The cake was made up of chocolate fudge cake and sprinkle vanilla cake. I made two 9-inch cakes, one chocolate, one vanilla and the dome was made of chocolate fudge cake too and layered it .

Servings: 20-25

Ingredients:

For the chocolate fudge cake:

Boxed cake mixes: 2( I used Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge Cake )
Eggs: 6
Water: 2 cups
Oil: 1 cup ( I used canola oil)

For the sprinkle vanilla cake:

Boxed cake mix: 1( I used Betty Crocker Funfetti Cake )
Eggs: 3
Water: 1cup
Oil: 1/2 cup ( I used canola oil)


For the buttercream icing:( to make 2 1/2 cups icing)

Confectioners  Sugar: 4 cups
Butter : 1cup( at room temperature)
Vanilla essence: 1 1/2 tsp
Water/ Milk: 2 tbsp

For decorating the doll:

Light Blue ready to roll fondant: 1 box ( I used Cake Boss)
Shortening: as needed to knead the fondant.
Corn flour: as needed to dust the work surface.
White shimmer powder : 1 small box ( I used Wilton)
Water: 2 tbsp

Method:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Assemble the dome shaped cake pan as per instructions.Prepare the dome shaped cake pan & the two 9-inch round pans by spraying non-stick spray. Keep it aside.

Prepare the cake batter as per instructions on the cake box.

Pour the cake batter into the dome- shaped cake pan until 2/3 rds full. Do the same with the 9-inch round pan. Use the rest of the batter to make cupcakes.

Place the dome- shaped cake pan on the center rack of the oven and the round pan on the lower rack .Bake for 45-50 mins or until a skewer comes clean when inserted.If not done, bake for additional 5 mins and check again. Repeat this in 5 min intervals until the cake is done.

The round cake was done in 20-25 minutes.

I did the same thing with the sprinkle-vanilla cake.

Remove the cakes out of the oven and let it cool on the cooling rack for 15-30 mins.

Level all the cakes and keep aside to cool completely before layering and icing them. 

Insert the doll in the cakes and cut out a circle from the center of the cakes so that the doll can fit in there.

The Icing:

When the cake is cooling prepare the icing.

Take the butter and the vanilla essence in a bowl, whip it until soft peaks are seen.

Now add sifted confectioners sugar little by little and mix until well combined. 

Add the water and mix well. Icing should be of medium consistency.

Add a few drops of Wilton royal blue gel color to get the desired blue color.

Preparing the doll:

Take off the doll's costume & shoes and wrap the doll in protective plastic wrap. Insert the doll into the cake until her hips.Remove the doll out and keep aside.

Putting the cake together:
Place a thin layer of icing on one side of the cake board .The icing will keep the cake in place and prevent it from moving. 

When cooled, invert the round chocolate cake onto the cake board. Layer it with 1 inch thick layer of icing of your choice.

I used  blue vanilla icing that I had leftover after frosting the cupcakes.Place the vanilla-sprinkle cake on top of the chocolate cake. Apply one inch layer of icing on this. Now place the dome- shaped cake on top of this.

Using a spatula, apply a 1/2 inch thick coating of icing around the cake.

I carved the cake in the front to make it look flat in the front and the dress bellowing in the back.

Keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.

The fondant dress:

When the icing is being set in the fridge, prepare the fondant cover. 

Knead the blue fondant in portions using a little shortening, until soft and pliable. Combine the small portions together to make it into one large ball.

Apply cornstarch on the work surface( I used roll and cut fondant mat) and roll the fondant to 30-35 inches circle.

Once the fondant has been rolled out and ready, take the cake outside the refrigerator.

Using a pastry brush, gently brush water on the buttercream frosting. This helps the fondant to stick to the frosting.

Using the rolling pin roll the fondant on to the rolling pin.

Place the fondant on the cake and slowly and carefully unroll it, covering the cake as you unroll it.

Arrange the pleats on the dress to your liking. Cut off the excess fondant at the base using a paring knife.

Now stick the Elsa doll back into the cake until her waist.

Using the excess fondant, roll out a rectangle and make it into a sash. Wrap this sash around Elsa's waist.

Mix 1 tsp white sparkle powder in 2 tsp water . With a thin paint brush paint thin lines on her dress along the pleats.

Dust some sparkle powder on her dress.

Attach the snowflakes made before hand from royal icing to the dress as you please.

Apply a thick layer of royal icing on the cake board along the hem of her dress to depict snow. Sorry, I didn't have time to take pictures for these last stages as I was rushing to get the cake done!

I made a "happy birthday Kavya" banner on a card-paper and placed it on her raised hands.

Voila ! Elsa is ready to take center-stage!

Enjoy! I am bringing this cake to my dear friends at Angie's Fiesta Friday! My good friend Jhuls@ the not so creative cook and Mila@milkandbun are co-hosting this weekend. If you haven't been to Fiesta Friday yet, you definitely should! They are such a awesome group of wonderful people!


For the snowflake cupcakes:

I made 3 1/2 dozen cupcakes: 2 1/2 dozen chocolate and 1 dozen sprinkle-vanilla from the batter used to make the 9-inch cakes. I used half for the 9-inch cakes and half for the cupcake.

I lined the muffin-tin with foil cup-cake liners, filled them halfway and baked them at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Let them cool completely.

Then frost the cake with blue-color frosting using a spatula. Place a snowflake on top of each cupcake!

For the snowflake:

Prepare Royal icing.

Using Wilton tip 3 pipe out snowflakes as desired onto a wax paper. Let it dry overnight.

Cooking made easy:

Royal icing snowflakes can be make weeks ahead and stored in a airtight container in a cool place ( not in the fridge).

Tip for healthy living:

To keep the skin in your hands soft, use gloves while doing dishes. Also moisturize your hands immediately after drying them.

Food for thought:

Every noble work is at first impossible. Thomas Carlyle

Tinker Bell Doll Cake

On public demand, I am posting this recipe for the Tinker Bell Doll Cake.I thought it was only apt to post this recipe soon after the Princess doll cake. I have been keeping all other recipes on hold until I post this one! Of course this cake was made two months after the first one. Life is so hectic between work and home and my little ones. Time just flies! Sometimes, I would have written the recipe on my notepad and have the pictures ready but days pass by before I get it transferred on to the blogger! I wish I could post onto the blogger from my iphone!! Life would be so much easier for me!

Anyways, coming back to the Tinker Bell cake, my best friend was having a Tinker Bell-themed  birthday party for her daughter who was turning six. The birthday was this pad weekend. She had requested me to make cake- pops and cupcakes for the party. I wanted to make a Tinker Bell cake for the birthday girl. When I looked up online, I came across a YouTube video for the same. You can find the link to the video here. I decided to surprise her with a Tinker Bell cake. This was my gift to the birthday princess!

Ever since I made my first princess doll cake, I have been intrigued with fondant. Before now I didn't know what fondant was! I saw that the decorating on a cake is much more versatile and realistic when you work with fondant. My problem was that I didn't know the first thing about fondants! I never could resist a challenge! I decided to learn about fondants and there began my research .... I learnt what fondant was, what gum paste was, when you use what, how to mix them, stick them, work with them... Phew! A whole lot of things! Fun things!

When I made the Tinker bell doll cake, this time, I ordered the actual Tinker-Bell doll and used the doll. I was also a little more brave and  layered the cake. I baked one 9 inch cake and one cake in the doll pan and layered it with vanilla frosting. I had to use the additional 9 inch cake because the doll was 13 inches tall!  When I started off with the cake I was not sure how it would turn up. I am happy to say that the end result was fantastic!

This is how I made the Tinker Bell cake:

Servings: 15-20

Ingredients:

For the cake:
Boxed cake mixes: 2( I used Pillsbury Devil's food )
Eggs: 6
Water: 2 cups
Oil: 1 cup ( I used canola oil)

For the buttercream icing:( to make 2 1/2 cups icing)
Confectioners  Sugar: 4 cups
Butter : 1 cup( at room temperature)
Vanilla essence: 1 1/2 tsp
Water: 2 tbsp

For decorating the doll:
Pastel Green ready to roll fondant: 1 box ( I used Wilton)
Electric Green ready to roll fondant : 1 box( I used Cake Boss)
Shortening: as needed to knead the fondant.
Corn flour: as needed to dust the work surface.
Green shimmer powder : 1 small box ( I used Wilton)
Water: 2 tbsp

Method:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Assemble the dome shaped cake pan as per instructions.Prepare the dome shaped cake pan & the 9 inch round pan by spraying non-stick spray. Keep it aside.

Prepare the cake batter as per instructions on the cake box.

Pour the cake batter into the dome- shaped cake pan until 2/3 full. Pour the rest of the batter into the 9 inch round pan.

Place the dome- shaped cake pan on the center rack of the oven and the round pan on the lower rack .Bake for 50 mins at 350 deg F.  Check the round pan. If the cake is done take the round pan out and let the cake cool.

At the end of 65 mins, check if the cake in the dome-shaped pan is done by inserting a skewer into the center of the cake. If done, the skewer will come out clean. If not done, bake for additional 5 mins and check again. Repeat this in 5 min intervals until the cake is done.

Remove the cake out of the oven and let it cool on the cooling rack for 15 mins.

Next, slice the dome shaped top and level the cake. If the round cake has a dome, level that too and let it cool on the cooling rack.

Remove the cake out of the pan and let it cool down for at least another hour on the cooling rack before icing.

The Icing:

When the cake is cooling prepare the icing. Take the butter and the vanilla essence in a bowl, whip it until soft peaks are seen.Now add sifted confectioners sugar little by little and mix until well combined. Add the water and mix well. Icing should be of medium consistency.

Preparing the doll:

Take off the doll's costume & shoes and wrap the doll in protective plastic wrap. Insert the doll into the cake until her waist. Remove the doll out and keep aside.

Preparing the cake:

Place a thin layer of icing on the center of the cake board .The icing will keep the cake in place and prevent it from moving. When cooled, invert the round cake onto the cake board. Layer it with 1 inch thick layer of icing of your choice. I used vanilla icing. Now place the dome- shaped cake on top of this.

Using a spatula, apply a 1 inch thick coating of icing around the cake. Keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.

The dress:

When the icing is set, prepare the fondant leaves. Take the electric green fondant and knead it using a little shortening until soft. Now apply cornstarch on the rolling surface and  roll the fondant into 1/8 inch thickness. Using the leaf cutter, cut large, medium and small leaves. Using the shaping foam and veining tool, make the veins on the leaves. Keep it aside to dry. Preferably overnight.

Putting the dress, doll and cake together:

Using a little  shortening knead the pastel green fondant until soft. I did it in small portions and  then combined it together. Again apply cornstarch on the work surface( I used roll and cut fondant mat) and roll the fondant to 17-18 inches circle.

When ready, take the cake outside the refrigerator and apply another thin layer of icing.

When done, using the rolling pin roll the fondant on to the rolling pin. Place the fondant on the cake and slowly and carefully unroll it.Smooth the fondant over the cake using your hands and / or fondant smoother. Cut off the excess fondant at the base using a paring knife.

From the excess pastel green fondant, using a heart-shape cookie cutter,cut out a heart shape for the Tinker-bell's bodice. Keep it aside.

Now stick the Tinker Bell doll into the cake until her waist. Fit the bodice on her torso. Place two small leaves on her breasts.

Apply little water with your finger onto the back of the fondant leaf and  stick the leaves on her dress starting from the hem up towards her waist. Start with the large leaves and  as you go closer to the waist use the medium and small leaves.

Mix 1 tsp lime green sparkle powder in 2 tsp water . With a paint brush pain each leaf individually.

Let the cake dry.

The cake is ready!

Enjoy!

Do try to make it. It is fun! Please do let me know and share the pictures with me :)

Cooking made easy:

The fondant can be tricky to work with. Knead fondant in portions with a little shortening until soft and no creases are seen. Promptly cover the unused fondant with plastic wrap or in a zip lock bag.

When you roll the fondant to cover a cake make sure you roll it 2 inches more than what is needed. If the cake is 10 inches in diameter it is a good idea to roll the fondant to 16 inches so you have enough to entirely cover the cake.

To stick the leaves to the doll, you can either use water or make edible glue by mixing 1 tsp gum paste bits in 2 tbsp water. Keep it aside for 1 hour. The gum paste will dissolve.

Instead of painting the leaves, you can also just sprinkle the shimmer powder over the dress.

This cake if refrigerated once the fondant is applied, will sweat. So just keep it in a cool place until ready to be used.

Tip for healthy living:

If you have dandruff  in your hair, one successful and easy way to get rid of it is by rubbing he scalp with fresh lemon juice. Leave it on for one hour and then wash your hair.

Food for thought:

We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone. Ronald Reagan

My First Princess Doll Cake

This post has been long overdue! I had made this Princess Doll Cake for her birthday in March. She is at that age where everything is about princesses. So I decided to have a Princess theme for her birthday party. She could not make up her mind as to which is her favorite princess , hence, I decided to give all princesses a fair chance. She wanted a princess cake. I have recently ventured into baking and this gave me a good chance to test the waters a little more. I have very little baking experience. But being a mother, I wanted to give my baby girl her heart's desire. I had seen so many pretty princess doll cakes online! I decided that I will at least try to make a Princess doll cake. I started my extensive research regarding how to make a doll cake. I had to learn several things: 1. How to make the doll shape,2. How to ice a cake, 3. How to make buttercream icing, 4. How to decorate a cake, 5. Whether to use fondant or buttercream for the dress, 6.Different kinds of tips and their uses, 7.How to fill a icing bag.. Wow! There was a lot of learning to do... But I was determined. I am like a dog with a bone. Once I set my mind on something I eat, breathe, sleep with that agenda on my mind. I found out there are several ways one could make the doll shaped cake. You could bake one or two 9 inch round cake and another dome shaped cake in a 4-quart  oven-safe Pyrex bowl and then stack them together or just get the doll-cake bowl from Wilton and bake the cake in it. I didn't want to have too many unknowns in my doll-cake equation. I decided to go the easier route. I just went and bought a Wilton doll-cake pan and called it a day. I also decided to use ready made cake mix instead of making the cake from scratch. I chose the Pillsbury devil's food chocolate cake. As for the buttercream icing, I decided to make it from scratch as I knew that I would need a lot of icing! I also decided to use buttercream for the doll's dress as I didn't know the first thing about fondants! I looked at various designs of princesses online make with buttercream. But my daughter wanted Aurora. I decided to copy Aurora's dress. Funny, I didn't know how I was going to make the pleats on the dress!! As I was toying with the icing on the dress, my husband woke- up and happened to come into the kitchen. He saw me trying to make the pleats with a spoon and came to my rescue! Once he suggested an idea, I was able to do a decent job with the pleats on her skirt. Only regret is that the pink on the dress could have been a little deeper. Then again this was my first time coloring icing and I was apprehensive. Well, the end result was a surprisingly pretty Aurora and a ecstatic Kavya!

This is how I made the cake:

Servings: 12-15

Ingredients:

For the cake:
Boxed cake mixes: 2( I used Pillsbury Devil's Food)
Eggs: 6
Water: 2 cups
Oil: 1 cup ( I used canola oil)

For the butter-cream icing:( to make 5 cups icing):
Confectioner's Sugar: 8 cups
Butter: 2 cups ( at room temperature)
Vanilla essence: 3 tsp
Milk/water: 4 tbsp

For decorating the doll:
Small edible pink beads: 24 nos

Method:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Assemble the dome shaped cake pan as per instructions.Prepare the cake pan by spraying non-stick spray. Keep it aside.

Prepare the cake batter as per instructions on the cake box.

Pour the cake batter into the cake pan until 2/3 full.

Place it on the center rack of the oven and bake for 70 mins at 350 deg F.

At the end of 65 mins, check if the cake is done by inserting a skewer into the center of the cake. If done, the skewer will come out clean. If not done, bake for additional 5 mins and check again. Repeat this in 5 min intervals until the cake is done.

Remove the cake out of the oven and let it cool on the cooling rack for 15 mins.

Next, slice the dome shaped top and level the cake.

Remove the cake out of the pan and let it cool down for at least another hour on the cooling rack before icing.

Place a thin layer of icing on the center of the cake board .When cooled, invert the cake onto a cake board.  The icing will keep the cake in place and prevent it from moving.

Crumb-coating the cake:

Take 1 cup of icing in a bowl and thin it. Now apply a coating of this icing to the above cooled cake.


Crumb-coating the cake makes it easier  to ice the cake.

Once you have applied the crumb coating, place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours so that the coating can set.

Icing the cake:

In the mean time you can prepare the icing. All icing is of medium consistency.

Take 4 cups of icing and color it light pink using gel color.

Keep one cup of icing white. Fill the white icing in a bag and set it ready with tip 101.

Using a spatula, apply a 1 inch thick coating of light pink icing. Using the back of the teaspoon create the pleats on her skirt.

Now color the remaining light pink icing into dark pink using more pink gel color. Fill it in a bag and fit tip 3.

Now using tip 3 make the bodice of the dress on the cake doll. Keep it aside and let it set for 30 mins.

In the mean time you can make the white ruffles at the hem of her dress. When done move the tip 101 to the icing with dark pink icing and make the next layer of ruffles. You can make as many layers as you wish. I had to improvise as I was running out of icing.Using Tip 3 make another layer of the arches above the ruffles.

Now stick the doll into the cake. Now do the dark pink of the dress around her waist. You could be as creative as you wish with the dress.

I then fixed the pink decorator sugar pearls around her dress.

My daughter gave me a small tiara/ crown that I could fit on her head . You could make the crown with card paper.

Voila ! the princess cake is ready!

 Let it set in the fridge until the cake is ready to be cut!

Cooking made easy:

You could make any Disney princess from the above method. I used the Wilton cake-doll that came with the set. If you want an authentic look, you could use the actual doll that is available in the stores ( as I did with my Tinker Bell cake). In this case you will have to wrap the doll in Saran Wrap and then insert the doll into the cake.

Tip for healthy living:

For naturally exfoliating your skin, make a home-made scrub by mixing together 1 tbsp oatmeal powder, 1 tbsp milk and 1/2 tsp honey. Mix it into a paste. With your fingers rub your skin in circular motion with your fingers. Wash off with lukewarm water. You will have naturally radiant skin.

Food for thought:

A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to  beat others. Ayn Rand