Two Worlds

My mom made this princess cake for her granddaughter’s birthday in April 2013. © Photo by Antonio Gerenini

My mom and I have been making this princess cake for the little girls – and some of the big girls – in the family for a while. The one above is my mom’s latest version, which she made earlier this week for her granddaughter’s third birthday. We cheated a bit because we bought a kit that included the doll’s head and body on a pick that slides easily into the center of the cake, and a round cake mold to create the dress. Then, we just dress up the cake however we like. The kit nicely includes one blond and one brunette doll pick. Despite my mother and I having dark hair, we’ve only made the blonde. All the girls we’ve made it for are fairer than we are.

You can make this cake without the kit. First, you need a boxed cake mix (or your favorite made-from-scratch cake recipe). If you choose your own recipe, I wouldn’t get too creative because you need a cake that will stand up firmly and won’t fall apart. Here are the rest of the supplies in which you should invest -

One metallic bowl that is oven safe

One Barbie doll (or other similar doll)

Icing or fondant and decorations for the cake

Butter and flour the bowl well. Then, prepare the batter and put it into the bowl and bake it at 350 degrees. Keep an eye on it because your oven and the size of the bowl will influence when it’s done. Just make sure it springs back and that a wooden skewer can go into the center and come out clean, both good indications that your cake is good and cooked all the way through. Then, let the cake cool. Put two pieces of overlapping wax paper on top of the plate or stand on which you’d like the cake to stand. We took the photo above before we traveled by car with the cake, so you still see the wax paper. My mom kept the wax paper, which we use to catch any falling icing or messiness that occurs during decoration, until we arrived at the birthday party, and she kept the cake on her lap – and begged my father to drive slowly. Then, you must carefully turn the bowl with the cake upside down on the stand. You might have to use a soft, flexible plastic spatula to loosen the sides first. Remove the bowl. Your cake should be in one piece on the stand. If the cake is a little crumby, don’t worry. You can cover it with decoration.

Now, this is the fun part. If you have a full-bodied doll, as opposed to the pick from the kit, you will either have to remove the legs or find a way to make a hole large enough in the cake to allow her to stand. I would remove the legs, unless you made a bundt cake, in which case you have to use a lot of icing or some other trick to keep her standing at the center and then you’ll have to cover the area around her legs too. My mom and I often use ribbon to create a shirt for the doll’s breasts. Or you could use doll shirts if you have them or make them yourself. Of course, you could use fondant, too.We are not fans of eating fondant, but in the photo below, you can see a bride cake I made for my sister-in-law’s shower back in 2007, for which I did use fondant. That cake was used as a table centerpiece and no one actually ate it.

You can frost the cake or use fondant to decorate the gown. In the photo above my mom dyed purchased white icing with red food coloring to create the pink color. She also added a cupcake liner to form a decorative “ruffle” at the waist. As I mentioned earlier, I used fondant for the bridal gown below. Others get rather fancy with icing decorations on the gowns. You could also use edible glitter or pearl sprinkles. The various edible spray paints out there might also come in handy. Use your imagination and try to come up with ways to fit the theme of the occasion.

If you plan on making this cake more than once, then keep the non-edible decorations for years to come. For the cake above, my mom reused the veil I made for my sister-in-law’s cake (for which I used a sheer favor circle folded in half and silk flower used to decorate favors) and a bouquet of tiny silk flowers and ribbon that I bought at a craft store. She and I both used similar silk flowers to hide any errors at the “hem of our gowns.” (To see more scoop on the bridal shower for my sister-in-law, you can visit “How to Throw a Tea-Themed Bridal Shower I” and “How to Throw a Tea-Themed Bridal Shower II” on the now defunct Bride Board.) Really, the decoration is limited only by your imagination.

Don’t feel badly about digging into the cake either. Just make sure to take lots of pictures of your work beforehand. My mom’s granddaughter (my niece) said the princess tasted delicious, after all.

Back in 2007, I made this bride cake for my sister-in-law’s shower. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Di Meglio is the author of Fun with the Family New Jersey (Globe Pequot Press Travel, 2012) and the Guide to Newlyweds for About.com.

My prince and I when we renewed our vows. © Photo by Bella Pictures

Today, as I watched the Royal Wedding (yes, I was up at the crack of dawn to watch it live), I could not help but remember my own wedding day in Italy and our vow renewal in the United States. And I found myself dreaming of my prince, who is in Italy right now while I’m toiling away in the United States. Despite the challenges of sometimes having to live apart, I love my prince. I thought this photo really captured that; it also happens to show him looking at me in a way that proves he’s crazy for me, and it’s not often that a photo captures the look, but this one did. Many people wished us a lifetime of happiness that day, and I think those well wishers brought us good luck. Let’s do the same for the Royal Newlyweds. You can send them a message (and marriage advice) on the About.com Newlyweds site. Or read their profile to learn their love story. Or both. You can also dream about your own prince or princess and share your own wedding story, too.

Royal Parade in Ischia

A parade literally marched to our door in Ischia, Italy last night. (Click on “Royal Parade in Ischia” above to see a YouTube video of the parade.) Because my husband’s family lives in the heart of the island’s capital city Ischia Porto, this, much to our delight, happens every once in a while. Yesterday’s parade was particularly special because it is held annually in honor of Sant’ Alessandro and has the townspeople dressed in traditional royal and peasant garb from the days when Castello Aragonese in Ischia Ponte was a functioning fortress and castle.

While the dancing horses caught the eye (not to mention the nose every so often), it was the women’s elaborate gowns replete with trains, embroidery, pearl details, and stunning headpieces that stole the show. My three nieces, Laura, Giulia, and Francesca were dreaming out loud of wearing the gowns and playing princess the whole time. To be honest, it made me secretly want to put on one of my wedding dresses even if for just a little while in the privacy of my own home when no one was looking. After all, every girl wants to feel like a princess at least once in a while. That might be why Giulia is always parading around the house in a tiara and beads.