This Princess Belle Doll Cake features her dress made with a fondant bodice and a yellow buttercream rosette skirt with red sugar roses. Here, I go through all of the steps to make this cake.
After the Cinderella Dress Doll Cake I made for her 4th birthday, my daughter asked for a Belle Dress Doll Cake for her 7th birthday. We had just come home from a Disney World trip where she dressed as Belle at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, so it was the perfect fit.
This was a particularly crazy time of year for us, so I just made the cake, rather than do a whole themed party like I normally do. I also did not get good photos of the cake, but I still wanted to share the project!
If you're looking for other Princess cakes, check out this Snow White Doll Cake!
Jump to:
Supplies
- Belle Princess Doll, approximately 11-inch
- princess dress doll cake pan, such as Wilton Wonder Mold Doll Cake Pan
- two 9-inch cake pans
- cake baking strips
- nonstick baking spray
- 2 boxes cake mix, or 2 batches homemade cake of choice
- 4-5 batches Easy Vanilla Buttercream
- yellow food coloring gel
- white rolled fondant or gum paste
- small fondant rolling pin, optional
- large star or drop flower tip, like 1M or 2D
- petal tip #104, optional to add ruffles
- red sugar roses, such as these
- gold sugar pearl
Bake the Cakes
When making the Cinderella Dress Doll Cake, I realized that the cake made in the Wilton Doll Cake Pan is not tall enough for a standard size 11-inch doll. It is made for use with a doll torso that comes with the pan.
When I was trying to put Cinderella in the cake, I had to angle her and her feet popped through the front of the cake! I was able to patch it, but I knew I needed a solution the next time I made a Princess Dress Doll Cake.
To address this, I baked two 9-inch layer cakes in addition to the Wilton mold. I placed the domed cake on top of the 2 layer cakes.
To bake the cakes, prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by adding wet baking strips around the pans and spraying the inside with nonstick baking spray, such as Pam for Baking.
Make one of the cake mixes according to the package directions. Divide the batter evenly between the two round pans, and bake accordingly.
When the round cakes are finished, cool them for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert them onto cooling racks.
Meanwhile, spray the Wilton dome mold with nonstick baking spray. Prepare the second cake mix and pour into the mold. Bake at 350°F for 70-85 minutes. You can test for doneness using a long wooden skewer the same way you would use a toothpick in a shallow cake.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then unmold the cake onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Cool all of the cakes to room temperature before assembling.
Assemble the Cake
Smear a small amount of buttercream on a cake board or cake stand. I like to use Easy Vanilla Buttercream but Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream works well too.
Place one of the 9-inch layers on top. Cover the cake with a thin layer of buttercream then add the second round cake. Cover the second cake with a thin layer of buttercream before placing the dome on top.
Then, using a serrated knife, shape the top edges of the layer cakes to make a continuous dome shape.
Add a crumb coat of buttercream over the entire exterior of the cake.
Decorate the Cake
Wrap an 11-inch Belle doll's legs in plastic wrap. This will help protect the doll from that cake and buttercream. Carefully slide the doll's legs into the center of the cake until her waist reaches the top of the cake.
Use yellow food coloring gel to tint some white fondant by using gloved hands to work the gel into the fondant.
Roll the fondant on a cutting board lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Cut the fondant with a sharp paring knife into the shape of the bodice.
Carefully wrap the bodice around the doll's torso, cutting away fondant where needed to achieve the look you want. Secure the fondant together in the back. This may require a small amount of water to secure.
Make sleeves for the dress, if desired, add a gold sugar pearl to the top center of the neckline to represent a medallion.
Add about 3 cups of buttercream to a large bowl. Tint with yellow food coloring gel to achieve the desired yellow color. I went for a deep yellow.
I wanted to add ruffles to the bottom of the cake, To do this, transfer the yellow buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a #104 petal tip and pipe a few layers of ruffles at the bottom of the skirt.
For the rosettes, transfer the yellow buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large star or drop flower tip like a 1M or 2D. Pipe rosettes over the surface of the entire cake to represent the skirt of Belle's dress.
Place red sugar roses into the yellow buttercream.
Storage
Store the cake covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. If chilled, allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving to soften the buttercream.
Serving
To serve the cake, carefully remove the doll from the cake before slicing.
Gluten Free Option
Use gluten free cake mixes or your favorite homemade gluten free cake recipe. I highly recommend King Arthur brand gluten free boxed cake mixes. Grease the cake pans with butter and sprinkle with gluten free flour rather than using a baking spray containing flour. Check your packaging for the other ingredients for possible gluten contamination.
📖 Recipe
Princess Belle Doll Cake
Equipment
- 1 Belle Princess Doll, approximately 11-inch
- 1 princess dress doll cake pan, such as Wilton Wonder Mold Doll Cake Pan
- 2 9-inch cake pans
- 2 cake baking strips
- 1 small fondant rolling pin, optional
- 1 large star or drop flower tip, like 1M or 2D
- 1 petal tip #104, optional to add ruffles
Ingredients
- nonstick baking spray (such as Pam for Baking)
- 2 boxes cake mix (or 2 batches homemade cake of choice)
- 4-5 batches Easy Vanilla Buttercream (see note)
- yellow food coloring gel
- white rolled fondant or gum paste
- red sugar roses
- gold sugar pearl
Instructions
Bake the Cakes
- Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by adding wet baking strips around the pans and spraying the inside with nonstick baking spray.
- Prepare one of the cake mixes according to the package directions. Divide the batter evenly between the two round pans, and bake accordingly.
- When the round cakes are finished, cool them for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert them onto cooling racks.
- Meanwhile, spray the Wilton dome mold with nonstick baking spray. Prepare the second cake mix and pour into the mold. Bake at 350°F for 70-85 minutes. You can test for doneness using a long wooden skewer.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then unmold the cake onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Cool all of the cakes to room temperature before assembling.
Assemble the Cake
- Smear a small amount of buttercream on a cake board or cake stand.
- Place one of the 9-inch layers on top. Cover the cake with a thin layer of buttercream then add the second round cake. Cover the second cake with a thin layer of buttercream before placing the dome on top.
- Using a serrated knife, shape the top edges of the layer cakes to make a continuous dome shape.
- Add a crumb coat of buttercream over the entire exterior of the cake.
Decorate the Cake
- Wrap an 11-inch Belle doll's legs in plastic wrap. This will help protect the doll from that cake and buttercream. Carefully slide the doll's legs into the center of the cake until her waist reaches the top of the cake.
- Use yellow food coloring gel to tint some white fondant by using gloved hands to work the gel into the fondant.
- Roll the fondant on a cutting board lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Cut the fondant with a sharp paring knife into the shape of the bodice.
- Carefully wrap the bodice around the doll's torso, cutting away fondant where needed to achieve the look you want. Secure the fondant together in the back. This may require a small amount of water to secure.
- Make sleeves for the dress, if desired, add a gold sugar pearl to the top center of the neckline to represent a medallion.
- Add about 3 cups of buttercream to a large bowl. Tint with yellow food coloring gel to achieve the desired yellow color.
- To add ruffles to the bottom of the dress, transfer the yellow buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a #104 petal tip and pipe a few layers of ruffles at the bottom of the skirt.
- For the rosettes, transfer the yellow buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large star or drop flower tip like a 1M or 2D. Pipe rosettes over the surface of the entire cake to represent the skirt of Belle's dress.
- Place red sugar roses into the yellow buttercream.
Leave a Reply