There is nothing quite like the look of joy on a Barbie-loving little gal’s face when she is presented with her very own Barbie Doll birthday cake. Let me first tell you that I have made more of these cakes then I can possibly count. I started long before I had a little gal of my own and I am still making them today. Well, not today, but I did last weekend! A friend of my daughter is a sweet, Barbie-loving girl who also has her black belt in Tae Kwan Do. Like Barbie, I am pretty sure she might grow up to be a doctor, veterinarian, teacher, Ambassador for World Peace, or pretty much anything else she puts her mind to doing.
Cake mixes: $3.00 dollars. Cream Cheese frosting: $6.00. Barbie from Target: $7.50. The look of delight on a little girl’s face when she sees her own Barbie cake: PRICELESS.
I will have to admit that the first time I made a Barbie cake (and remember this was long before I had children) I took all weekend to bake a perfect cake from scratch, made 3 colors of frosting and spent at least 6 hours piping, swirling, and making rosettes all over her ball gown. It was beautiful, but man, no one in the real world has all weekend to work on a Barbie cake! Over the years I have simplified the process. The one I made last weekend took about 1.5 hours to decorate, but remember I was stopping to take pictures so I could share my simplified process. I promise you don’t have to be an expert to make this cake look fabulous.
Use a full sized Barbie. I know at the cake stores you can buy Barbie’s torso so you don’t have to make such a big cake skirt, but half the fun for the Birthday gal is to have a Barbie to play with when the cake is all gone. There is a line of ballerina Barbies that sell for 5 – 10 dollars. I find these work great because Barbie has a plastic bodysuit that is attached so there is no need to pipe a bodice with icing. Wrap your Barbie’s hair and legs in plastic wrap to protect it from the frosting process.
There is no need to go out and buy the special Barbie cake pans. I use three types of cake pans to make this cake. For the bottom I use a bundt pan, for the middle I use a heat-proof pyrex bowl, and for the top layer I use a cupcake. I use a generous application of Pam on each “pan”, if you don’t like using Pam, just be sure to grease and flour each pan thoroughly. To keep things simple I use cake mixes. You will need 2. One for the bundt pan, and the other for the heat-proof bowl. Use the remaining batter to make cupcakes. You should get about 4 – 6 cupcakes. I usually bake the cakes the day before just so the cakes firm up a bit before you try to frost.
A good basic decorating frosting is from Wilton. It makes a great firm, easy-to-use decorating icing. But now I will nit pick. Maybe it’s because I have made this frosting too many times, but I just don’t like the taste anymore. Because I have simplified the decorations on this cake, I now use the DC CUPCAKE Easy Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. This doesn’t make really stiff frosting, but it will work fine for this cake. If you want to do more elaborate piping than I show here, stick with the Wilton recipe.
DC Cupcake Frosting Recipe (Make 2 and ½ times the recipe for your Barbie Cake)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese
Food coloring
Cream the butter and cheese. Add the sugar and vanilla extract. Whip for 2- 3 minutes in your Kitchen Aid mixer. Or if you don’t have a KA whip until very fluffy. Add the food coloring one drop at a time until you have the desired color.
Next, cut a hole in the middle cake just big enough to fit Barbie’s legs. Start stacking your cakes on the platter you are going to use to serve. Remember to use a little of the frosting to glue your cake together. Place Barbie inside the cake. Cut the cupcake in half and use frosting to “glue” it around Barbie’s waist
Now Barbie is ready for her “crumb coat” of frosting. A crumb coat is just a light layer of frosting over the entire cake. This helps to keep the crumbs from getting into your finished frosting as well as hold the cake together. Once your crumb coat is finished put Barbie in the fridge for about an hour to firm up the frosting.
Now comes the tedious part. You will use a frosting bag with a star tip to make little stars all over Barbie’s skirt. Using the star tip is the most forgiving of all frosting methods. Practice a couple of times on a piece of paper. Then go for it! You will start at the top and work all the way around Barbie’s skirt before starting the next row. Offset the stars between the rows like I have here and you will get better coverage. Don’t worry about your stars being exactly the same – I promise it will all blend together for the finished product
To finish off the skirt, add some of these simple Marshmallow Flowers. You make these by simply cutting a mini marshmallow in half diagonally. Dip the sticky cut part into some colored sugar and press into the frosting on Barbie’s skirt to form a flower.
There you have it! A fabulous, SIMPLE Barbie Cake to delight the Barbie lover in your life! Enjoy!
Deborah says
November 16, 2012 at 2:00 pmPie!!!!!
I love it 🙂
I am going to try to do this for my granddaughter’s next birthday.
Pam@IW says
November 16, 2012 at 2:16 pmOk, I just said this over at the Gift Wrapping post but I think even I could do this. 🙂
Kelis sayegh says
December 14, 2014 at 4:33 pmWe’ll I’m gonna have my birthday party at American girl
Pam@IW says
November 16, 2012 at 2:17 pmThis is really so beautiful. I wish I had a little girl or granddaughter. Who would want to eat this?
Deborah says
November 16, 2012 at 2:24 pmI might not be able to wait for my granddaughters birthday.
chardonnay says
November 16, 2012 at 2:47 pmThat is beautiful, Pie!!
snickers says
November 16, 2012 at 2:52 pmPattypie,
Any little girls dream, so cute. 🙂
Ann @ IW says
November 16, 2012 at 4:26 pmPatty also “talked me through” a Barbie cake for my daughter when she turned 18. I wished she’d had one when she was young when I saw Patty’s and I decided, “Why not give her one for her 18th birthday?”
I decided to use a metal mixing bowl and make it an ice cream cake. I used a 2/3 sized Fairie Barbie instead of a full-sized doll, to keep the proportions right. And because I frost my ice cream cake with Cool Whip and I can’t do those fancy stars, I made sure to get a Barbie wearing a permanent bathing suit for her top.
It was a surprise and she LOVED it. Do you have a little (or big) girl in your life? Make sure she gets the Barbie cake ASAP!
Holly says
November 16, 2012 at 4:34 pmMy Mom used to make these for my Sister and I on our birthdays when we were girls. Thanks for the lovely memories.
PattyPie says
November 16, 2012 at 5:42 pmI love the idea of the ice cream barbie cake Ann!
Holly I had a Barbie cake once as a kid too. I still have the doll from it! I think it was from my 12 Birthday so I have had that doll for… wow… 10 years! Wink Wink!
JennieIW says
November 16, 2012 at 9:17 pmThis is awesome. Is there an age limit on the Barbie cake? Can I have one at 43?
Brie Snyder says
November 17, 2012 at 7:20 amSomewhat creepy to me lol but very awesome to cancel that out!
Kathy via Facebook says
November 17, 2012 at 8:29 amBeautiful!!!
Barbara via Facebook says
November 17, 2012 at 8:29 amBeautiful I never had one, but always wanted one.
Edna via Facebook says
November 17, 2012 at 8:30 ammy daughter will luv this…so nice…
Malia says
November 17, 2012 at 11:02 amThat looks great! Good Job.
PattyPie says
November 17, 2012 at 12:07 pmDeborah..I think everyday can be a barbie cake day 🙂 I bet she would have fun making it with you!
Nickida Stephens says
November 17, 2012 at 12:56 pmThat’s a very pretty cake. I wish I had though of stacking cakes when I did mines. I used the Wilton wonder mold and then added a small round for added height.
Anya@IW says
November 18, 2012 at 7:53 pmWay to go, Patty! And Ann too! There is something about this that just puts a big old smile on my face. Maybe just knowing how happy a Barbie loving girl would be to get a cake like this. Hey, I’m with Jennie, Barbara and others – I would like to have one now! And while I’m at it, I want the skirt made real and I want to wear it around and be a princess for a day!
.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Patty. <3
Lily says
November 18, 2012 at 11:16 pmStars! I can do stars, anyone can do stars. And, you’re only doing one color. This is great if you hate cake dec as I do. To me, it’s one icky sticky mess and I’m not good at it. But stars and the marshmallow flowers are doable and look what you get!! Such a cool cake. Nice job PP!
Mojito says
November 21, 2012 at 7:22 amPattypie is a genius!
PattyPie says
November 25, 2012 at 11:07 amOh Mo, no YOU are the genius! 😉
CJ says
November 27, 2012 at 5:33 amPatty, thanks for the full instructions. Didn’t you make one for a bake sale? Even if there isn’t a little Barbie loving girl in your life, I have to believe these would be great sellers at any goodies silent auction or bake sale.
PattyPie says
November 27, 2012 at 5:16 pmCj you have a good memory. I always make these for school bake sales and raffles! And they do very well! Plus some little girl is always super excited when she wins!
tanya says
February 15, 2013 at 12:55 pmI have always wanted to make a doll cake for one of my girls, but have been a bit intimidated. Thank you for the tutorial, Barbie looks gorgeous! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with Saturday Share With Us! I hope you’ll be back to share more tomorrow!
lisa says
February 22, 2013 at 2:32 pmThat’s so cute and the party girl gets a new Barbie doll too.
Karyn Brian says
May 13, 2013 at 8:04 pmThe meaning of the phrase “ice cream” varies from one country to another. Phrases such as “frozen custard”, “frozen yogurt”, “sorbet”, “gelato” and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. In some countries, such as the United States, the phrase “ice cream” applies only to a specific variety, and most governments regulate the commercial use of the various terms according to the relative quantities of the main ingredients.
Randi says
July 3, 2013 at 11:33 amTHANK YOU! I searched and searched for a do-able doll cake recipe and I finally found one! I’m going to make a few modifications because my daughter is less of a Barbie girl and more of a monster high girl. 🙂 (hey, she’s seven. lol) Thanks again!
The Cake Lovers (@thecakelovers75) says
October 5, 2013 at 1:25 pmGreat article on Barbie Cakes. My daughter loves Barbies.
Shar says
October 12, 2013 at 1:44 pmBoy, does this bring back memories. My aunt and I had the same birthday and she would always make me a beautiful Barbie cake like this. And of course, it was delicious!
laura says
December 15, 2013 at 4:31 pmhi, i’m going to make this for my daughter and i don’t want to buy one of those expensive pans so i love this recipe. i have a ?, can you be very specific about the size of the pyrex pan used?
Pam@IW says
December 15, 2013 at 5:49 pmLaura,
You just need about a 1 quart oven proof bowl that can fit on top of a bundt pan. I can email you a picture that Patty sent me if you would like.
June S. says
December 17, 2013 at 1:34 pm(Barbie Cake 101 – It’s Easier Than You Think!) This looks fairly easy to make. Will pass this on to a good friend of mine who has a three year old little girl.
mindy cole says
December 18, 2013 at 6:45 amThese are great tips I really like the one about wrapping the barbies legs in clear wrap
Cynthia Cover says
December 18, 2013 at 9:19 amThank you for the step by step, that cake is amazing!!! I can’t wait to try something like this with a transformer.
Toneria M says
December 18, 2013 at 10:48 pmI have to try this! My niece wants a Barbie cake for her tea party her mom throws every year. Seems doable lol….wish me luck!
melissa rhodes says
December 19, 2013 at 2:21 pmWhat a sweet cake! My sister made one for me once!
Colleen Hickey says
December 21, 2013 at 5:48 pmMaeve would love a birthday cake like this
Sarah L says
December 23, 2013 at 11:35 pmIt’s great how you show the three different sized cakes that it takes to make a great looking dress.
carrie steele says
January 3, 2014 at 8:48 pmThis is super neat i wish i could bake and make something like this but dont think i have the patients & would love to make one for my girls , super cute thank you
Velvet Hubler says
January 12, 2014 at 9:31 amThanks so much for the easy way to make this cake My daughters would love it and I am going to try it out.
Carolyn Lundy Neumann says
March 25, 2014 at 3:18 pmnice idea and looks easy enough only if my oven worked right thanks for showing how to make the cake
Shannon says
May 1, 2014 at 1:38 pmThis is so pretty, thank you for sharing!!
Kim says
May 4, 2014 at 6:42 pmI just made this cake using a Disney Belle Barbie Doll that has a removable skirt and shoes. It turned out great! It was not difficult, but do it the night before and here are a few words of advice:
– The cupcake for the top needs to be a large cupcake. Mine was normal size so I quartered it an pieced it together around the doll using frosting.
– The icing warms up fast in the pastry bag so I had to do the piping in three stages. Putting the frosting and doll back in the fridge each time.
– I had to triple the icing recipe.
– To cut the cake, take the top cup cake layer off and cut from the top layer down.
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June 6, 2014 at 10:20 pmIt is really impressive what can be created by human hands.
sg says
July 13, 2014 at 6:45 amwhat size is that bowl?
Shannon says
August 1, 2014 at 7:08 pmOh wow this does look like something I could make. Thank you for sharing.
Tarate Kiaieta says
August 28, 2014 at 2:48 pmImpressive! This is the one I’ve been looking for…my daughter loves barbie dolls…Thanks for sharing.
nik says
November 15, 2014 at 1:32 pmHow do you get the Barbie doll or in my case the Elsa doll through the Pyrex size piece?
Thanks for sharing. I am have baked all the pieces and just have to pit it together and ice. I am nervous and excited.
Thanks again!!
Nik
Mary says
January 8, 2015 at 3:23 pmYou don’t give much detail on what temp, or how long to cook the bowl one.
Jennifer says
January 23, 2015 at 9:47 amMy nieces 5th birthday party is tomorrow afternoon and she wanted one of these with Dora instead of Barbie. The size if the cake has to be made bigger to accommodate for the larger doll, thinking of using a large and medium metal mixing bowl instead. Thanks for the tutorial!
Tammy says
February 2, 2015 at 10:42 pmI am making a Barbie cake for my daughter on Friday for her first birthday party on saterday. So excited I love making these cakes.
Lynn says
March 16, 2015 at 8:50 pmThank you so much for sharing this concept! I have wanted to buy one of these from a local bakery for years. After reading your article, I bit the bullet and baked one of my own. What an excellent experience. It was actually one of the easiest cakes I have ever made! it looked gorgeous (I did Elsa from frozen). I used a larger star tip and the tiers aren’t noticeable. Loved it! Thank you! Next time I will make cake from scratch. the Box recipe I used wasn’t very good.
Lynn says
March 17, 2015 at 5:42 amI forgot to mention that I ran out of frosting. I will make 3 1/2 times the amount next time.
Nancy says
March 22, 2015 at 5:46 amCan you use can frosting? If so what do you recommend?
Nola says
May 26, 2015 at 8:06 amI just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing this! I made my first barbie cake yesterday for my daughter’s 7th birthday. I didn’t think I could do something like this, but thanks to your help, it turned out beautiful! She was soooooo happy! Thanks!!!!!
Meredith Medley says
June 9, 2015 at 1:16 pmWhat size pyrex bowl do you need to use?
Phakama says
June 11, 2015 at 5:26 amThank you so much for this post. I’ve been anxiously considering my options after I proudly announced that I would bake one of these for a friend, and these instructions have allayed my fears a little. Wish me luck!
alyssa says
June 19, 2015 at 8:30 amI just made this for my daughter and it turned out great! I was nervous about if it would turn out OK and although it definitely takes some time, it was easier than I thought. Thank you!!! So glad this came up when I googled ‘easy Barbie cakes’ 🙂
Julie Lawes says
August 27, 2015 at 1:40 amJust wanted to say thank you for this. I made a Rapunzel cake (with legs) and everyone was so impressed. I had your instructions on my tablet guiding me each step of the way. So glad I found your site. Thanks again 🙂
Tulika says
September 14, 2015 at 12:03 pmAwesome!!
Cortney says
September 29, 2015 at 5:09 pmI’m going to make this for my friend for her birthday, but instead of a barbie, we’re using a Batman action figure.
CJ says
October 17, 2016 at 7:11 amWish I could see a picture!
Madhu says
October 6, 2015 at 10:36 amAwesome. Glad I came across your site. I want to make a similar cake but with Elsa for my daughter’s birthday. Can you please let me know what is the size of pyrex bowl you used for the center portion.
Diana says
May 5, 2016 at 9:26 amI have a farmer girl who still loves princesses as much as she loves her cows. She is turning 3 in a few weeks and asked me if I could make her a cow princess cake…!!! Any ideas?! I’m stumped!
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nallely says
July 18, 2016 at 11:44 amI made this cake for my daughter’s birthday this weekend and she loved it! Thank you so much for sharing this!
CJ says
October 17, 2016 at 7:08 amThank you! Thank you! You were right, the look on my daughter’s face was priceless! She turned for years old and she loves Cinderella. I wish I could post a picture of the cake I made! It came out just beautiful, everyone was amazed that I made it. I even amazed myself because I am not a baker or frosting person. I followed the easy directions and I bought myself a proper frosting gun. Thanks again.
Rajiv Kumar says
June 19, 2017 at 5:14 amThanks for sharing this perfect article. It was too simple!!!!!!! It gives super delicious cake.
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Krystal says
January 9, 2018 at 2:03 pmWhat degrees do you cook the cake in bunt pan and Pyrex bowl? And for Pyrex bowl so you use whole box of cake mix?
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Christy says
June 28, 2018 at 7:30 amHi,
Thank you so much for sharing your tutorial!! I’ve always been kind of scared to make one, but thanks to your easy instructions I’m sure I’ll even be able to make one lol
Christy