Barbie's Wardrobe Malfunction

The Barbie Doll cake was quite popular at one time. I remember my first encounter with the doll cake 5 years ago when my friend's boyfriend ordered one as a surprise for her birthday. She was turning 31. Who could resist a pretty-looking doll, not even the guys I suspect.

Anyway, a friend emailed me asking if I could make a Barbie Doll cake for her niece's 8th birthday and though I've never made one before, I was eager for the opportunity. So I did a bit of research and went down to my baking supply store where I went a little crazy buying embellishments like pearls, lace and flower sprinkles. And there's Barbie herself - for the purpose of baking - she is only doll on top and a toothpick from waist down - a bit freaky but very convenient.

I baked chocolate cake and stacked it up to create a dome shape for the skirt, then covered it in pink fondant. Then came the fun part, playing dress up! I wrapped a sweetheart bustier around Barbie with floral ribbon for cross-back straps. This is not baking, this is playtime!

Here she is, all ready for the party...

A look at the details of her dress...

Unfortunately, my moist chocolate cake was probably not 'stiff' enough to hold her upright for the night as she awaited her pick up in the morning... she started to lean forward and to my horror, cracks started to appear on her fondant dress! All that effort... I was devastated! Then I called my friend and told her, "We have a wardrobe malfunction!" Good thing she's got a sense of humour and just said, "Tell Barbie to walk and not run!" ;p

In the end, I salvaged it with pretty pink floral cutouts and this is what the birthday girl received...

Lesson learned... foundation is everything!