How to Make a Princess Castle Birthday Cake

A fantastic birthday cake is the best way to top of a fantastic birthday party. Store bought cakes may lack the personal touch you seek. Not only do these cakes tend to look fairly generic, specialty cakes, such as princess cakes, can cost over $50. When you are throwing a party for your little girl, you want her to feel extra special. A personally designed princess castle birthday cake is a great way to make her feel special. The cost difference is amazing as well. You could spend $10 making your own castle cake, or spend $50 buying one. Baking and assembling your own cake is fairly easy, you just have to follow some simple steps.

Things You'll Need

• 2 boxed cake mixes
• 2 tubes decorating frosting in desired color
• 3 cans of frosting
• 4 cone-shaped ice cream cones
• 1 piece of paper
• Scissors
• 4 toothpicks
• One to four 8 inch square cake pan(s)
• Frosting knife
• Clear tape

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven and prepare the cake batters as described on the store bought cake mix box. Pour the batter into four 8 inch pans or bake four 8 inch square cakes one at a time. Bake as directed and wait for the cakes to completely cool. This could take a couple hours after they are done baking.

2. Slide a knife around the edge of the round pans to release any cake sticking to the sides. Turn the cake over and gently remove it from it's pan. Place one of the square cakes on your cake platter to begin decorating.

3. Open a can of frosting and apply a thin layer to the top of the cake. This will act like glue because the other square cake will sit right on top.

4. Remove the second square cake from it's pan like you removed the first. Center it on top of the first round cake. Use your frosting again to frost the entire 2 cakes together. Make the finish as smooth as possible.

5. Assemble the third cake. Again, frost the top of the second cake and place the third square cake on top of the two layers of cake.

6. Cut the fourth square cut. Use a knife to cut the final cake into quarters.

7. Create next level of the castle. Place some frosting in the center of the top layer cake and spread it out a bit to act as glue. Place one quarter of the cut cake on the frosting in the center of the cake.

8. Repeat Step 7 for two more of the quarters of cake.

9. Cut the last quarter. Use your cake knife to cut the last quarter of cake into quarters.

10. Create two more layers. Add some frosting to the top layer and add one of the quarters. Repeat this step to create one additional layer.

11. Create a crumb coat. Frost the entire cake. Be sure to frost the tops and sides for each layer of the cake.

12. Place the entire cake into the refrigerator for 1 hour to allow the frosting to set. It will be much easier to decorate on top of firm frosting. While you are waiting for the cake to set, get out 4 ice cream cones.

13. Frost the outside of the ice cream cones. Once the cake has been in the fridge for 1 hour, remove it and place back on the counter. Place 1 ice cream cone upside down on top of the round cake and beside one of the square cake sides. Place 2 more ice cream cones beside 2 different sides of the square cake. The side of the square that does not have a tower will be the front of your castle. Finish by centering one more upside down frosted ice cream on the top of the square cake.

14. Draw a line 2 1/2 inches long on your piece of paper. Then, on one end of the line, draw a 1 inch line perpendicular to it. Connect the other end of the 1 inch line to the other inch of the 2 1/2 line to make a triangle. This will be your tower flag. Repeat the drawing 3 more times and cut them out with your scissors.

15. Pick up your tube of decorating icing and edge with bottom of the cake with a continuous line. Then, line where each layer of cake meets. Edge around each tower as well. This decorating frosting will act like the glue that holds the towers in place. Also place a dot of the decorating frosting on the top tips of the towers.

16. Create doors and windows on your castle with your tube of decorating frosting. You can easily make these by drawing upside down horseshoe shapes and filling them in.

17. Tape your triangle flags to the end of 4 toothpicks. Stick 2/3 of each toothpick into the top of each tower. This is the finishing touch.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make your cake many different colors by adding food coloring to white frosting. Towers that color contrast the cake look especially beautiful.

• Be sure to amply spray your cake pans so you don't end up with a cake in pieces.

References

• HowDini: Betty Crocker Kitchen Castle Cake