<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Try a 'Cause You're Special cake mix.  They can be ordered over the net from several different distributors.  They bake just like a wheat cake...raise nice and should work great for the Barbie cake you are thinking of making. Good luck





Hi, I made my own version, way back, when my 21 yr old daughter was 2!Her 2 cousins were sharing the party with her, so I made a 3 Barbie cake table. I placed a round straw hat in the centre of a round table, and covered it all in aluminum foil (Make hollows and ridges for the toadstools etc, by cutting inside of log rolls etc in half, and placing under foil before covering).Then put the three Barbie’s, (with legs on) leaning against the hat, with their backs against it. I made wings( round sandwich cake, cut in half, put  behind

Barbie, against hat, round edges together) then iced on Barbie’s dresses so they were fairy princesses, using butter icing  and an icing nozzle. Put a fireworks sparkler in Barbie’s hand. I then made a pile of cup cakes, and all around the table, at the Barbie’s feet, made a fairy land, icing some as ladybirds, toadstools, etc. Put more sparklers, in toadstools etc, but not close to edge,as kids could get hurt. At appropriate moment, light sparklers and enjoy. Best part was, just needed cupcakes and 3 single sandwich cake rounds! They still talk about it with shiny eyes, at 21,23 and 25 yrs old.





Since gf cakes are trickier than regular, my advice is to do the cake in a flat "skirt" version or to do smaller ones using Kelly dolls, if your daughter would go for that. I'm a veteran of crazy cake shapes for my kids using Kinnikinnick mixes. My daughter is a Kelly and Barbie fan and my son is the one with celiac. I've made cakes shaped like Hello Kitty, Rolie Polie Olie, Bart Simpson, Mike from Monsters, Inc. and last week I made an Oompa Loompa (from Willie Wonka). Oy! Sometimes I use Wilton fondant along with lots of frosting underneath. Frosting is what the kids really care about.

The Kinnikinnick mixes are the best, I've found. Chocolate, especially. I use the fattening version of the recipe with butter, milk and added sour cream. Really good. They don't give specific instructions, but trial and error has shown me to mix like this:
beat room temp./soft butter w/electric mixer until fluffy
beat in eggs, sour cream and vanilla into butter until blended
pour in cake mix with milk on last (mix in sink or the flour will get all over the place)
blend ingredients so dry and wet are mostly-not totally-mixed together
STOP HERE AND DO NOT OVERBEAT!
continue mixing until all ingred. are incorporated with a spoon--not a mixer
Always keep an extra mix or two, with extra ingred. on hand in case of shortage or goof ups. These usually take longer to bake than they say. Sometimes I turn the oven down to 325 degrees and slow bake the last part for another 20 min. or so.
If you use the vanilla mix, try adding 1/2-1 teasp. of almond extract in addition to the vanilla. It gives it a good aroma. I use the canned frostings, such as Duncan Hines or Pillsbury which are gf. Wilton also makes a pretty good frosting. I also swear by doing a crumb coat first. Frost the whole cake with room temp. frosting or even warm slightly in micro. Don't make it perfect- just seal the whole cake. Refrigerate until the frosting solidifies somewhat. Then frost again making it prettier. I use professional gel food colorings to get intense colors. Check out the Wilton site for alternative doll cake pans, flat Barbie images and smaller half round dress pans which would be Kelly sized. I made a really cute-and easy- cake for my daughter with their flower shaped pan. I iced it with hot pink frosting, outlined the petals with orange piping and put a Kelly celebration in the center with Kellys in party dresses sitting at a little table with a mini cake on it (was from a Kelly set).
 I've also done a Kelly swimming pool with a rectangular sheet cake. I used fondant for the "concrete" edge of the pool and diving board, blue dyed writing gel for the water, a mini tube and duck pool toys and Kelly in a bathing suit with her arms up ready to dive. Another Kelly was at the base reclining on a mini towel. That was easy, too.  I know, I'm a nut, but the kids look forward to seeing what kind of cake I've made each birthday. Good luck. Let me know how it turns out.
onesillymom, Susan, NYC



~Melonie (R.O.C.K. leader for NoVa/Metro DC Chapter)  & Owner of SillyYaks (www.groups.yahoo.com/group/SillyYaks)
"Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson






















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