Pink Palace First Birthday Cake
Two-tier round pink palace cake decorated with fondant flowers, towers, curtains, and a baby figurine topper—perfect for a first birthday party.
Ingredients
white ready-to-use fondant (for covering the cake and making various decorations)
285 oz
light pink fondant (for making flowers and covering the cake)
22 oz
dark pink fondant (for making spires and door frame decorations)
16 oz
light pink fondant (for covering the cake)
176 oz
dark pink fondant (for making curtains)
36 oz
green fondant (for making bushes)
16 oz
light copper fondant (for making baby topper)
8 oz
yellow fondant (for baby topper)
1/2 oz
black fondant (for baby topper)
1/2 oz
8 x 3-inch round cake pan (for baking the top tier cake)
1
16 x 3-inch round cake pan (for baking the bottom tier cake)
1
buttercream frosting (see page 118) (for frosting the cake)
to taste
diluted fondant adhesive (see page 119) (for attaching decorations)
to taste
white cake glitter (for decorating flowers)
to taste
pink cake glitter (for decorating spires)
to taste
white candy melts (for attaching towers)
to taste
square and flower cutter set (for cutting fondant shapes)
1
heart-shaped plastic nested cutter set (for cutting heart decorations)
1
romantic castle cake set (for cake decoration (see pattern on page 132))
1
2½-inch ball column set (for supporting cake layers)
1
Instructions
1
Make fondant flowers and decorations ahead of time
Dye 22 oz fondant light pink and 16 oz dark pink. Roll out the white and light pink fondant to 1/8 inch thick and use cutters to cut 15 medium white flowers and 14 small white and light pink flowers. Use a ball tool on thick foam to indent the flower centers. Brush the medium flowers with a wet brush and sprinkle with white cake glitter. Roll small balls as flower centers and attach with a wet brush. Place the medium flowers in cornstarch-dusted small flower-forming cups to dry; place the small flowers on a cake board lined with parchment paper to dry
2
Make top border and balcony railings
Add 1/2 tsp Gum-Tex to the remaining light pink fondant and roll to 1/4 inch thick. Use the smallest cutter to cut 58 small squares and dry as above. Make balcony railings by cutting 1/2 x 14 inch strips; bend and dry on a parchment-lined template
3
Make balcony bases
Add 1/4 tsp Gum-Tex to 3 oz dark pink fondant and roll to 1/4 inch thick. Use the smallest cutter to cut 20 small squares and roll ten 3/4 inch balls; dry on a cake board as above
4
Make turret spires
Lightly brush the turrets with frosting. Roll dark pink fondant to 1/8 inch thick and cut spires using the template, covering 4 large, 1 medium, and 2 small spires. Smooth the seams with your fingers. Cut 1/4 inch wide strips and wrap in a spiral around the spires, attaching with a wet brush. Brush the strips with frosting, then sprinkle with pink cake glitter
5
Make windows
Use the template and light pink fondant to cut turret windows and attach with a wet brush. Roll 1/4 inch diameter logs and attach around the windows with a wet brush
6
Prepare turrets and baby topper
Prepare the turrets to be inserted into the cake (page 128). Make the baby topper (page 128). Dye the fondant: 8 oz light copper, 1/2 oz yellow, 1/2 oz black
7
Bake the cakes
Bake and cool the two-tier cake (trim to 2½ inches high to make a 5-inch tall cake). Prepare the stacking structure as on page 116 and the rolled fondant as on page 119
8
Cover and assemble the cake
Cover the cake with 176 oz light pink fondant and smooth with a fondant smoother. Stack on a foil-wrapped cake board with the top tier 2 inches from the back edge
9
Add doors and turrets
Roll dark pink fondant to 1/8 inch thick and use the template to cut 2 doors. Roll light pink fondant to 1/8 inch thick and cut one heart shape for each door using the smallest cutter from the set and attach. Roll 3/8 inch logs and attach around each door. Use melted candy to attach the large turrets 4 inches on each side of the doors; attach the remaining large turret 12 inches from the front turret
10
Add curtains
Make 17 curtains using 5 x 3½ inch strips (page 126). Attach the curtains to the cake with a wet brush, spaced 4 inches apart. Attach a medium flower to the end of each curtain
11
Assemble the balcony
Assemble the balcony bases using diluted fondant adhesive: attach a 3/4 inch ball between 2 small squares; make 10 groups, spaced 3/4 inch apart. Attach the railings with adhesive. Attach top border squares, spaced 5/8 inch apart
12
Add bushes
Dye 16 oz fondant green and roll to 1/8 inch thick. Use the template to cut large and small bushes and attach around the base cake. Attach small flowers to the bushes
13
Party decoration
Insert the medium and small turrets into the cake at the party. Place the spires on top of the turrets. Place the baby topper. Serves 97
