Recipe

Australian Women's Weekly Dolly Varden Cake

This iconic children's birthday cake was inspired by the character, Dolly, in one of Charles Dickens' novels. A special baking pan, in the shape of her dress has been created just for this cake and you'll need one of them for this recipe.

May 06, 2016 2:00am
  • 40 mins preparation
  • 1 hr cooking
  • Serves 12
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Use this Dolly Varden cake recipe as inspiration for your own designs. All it takes is some coloured buttercream and sweets from your local grocery store. This "Punky" Varden cake was made using licorice straps, sour straps, royal icing and gunmetal silver cachous! Rock and roll!

Ingredients

  • 470 gram packet butter cake mix
Butter cream
  • 125 gram butter
  • 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoon milk
Decorations
  • 200 gram pink and white marshmallows
  • 1 Barbie doll, or similar, legs removed
  • 1 metre-long pink ribbon (for top)
  • 1 artificial flower (optional)

Method

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease dolly varden pan well.
  • 2
    Make cake according to directions on packet; pour mixture into pan. Bake about 1 hour. Stand cake in pan 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool completely.
  • 3
    Make butter cream: Place butter in a small bowl of electric mixer; beat until butter is as white as possible, gradually add about half the icing sugar, beating constantly. Add milk gradually, then gradually beat in the remaining icing sugar; mixture should be smooth and easy to spread with spatula.
  • 4
    Spread butter cream all over cake. Gently push doll down into cake to waist level.
  • 5
    Halve marshmallows; press marshmallows, cut-side down, alternating pink and white, all over 'skirt', starting from the bottom. Wind ribbon around doll's body to represent bodice, tie at the back in a large bow. Position flower at waist.

Notes

Special Dolly Varden cake tins are available from most cake decorating suppliers and some kitchenware stores. You could use one 175 gram packet butter cake mix, if you don't want to make it from scratch.

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