Princess and the Pea party cake

If you’re looking for the perfect cake for your little princess-in-waiting, this simple yet spectacular Princess and the Pea cake is it.

Remember when you were a little girl and you got to flick through the Australian Women’s Weekly book of birthday cakes, trying to decide which cake you wanted for your sixth birthday — the pony or the princess castle?

With the world abuzz in anticipation of the arrival of the royal baby, why not treat your little princess to a cake she’ll remember for years to come? Perfect for a princess-inspired party, this Princess and the Pea party cake is a cinch to whip up and will have your guests gushing as they fondly re-live Hans Christian Andersen’s lovely tale.

Looking for more royal-inspired party ideas? Here’s how to throw a royal baby shower >>

Ingredients:

• 1 box of strawberry and cream cake mix
• 1 packet of pink wafer bixcuits
• 1 box of fondant icing
• Silver baking balls and food colouring to decorate

Directions:

1. Grease and line three rectangular loaf tins and preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. If you don’t have three tins don’t worry — you can just use one tin and the only difference it will make is that your cake will take longer to bake.
2. Make the cake following the instructions on the box.
3. Divide the batter into three and pour into the prepared cake tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking as you go with a skewer. The cakes are done when the skewer comes out clean.
4. Cool the cakes on a wire rack then pop into the freezer for a few hours. This makes them easier to cut.
5. Now it’s time to assemble your cake!
6. Using a large serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally to make six thin layers. You may need to trim the top off each cake first to ensure each layer is flat.
7. Then, mix up the icing according to the instructions on the packet.
8. Pop a small dollop of icing on your chosen serving plate then put down a layer of cake. Spread the icing over the top of the cake, then place another layer on top. Continue until you have icing between each layer of cake but do not ice the top. Gently trim down the sides of the cake tower to even things up if necessary.
9. Next, roll out the fondant icing until it forms a thin sheet. Cut a rectangle out of the sheet that will fit over the cake, leaving the short ends and some of the side of the cake exposed.
10. Ice the short ends of the cake with a little leftover icing mix that you used between each layer of cake then press the wafer biscuits in place to create a bed-head. You may need to stack two wafers on top of each other to get enough height — if you do, make sure you secure each layer with a layer of icing.
11. Finally, decorate your cake with silver baking balls. You can colour a small piece of fondant green and roll it into a ball to press into the side of your princess cake to represent the pea and you can make a pillow out of any leftover cake covered with pressed fondant if desired.

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