I am new to baking and next Saturday I am attempting to bake a Barbie doll cake. I have researched the cake on google and  youtube and they suggest you should use a box cake mix because it is dense.  Does it really matter if it's a dense or moist recipe?  I will be baking the doll cake in a 1 1/2 quart pyrex glass bowl and two 8 inch round cake pans. I would prefer to use a homemade vanilla or yellow cake. Would anyone be willing to share a dense homemade vanilla or yellow cake recipe that I could use? One more thing, could someone please tell me how much cake batter I  should use in the 1 1/2 quart pyrex glass bowl.

Thanks 

I always use the Wondermold pan and an eight or nine inch by 2 inch deep layer or two underneath( usually petal pans) so I have no idea how much batter a pyrex bowl takes. But the best way to guesstimate is to take measuring cups of water to figure out how much water it takes to fill the pan to 2/3.  The standard amount of batter used for any pan is 2/3 of the amount it takes to fill a pan to the top, although all cake mixes and from-scratch cake recipes don't create the exact same results.  Meaning that different mixes or recipes rise different amounts.

You can use most cake recipes for this purpose. I don't think it matters much if it is a dense or moist cake but I wouldn't do it with an angel food cake recipe if I was covering the cake with fondant for example. 

I like the white cake recipe that is part of the Martha Stewart Neapolitan Wedding Cake recipe on her site. 

You are likely going to need 1 1/2 to 2 times most standard cake recipes that make about 4.5 to 5.5 cups of batter.

Here is the white cake recipe from Martha Stewart.

 3 1/4 cups of cake flour, sifted (not self-rising)

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of whole fat milk, not 2 %

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

14 tablespoons (which is 1 3/4 sticks of unsalted butter or 1/2 cup plus 3/4 of a half a cup which is a total of 7 ounces of butter)

1 3/4 cup of white granulated sugar

5 large egg whites

My method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 f.  Grease and flour cake pans and line bottom of pans with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl.  

In another container measure out milk and add vanilla.  

Put butter into mixer bowl and using paddle attachment, mix butter until softened. Add sugar gradually and beat on medium speed for 8- 10 minutes.  

Add flour mixture in three parts alternating with milk mixture and mix on low, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl, mixing just until incorporated.

In a separate bowl using the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form.  Using a spatula, fold in one third of egg whites until combined. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two batches.

Divide batter among prepared pans. This recipe yields about 6 cups of batter. So you likely need about 1.5 to 2 times the recipe. I have used it often for stacked cakes so it would be a good choice for a Barbie cake. Baking times for 3 inch deep pans are:

4 inch round - 1 cup batter - 30 minutes

6 inch round - 3 cups batter - 30 minutes

8 inch round - 5 cups batter - 40 minutes

10 inch round - 6 cups batter - 30 minutes

12 inch round - 9 cups batter - 35 minutes

Those are the time estimates from the site which may vary from oven to oven.

Hope that helps.

Thank you Squirrelly Cakes.

I periodically read cake central forums and I love to read your responses to questions. You are very detailed and thorough in your explanations.  Thank you sooooo much for taking the time to respond to my questions.

Thanks :) 

You are very welcome. I have been told that sometimes I bore people to death with too much detail, haha.

One thing I like to do when making a Barbie cake is to use an empty paper towel roll cardboard tube to core out the centre of the cakes. Then I take another one and wrap it in plastic wrap or another food safe wrap. I place it back inside the cored out centre and insert the doll in the tube. I just find it makes the doll feel more stable and additionally it acts a bit like a centre dowel to keep the layers of cake together.

Don't forget to use boards and dowels on any additional layers that you plan to serve separately.  If you use the paper towel roll, you will need to cut holes in the other cake boards and cake layers but not in the bottom board.  

These doll cakes can get pretty heavy so it is usually a good idea to use a cake drum for your base.

Have fun with your doll cake. I love making these!

sqirrellycakes is always helpful. Decopac.com click on resource center select Barbie roses signature car Barbie dress assembly from Decopac for a video visual. This one uses round cakes

Squirrellycakes thanks for the idea about the paper towel roll tube and the cake drum.  What size box do you put your doll cake in?

Thanks for your help 

littlejewel thanks for the Decopac.com website.  I love the videos.

Thanks for your help 

Sorry, just seeing this. I use moving boxes. Get one close to the diameter of the cake drum. Line the box with non-skid shelf liner/mat, the rubbery stuff. These boxes come in various heights. On one side, I cut down the side with a utility knife. Tape it back in place. 

Thanks Squirrelly Cakes

You are very welcome.