The princess and the pea kids' birthday cake recipe

Make this gorgeous princess party cake by food expert Annabel Karmel - perfect for your little girls' birthday party

Ingredients

• 4 Madeira cakes
• 6 tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam
• 200 g (7 oz) buttercream icing

To decorate:

• icing sugar, for dusting
• 1 kg packet white ready-to-roll
• royal icing
• 4 tbsp apricot jam
• 1 x 500 g packet pink ready-to-roll
• royal icing
• sugar flowers
• sugar decoration sprinkles
• green food colouring
• 1 doll
• 1 cake board or tray approx 25 x 35 cm (10 x 14 in)

Method

1. Cut the cakes in half lengthways and vertically. Spread the strawberry or raspberry jam thinly on one of the cut sides and put the buttercream on top, then sandwich them together. Sit the cakes on their sides on the board or tray, side by side. Trim the tops level so that the cakes fit together snugly to form a rectangle approx 18 x 24 cm (7 x 9 in).
2. Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of the ready-to-roll white icing to 28 x 34 cm (11 x 13 in). Warm 3 tablespoons of apricot jam in the microwave (or small saucepan) until runny and brush over the cakes. Cover the cakes with the white icing and trim away any excess icing. Fold the four corners of icing to make it look like a sheet. Use 50 g (2 oz) of the remaining white icing to make a pillow. Make a rectangle shape with a slight dent in the centre, and use your fingers to make a draped edge to the pillowcase. Place on the cake.
3. To make a duvet, dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out the remaining 450 g (1 lb) of white icing to approx 24 x 28 cm (9 x 11 in), slightly thicker than the sheet. Also roll out the pink icing to approx 22 x 28cm (8 x 11 in). Place the pink icing on top of the white icing, leaving 2 cm (1 in) on one side.
4. Fold the 2 cm (1 in) of white icing on top of the pink duvet. Place the doll on the bed and cover with the pink duvet. Create drapes around the edges of the bed and trim away any excess icing. Using the apricot jam and a small brush, attach the sugar flowers. Spread the sugar sprinkles around the doll and bed.
5. Use the remaining trimmings of icing to make a pair of slippers and place on the cake board or tray. Finally, using some drops of green food colouring with white icing, make a small pea and tuck it under the mattress.