Barbie dolly varden party cake

I've made this cake today for a little girl's 4th birthday party and while making it had a very interesting conversation with my daughter who is five.

I asked her if she also wants such a princess cake and she replied this is not a princess, it's a Barbie - which of course is so right! She then went on to say that she doesn't want a Barbie cake as she fears
I will take her Barbie's legs off and it means she can't play with them anymore - point made.
I guess I'll be making a princess castle instead for her birthday. :-)

That's how I made it: You'll need a Dolly Varden or similar shaped tin to bake the cake. In this instance I didn't bake the cake but here are some tips on how to best bake the cake).
You then need approx. 1.2 kg of white ready-to-roll fondant icing and approx. 500 g vanilla butter icing, silver and pink cachous and pink food colouring.

Invert the cake and trim the base to ensure it sits flat. Brush away crumbs. Use a palette knife to spread the cake with a thin layer of vanilla butter icing (crumb coating) and let set in the fridge.

Meanwhile colour 1/3 of the white fondant icing pink. I prefer to use gel colouring from Wilson and always use a skewer to only start with a small amount as the colour is very strong. Knead in the colour until even. Roll out the pink on a piece of baking paper until 2 mm thick and cover the cake board (if you use a very large board you might need more pink fondant icing) with it. Cut along the edges with a knife and keep the leftover for the dress layer (wrap tightly in cling wrap until needed). Set board aside.

Apply a second thick layer of butter icing to the cake and smooth then put back into fridge. Use 1/4 of the white fondant icing and colour light pink, wrap in cling wrap until needed. Roll out the remaining white fondant icing until 3 mm think and cover the cake smoothing the top and letting it crease towards the bottom so it looks like a ball gown.

Wrap leftover icing in cling wrap. Now is the time which for me is always a bit nerve wrecking. You have to move the cake from the working board to the covered board and to place the cake in the right spot. I use a big and sturdy palette knife to lift the cake up and over to the main board. Smooth and trim icing if necessary.

Roll out dark pink icing to 2mm and cut an approx. 24 cm circle (I used a plate or cake tin) and drape over the first layer, allowing the icing to create ruffles.

Roll white icing to 2 mm and cut approx. 15 cm circle and drape over the pink layer. Roll out the light pink to 2mm and cut to 10-12 cm circle and drape onto white layer.

Insert the doll into the centre of the cake and make the bodice dress part. If you don't have the half-doll topper you can use any barbie without legs. You then have to cut a wider hole to fit the torso into the cake (it's a bit of an operation really- but don't tell anyone).

Cut 3 strips from the light pink icing and wrap around two around the bodice and secure at the back. Cut a leaf shape with a cutter to make the front part of the dress. Roll up the long sides of the third strip to make it look like a belt and wrap around waist, secure ends at the back. For the neck use a tiny narrow strip and secure at the back. Cut out little flowers and use silver and /or pink cachous to decorate the doll.