SQUEEE!
That's the noise of me receiving a Dolly Cake, because really, what is not to SQUEEE about? It's a doll, in a cake. Enough said. My Aunt Tina and my Mom have been making Dolly cakes (or as they're referred to in Australia, Dolly Varden cakes) since all of us girls were mere babes and have been going strong ever since. The trick is finding and designing a doll to suit the look, attitude, style, and flavor of the girl receiving it, and this time around, I went a little crazy. My friend Andreanna is getting married, and I jumped at the chance to plan her bachelorette party--a relaxing night in wine country--and immediately became inspired to make an exact reproduction of Andreanna on her soon to be wedding day, in the form of a dolly cake. This, I know, sounds a little creepy. The notion that us bridesmaids would be sitting around physically inhaling Andreanna in baked effigy did not exactly sit well with me. But I got over it, because, SQUEEE! Dolly cake!
I had been to one of her gown fittings, and I knew how she would style her hair, so I set out to craft stores searching for the perfect accessories to create my mini-Andreanna. Luck was on my side. Mini flowers exactly like her hair piece sprung to me, I used my sister's jewelry wire to wrap her hair into a messy side bun, and it dawned on me that toasted marshmallow frosting with coconut would mimic the elaborate folds and ruching of her off-white dress, as well as the decorative flowers surrounding the top of her bodice. I think I did a pretty bang up job, but I think I'll leave that for the groom to decide.
NOTE: You must use a special Dolly Cake Tin in order for the cake to work.
Ingredients:
12 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan2 cups white sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
For the Marshmallow Frosting:
4 egg whites
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 cups of extra fine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon malibu rum
3/4 cup coconut, toasted (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the dolly cake pan well, as well as the rod that attaches in the center. Cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and coconut extracts and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the remaining dry ingredients, and in another bowl mix the sour cream and milk together. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream and milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut gently. Pour the batter evenly into the dolly pan. Bake in the bottom of the oven (you'll need the room for 45 minutes, then crank up the heat to 350 and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the cake near the center is cooked through. Cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.
Place all ingredients, except for the extracts and rum, in a large double boiler over rapidly boiling water. Beat constantly with a hand mixer for 7 minutes. At this point it should be white and frothy. Remove the icing from heat and add the extract and rum. Continue beating until the icing becomes shiny and spreadable. Spread the icing on the cake and decorate as you please. I did the doll's bodice ahead of time, and allowed it to dry so it would be easier to place on the cake. I also used a butane torch to toast the frosting and highlight the folds.
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