Princess Castle Cake
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This magical Castle Cake will be the hit of your princess themed birthday party. Complete with pink turrets, cascading vines and Disney princesses, it’ll make any little girl feel like royalty!
Originally published November 2015 – Updated April 2024
Easy Castle Cake Recipe
One of my favorite things about having little girls is they love all things princess. So when it came time to throw a princess party for my oldest, I knew that not just any cake would do. My plan was to create a castle cake that would make any Disney princess proud.
While I am pretty crafty, I’m no professional baker. I looked on Pinterest but most of the cakes I liked were made by professionals and a little to extravagant for my DIY skills. So I took ideas from a variety of different cakes and decided to do my own thing…and I have to say, I love the way it turned out!
What makes this recipe better than most is that, not only is it delicious, it is truly beginner-friendly. It may take a little time, but this easy tutorial takes you through each step, from frosting the cake to creating towers and adding all the cute details like vines and flowers. Once you’re finished, you’ll have a show-stopping castle cake that’s perfect for any princess party.
If Rapunzel is a favorite in your house, you might also like my Rapunzel cake. If you’re looking for more princess party ideas, be sure to check out these Disney Princess Dress Up Ideas, these Princess Coloring Pages and Princess Party Favors.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Easy castle cake tutorial: Though there are quite a few steps, this cake is easy to make and you don’t have to be a professional baker to do it.
- Beautiful design: This colorful, two tier cake decorated with a beautiful castle design is any little girl’s dream cake.
- Budget-friendly: A homemade cake costs a fraction of what you’ll pay at a bakery. Plus, it’s super fun to make!
Ingredients
- Cake mix (plus the ingredients needed to make them)
- White frosting
- Ice cream cones (with flat bottoms)
- Sugar cones
- Pink sugar sprinkles
- Mini marshmallows
- White fondant
- Yellow, pink and green gel food coloring
- Candy flowers
- Shredded coconut
See recipe card below for ingredient amounts.
Important: Certain ingredient amounts, the frosting and fondant for example, are estimates. This is a very old recipe (and actually the first recipe that I added to my blog). It was more of a tutorial for putting the cake together so I didn’t add ingredient amounts at the time. I’ve since updated the recipe and am adding the ingredient amounts based on my best estimates. You may want to have a little extra frosting on hand, just in case you need it.
How to Make a Disney Princess Cake
Step 1. Using boxed cake mixes, you will bake four cakes in all: two 8″ rounds and two 9×13 rectangular.
Tip: Bake your cakes the day before the party since building a castle birthday cake takes some time.
Step 2. To start the design, frost nine regular ice cream cones, but leave the bottom unfrosted for now.
Step 3. Next, frost the five sugar cones.
Step 4. Once the cones are frosted, sprinkle them with pink sugar sprinkles.
Step 5. Store cones in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
Step 6. Before you put your cakes together, you’ll need to level them. I highly recommend an inexpensive cake leveler, just because it’s so much easier to use than a serrated knife. Don’t worry if the corners are a little uneven, because you’ll be cutting them off to add the towers anyway.
Step 7. Place one 9×13 cake, leveled side down, on a large platter. If you don’t have a platter big enough, you can use a cardboard cake board (which was what I did).
Step 8. Frost the top of the cake with white frosting and place the second 9×13 cake on top, leveled side down again. Now, frost the entire cake.
Tip: You can use any type of frosting or buttercream you prefer, but the decorations stand out the best with white icing.
Step 9. Level the round cakes. You may want to use a cardboard round (it makes serving much easier), but you don’t have to. Place the first round cake in the center, leveled side down, and then frost the top.
Step 10. Add the second round cake on top of it, also leveled side down. Now you are ready to frost. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, because you can always go back later and add more frosting.
Step 11. Cut off a small part of each corner, just large enough to fit the cones.
Step 12. Since the bottom of the cone is wider, you’ll want to cut a little deeper into the bottom of the cake. Add some extra frosting to the corner of the cake, then attach the tower . You may have to make a few more small cuts to get it just right. If you have a little gap, don’t worry about it. You can use frosting to fill it in.
Step 13. Ice the flat top of the cone and place another one on top. Smooth out the frosting on the sides.
Step 14. Now ice the inside of the top cone and place the sugar cone upside down inside it.
Step 15. Cut a hole in the top of the round cake to hold your last tower. It doesn’t matter if you don’t cut it to the exact size. Don’t forget to ice the inside of the regular cone to hold the pink sugar one in place. I cut my hole towards the back of the cake so I’d have room for a happy birthday message but you can put it in the middle if you’re not adding a message.
Step 16. Insert a regular frosted cone in the hole, then add the pink one.
Step 17. Now it’s time to have some fun decorating! Mix up some pink frosting and pipe it around the base of each of the cakes. You can also use it to decorate the towers. Add mini marshmallows to the turrets as well, then add your Happy Birthday message.
Step 18. Originally, I rolled out the fondant and brushed yellow food coloring over the top. If I were to make this again, I would mix the food coloring right into the fondant, then roll it out (but either option works).
Step 19. Cut four windows and a door from the fondant. Use pink frosting to make the windowpanes and add a small dot of pink to the door to make the doorknob.
Step 20. Mix up some green frosting and add it to a piping bag. Pipe vines on the turrets and around the windows, then add candy flowers.
Step 21. Add vines and flowers around the front door.
Step 22. To add the finishing touch, place shredded coconut in a freezer bag, along with a few drops of green food coloring. Seal the bag and shake until the coconut is evenly covered. Sprinkle the “grass” around the edges of the cake, add your princess figurines and enjoy!
Castle Cake Variations
- Cake flavors: You can make this with any cake flavors you like. Instead of classic vanilla, try chocolate cake, strawberry cake, or even a funfetti cake mix.
- Windows and doors: If you don’t have fondant, try using colorful candies or cookies to create unique shapes for the doors and windows.
- Towers: Instead of frosting them, try dipping the cone in melted white chocolate. Sprinkle them with edible glitter to add some extra sparkle.
- Themed cake decor: For a super fun twist, add decorations to match a theme. For example, you could make blue sugar sprinkles and add a toy carriage for a Cinderella cake. You could even add miniature snowflakes for a Frozen themed cake.
FAQs
Yes, in fact, I recommend it. While this cake isn’t difficult, it does take some time and you don’t want to still be decorating as your guests are arriving. I would just wait to add the figurines in the day you plan to serve it.
Start by decorating the cake on a sturdy base, like a cake board. Once you put it in the car, make sure you secure it on something that is non-slip, like a large box or even a bath towel. If possible, you can add some of the decorations once you get to the party.
Sure! Turn this pretty pink into other castle cake ideas. A medieval cake decorated with gray frosting and flags, shields, and swords is a fun idea. A candy themed cake, decorated with colorful lollipops, canes, and gumdrops, would be adorable too!
More Delicious Birthday Cakes And Cupcakes
- Harry Potter Birthday Cake
- Beauty And The Beast Cupcakes
- Beach Cake
- Mermaid Cupcakes
- Unicorn Cupcakes
Princess Castle Cake
Ingredients
- 3 boxes yellow cake mix and ingredients on box
- 4 containers white frosting *see notes
- 9 ice cream cones (flat bottom)
- 5 sugar cones
- pink sugar sprinkles
- pink food coloring
- yellow food coloring
- green food coloring
- 32 candy flowers
- 4 ounces white fondant *see notes
- 35 mini marshmallows
- 2 cups shredded coconut optional
Instructions
- Using boxed cake mixes, you will bake four cakes in all: two 8″ rounds and two 9×13 rectangular.3 boxes yellow cake mix
- To start the design, frost nine regular ice cream cones, but leave the bottom unfrosted.4 containers white frosting, 9 ice cream cones (flat bottom)
- Next, frost the five sugar cones.5 sugar cones
- Once the cones are frosted, sprinkle them with pink sugar sprinkles.pink sugar sprinkles
- Store cones in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
- Before you put your cakes together, you’ll need to level them. I highly recommend an inexpensive cake leveler, just because it’s so much easier to use than a serrated knife. Don’t worry if the corners are a little uneven, because you’ll be cutting them off to add the towers anyway.
- Place one 9×13 cake, leveled side down, on a large platter. If you don’t have a platter big enough, you can use a cardboard cake board (which was what I did).
- Frost the top of the cake with white frosting and place the second 9×13 cake on top, leveled side down again. Now, frost the entire cake.4 containers white frosting
- Level the round cakes. You may want to use a cardboard round (it makes serving much easier), but you don’t have to. Place the first round cake in the center, leveled side down, and then frost the top.4 containers white frosting
- Add the second round cake on top of it, also leveled side down. Now you are ready to frost. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, because you can always go back later and add more frosting.
- Cut off a small part of each corner, just large enough to fit the cones.
- Since the bottom of the cone is wider, you'll want to cut a little deeper into the bottom of the cake. Add some extra frosting to the corner of the cake, then push the tower into it. You may have to make a few more small cuts to get it just right. If you have a little gap, don't worry about it. You can use frosting to fill it in.
- Frost the flat top of the cone and place another one on top. Smooth out the frosting on the sides.
- Now frost the inside of the top cone and place the sugar cone upside down inside it.
- Cut a hole in the top of the round cake to hold your last tower. It doesn’t matter if you don’t cut it to the exact size. Don’t forget to ice the inside of the regular cone to hold the pink sugar cone in place. I cut my hole towards the back of the cake so I’d have room for a happy birthday message but you can put it in the middle if you’re not adding a message.
- Insert a frosted cone in the hole, then add the pink sugar cone.
- Now it’s time to have some fun decorating! Mix up some pink frosting and pipe it around the base of each of the cakes. You can also use it to decorate the turrets. Add mini marshmallows to the turrets as well, then add your Happy Birthday message.pink food coloring, 35 mini marshmallows
- Originally, I rolled out the fondant and brushed yellow food coloring over the top. If I were to make this again, I would mix the food coloring right into the fondant, then roll it out (but either option works).yellow food coloring, 4 ounces white fondant
- Cut four windows and a door from the fondant. Use pink frosting to make the windowpanes and add a small dot of pink to the door to make the doorknob.
- Mix up some green frosting and add it to a piping bag. Pipe vines on the turrets and around the windows, then add candy flowers.green food coloring
- Add vines and flowers around the front door.32 candy flowers
- To add the finishing touch, place shredded coconut in a freezer bag, along with a few drops of green food coloring. Seal the bag and shake until the coconut is evenly covered. Sprinkle the “grass” around the edges of the cake, add your princess figurines and enjoy!2 cups shredded coconut
Notes
- Some ingredient amounts, the frosting and fondant for example, are estimates. The first version of this tutorial didn’t include ingredient amounts (it was one of the first posts on the blog). I’ve since updated the post and am adding the ingredient amounts based on my best estimates. You may want to have a little extra frosting or fondant on hand, just in case you need it.
- You may want to bake your cakes the day before you plan to decorate it, since building this cake takes a good bit of time.
Nutrition
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Can you put this whole cake together the day before party? It is beautiful and I am trying it for my granddaughter turning 5!
Yes! In fact, I made the turrets several days before and kept them in the refrigerator until I was ready to add them to the cake. Then I made the cake the day before as well (way too much to do on the actual day of the party!). Enjoy!