What is the best technique to put icing on plastic?

What is the best technique to put icing on plastic? - Side view of female cook putting sprinkles on frosting of cupcake while standing near window during holiday preparation at home

I'm going to attempt to do is bake a cake for my daughter's first birthday. The cake is going to be based on this recipe, but I want it to look more like this one.

Now if you look at the 2nd link, it seems as though the icing has been put directly onto the doll. I can see a problem here, how will it stick to the smooth plastic of the doll.

What would be the best way do you think? Create some sort of base layer which is more tacky and then ice over that?

Edit

The recipe which I have linked to is incomplete when it talks about the Icing. So I would probably use this Butter Cream recipe.

Update

I took all your comments and suggestions on board. Spent a few weeks trying out different sponges, and then did a rough prototype.

http://timjames.me/media/proto-1.jpg

Then the day before her birthday, I made this

http://timjames.me/media/version-1.jpg

I am happy with it! Hope you approve :P



Best Answer

Are you sure you want to use icing? The barbie cakes I have seen all have the skirt made from rolled marzipan, not from icing. The bodice can be a normal fabric top or dress (inedible, can be washed after the cake is eaten) or also molded from marzipan. I agree that it isn't as tasty as buttercream icing, but it surely makes a more beautiful skirt.

This recipe has 196 pictures, you can see different variations of the bodice.

If you insist on using icing, I would try to smear something sticky onto the doll first, for example honey or syrup in the softball stage, then apply the icing on the sticky layer. I haven't tried this myself (nor have I tried applying icing directly to plastic, so I don't know if it will hold).

On another note, don't forget to put the barbie's legs in a cut-off paper towel cylinder, so she doesn't get damaged when the cake is cut, and doesn't fall when pieces of the skirt are missing. Also, if you bake the layers in a guggelhupf pan, you don't have to cut a piece out of the middle, which is hard to get right.




Pictures about "What is the best technique to put icing on plastic?"

What is the best technique to put icing on plastic? - Unrecognizable female sprinkling topping on green frosting of cupcake while standing near windowsill with wooden board and coniferous branch on blurred background
What is the best technique to put icing on plastic? - Crop woman putting scattered pills back in jar
What is the best technique to put icing on plastic? - Red and Brown Bird Standing on Grey Wood Stump



How do you apply icing effectively?

Start by icing the top. Dollop icing in centre of cake, then use a butter knife or palette knife to spread icing outwards into a thin, even layer. Leave excess icing around edge to ice the sides. Spread icing from top edge down the sides of the cake, adding more icing when needed.

What can I use instead of piping tip?

Using a Ziploc bag as a piping tip is fast and easy. You don't need to purchase another bag or another tip, it's all in one.

How do you put plastic icing on a cake?

Place the frosting bag into a tall glass to make it easier to fill. Roll the top edge of the bag over the top of the glass and use a spatula to fill the bag with your frosting. Be careful to keep the frosting inside the bag to avoid a mess. Once you've filled the bag, squeeze out any excess air and then seal the top.



How to Use a Decorating Bag | Wilton




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Tim Douglas, Tim Douglas, Artem Podrez, zohaib khan