Princess Birthday Cake Ideas

Most girls will request a princess-themed birthday party at one point in their young lives. There’s just something about dressing up in fancy dresses, wearing tiaras, and living a fairy tale life with a happy-ever-after that fascinates and enchants little girls. So if you are planning such a party, looking for princess birthday cake ideas should be on your to-do list.

First Things First: Define “Princess”

I have done my fair share of princess parties since family and friends started tapping me for help. And I have to warn you that picking the right cake can be a rather tricky business if you haven’t figured out the specifics. What exactly does this mean? Well, you need to know that the word “princess” is quite a broad term. You will have to figure out first what your little celebrant means when she says she wants a princess party.

Is your girl referring to all Disney Princesses or just a particular one like Belle or Elsa? Or perhaps she is referring to a specific non-Disney princess, like Sofia the First? Perhaps, too, she means “princess” in general and not a certain princess character? You will have to be very clear about this, especially if we’re talking about pre-school girls because, at this age, they can be very unyielding. They already have a specific vision or imagery in their heads, and you wouldn’t want to not meet their expectation.

My Bottom Line Up Front

When I hear “princess birthday,” I automatically think of Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Elsa, Anna, Aurora, Jasmine, Ariel, Rapunzel, and the rest of the ball-going Disney crew. So it goes without saying that when it comes to princess birthday cakes, I gravitate towards something with all our favorite Disney princesses onboard.

I particularly love cakes with these Disney princesses in their cute chibi versions. Just like this one:

Shortlisting Princess Cake Ideas

Like I said, “princess” can be a broad term. So when you look for princess cake ideas online, you can expect to be bombarded with all sorts of cakes with anything remotely “princessy.” Sifting through all of these ideas can be overwhelming and very time-consuming. That’s why I’m doing it for you.

To narrow down these ideas, I categorized my search into three:

Disney princess birthday cake ideas. These are princess cakes that feature our favorite girls from Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mulan, Brave, Pocahontas, Moana, and The Princess and the Frog together. And although the Frozen princesses — Elsa and Anna — are technically not included in the official list of Disney princesses, you can count them in, too.

Non-Disney princess birthday cake ideas. These are cakes with specific non-Disney princess characters. Think of Sofia the First, Barbie, or perhaps Princess Peach Toadstool from Super Mario.

Generic princess birthday cake ideas. These are cakes that don’t feature any specific princess character from anywhere.

Princess Birthday Cake Ideas

Disney Princess Birthday Cakes

Princesses and Castle Cake

What are princesses without their castles, right? So if you plan on getting at least a medium-sized cake for your birthday girl and her princess guests, might as well get one with a castle to give it a multi-level and multi-dimensional look.

This two-tier buttercream cake has all the pink towers your castle will ever need. You can add your favorite Disney princesses, either as paper cutouts or edible images.

You can also make your castle from fondant in pretty pastel colors, like this cake. And get cute little toy figurines for your Disney princesses.

You also don’t have to invite other princesses over. This Sleeping Beauty castle cake, for example, shows you that all you need is Princess Aurora.

Toy Figurines Cake

I think using toy figurines on a cake is a great idea because it’s like hitting two birds with one stone. Your little girl would love the cake, and she gets to keep the toys that came along with it.

Take this drip cake, for example. Just buy the princess figurines from the toy store, give them to your baker so she could use them to decorate the cake. There’s even a paper-crafted castle to serve as background for the figurine toppers, and a little crown and chocolate balls as finishing touches.

Here’s another example of a princess cake using only a three figurines. This buttercream cake showcases a few modern cake decorating trends, too: palm leaf, chocolate balls, and dried flowers.

Princess Number Cake

Number cakes are also a trend these days. The great thing about number cakes is that they make up for their lack of height by having all sorts of decorative elements on top: meringues, chocolates, fresh fruits, macarons, and anything that relates to the theme. That includes princesses, too!

This princess number cake has cutout princesses in addition to the usual meringue, macarons, and molded chocolates.

Princess Portrait Cake

Sometimes, you just need to highlight how pretty these Disney princesses are. So you can print edible images of their faces and put them up in gold gumpaste frames, just like how this cake did it. It’s like a gallery of princesses, topped with a gold fondant crown.

Or you can just pick your girl’s favorite princess and go for a single portrait. This cake, for instance, is all about Aurora. And it’s made even prettier with pink and white synthetic flowers cascading down one side, mint green macarons, a gold paper castle silhouette topper, and a gold name sign.

This Princess Tiana cake is another example. You have a portrait of Tiana framed in gold fondant, and then you have a carriage as topper and a lovely white Phalaenopsis orchid adorning one side of the portrait and the name.

Flowing Skirts Cake

Princess cakes where the upper half of the princesses’ bodies are edible images and the lower half are their flowing skirts made of thin sheets of different-colored fondant are always a sold-out concept. Of course, Ariel is always the exception.

This Elsa cake shows you another way to do this fondant skirt technique. You can simply use a paper cutout for the face and upper torso, then form creases and ruffles with your gumpaste.

Belle & Beast

This cake features the iconic ballroom scene with Belle and the Beast. And what better way to do it than printing this dance scene on an edible cake wrapper? Top it with a big yellow flower or pompom, and you’ve got a winner!

Belle Balloon Cake

Here’s another take on a Belle-themed cake for your little girl. You’ll see a tall cake with yellow buttercream frosting, pipings on the edges and on the sides, an assortment of little gold and white balloons, gold ribbons, a gold acrylic sign, and a Belle figurine on the top and center.

Snow White & the Seven Dwarves

If the only Disney princess who matters for your little celebrant is Snow White, then make it about Snow White. The other princesses would just steal the show. But that doesn’t mean she has to be alone. You can get the seven dwarves to join her.

How about Snow White and the seven dwarves in gumpaste? Of course, you would need someone with tested and proven gumpaste or fondant sculpting skills to make sure your cake turns out pretty.

Or, you can go for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves toy figurines, like what this fondant cake did.

Snow White 3D Dress Cake

I have to admit that using a doll and incorporating it into the cake, with the cake making up the skirt portion, is something that doesn’t really appeal to me anymore. It’s like one of the oldest tricks in the book. But with this particular Snow White cake, I am making an exception. Why? The doll is not the usual Barbie doll and is really cute with her big head and large eyes. And the skirt does showcase superb piping skills for the ruffles and ribbons.

Cinderella Carriage Cake

This cake shows you that you can do a princess cake without showing the princess herself. You can simply have Cinderella’s lovely carriage as a topper and pretend she’s inside, on her way to the ball.

Letter Cake

If there’s a number cake, there’s also a letter cake. This one has cream pipings in pink, white, and lavender, chocolate hearts and flowers, gold crown cutouts, and a paper cutout of Princess Aurora.

Chibi Cake

Princesses in their chibi forms translate into very cute-looking cakes. Chibis are also an easier and safer alternative for cake makers since it can be very difficult to accurately replicate the looks of Disney princesses using gumpaste.

Take a look at this chibi Jasmine head. It doesn’t have Jasmine’s face, really, but the hair and the headdress give it away.

Snow White Blue, Red & Yellow Cake

This cake boasts Snow White’s bold and basic blue, red, and yellow. She is probably the only princess associated with all three primary colors. Even the level of cake decorating here is pretty basic, with swirly buttercream piping on the bottom layer, a large red bow made of fondant in the middle, and a smoothened frosting on the second layer. You can use a paper cutout of her and top the cake off with a gold tiara.

Rapunzel Hair Cake

Rapunzel’s long golden locks present a perfect opportunity for you to get creative with your cake.

This cake, for instance, uses Rapunzel’s hair to pipe yellow buttercream around the cake and to sprinkle it with sugar flowers. Of course, you can definitely make a more polished piping job than this cake.

And here’s a Rapunzel cake that uses braided fondant to add more volume to her hair. Rapunzel is made from cutout paper, and her skirt is also made of fondant. There are paper butterflies, her tower, and sugar flowers, too.

Tsum Tsum Princess Cake

Tsum Tsums are Japanese collectible toys that are stackable versions of Disney characters. These toys are really cute with just their rounded faces and dot eyes and nose. Of course, there are Tsum Tsum versions of Disney princesses, too.

This cake gives you super cute Tsum Tsum princesses. You have Tsum Tsum versions of Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, Anna, and Rapunzel adorning the pink buttercream cake. And it has a dog to give it a touch of Paw Patrol.

Princess Silhouette Cake

It can still be a princess cake even if it doesn’t have any of the princesses’ faces on it. You can print their forms or silhouettes on glittery gold paper, then add some flowers and macarons, and you’re all set. You can also add a silhouette of Sleeping Beauty’s castle — which is the most iconic of all castles, I think — for your background to complete the look.

Princess Cookie Cake

I think that iced cookies are really a cool way to decorate a cake. Guests who prefer cookies over a slice of cake can just take one. This cake is an example of how you can decorate cookies as Disney princesses and place them on your cake as toppers.

Non-Disney Princess Birthday Cake

Sofia the First

If there’s one other princess that little girls adore and look up to, it’s Sofia the First. But, make no mistake, though, this lovely girl is technically a Disney Princess herself! She may not be one of the princesses in any of Disney’s animated movies, but her show is still produced by Disney Television for Disney Junior and Disney Channel.

This Sofia the First cake is simple, but the cutout Sofia itself makes it princessy enough.

Fairy Princess Holly Cake

Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom is a beloved show. So it’s not surprising if you get a request for a party theme or a cake inspired by Fairy Princess Holly (and Ben Elf, by extension). This pretty cake is nothing complicated, but it captured their magical kingdom rather well.

Princess Peach Toadstool Cake

This princess from Super Mario has been around for a long time, and I don’t see her going anywhere. So if you have a gamer birthday girl, a Princess Peach Toadstool cake may make her giddy.

This pink and gold princess cake is so feminine, and I find it cute and somewhat funny that there’s not even a trace of Mario and Luigi.

Now, this cake is more characteristic of the game that a lot of us grew up playing: mushrooms, bricks, stars, goombas, coins, and piranha plants.

Barbie Princess Cake

I have yet to see a girly-girl who isn’t obsessed with Barbie. So a princess cake that features Barbie as a princess is like hitting two birds with one stone. You can get a paper cutout of Barbie, put on a separate crown cutout on her head, then add a gold fondant crown and scepter as topper, and voila!

Princess Peppa Pig Cake

If your little girl is into Peppa Pig, then she knows how much Peppa loves playing princess. So if she wants a princess cake, you can try to get Peppa into it, too, and she’d surely be thrilled.

Generic Princess Birthday Cakes

Princess Figurine

If your celebrant is simply a fan of anything princessy and not any princess in particular, you can get a generic princess figurine for your cake and go from there.
This cake sports a really cute princess figurine topper, which goes really well with pink, white, and gold chocolate balls.

Back-View Princess

Since princesses are really all about their long, flowy dresses, you can highlight that by using a back-view version of her, just like this cake, with a girl in a majestic red gown and a crown of red flowers.

And here’s another version of a princess’ back. She’s in a lacy gown with pink skirt, surrounded by gold butterflies and chocolate balls.

Tiara Cake

Sometimes, all it really takes for a cake to be a princess cake is a tiara on top.

Here’s a beautiful pink cake with a little gold crown sitting askew on buttercream piping. And if it doesn’t sound like a fairy tale enough, there’s a “Once upon a time” on the base.

Tell me it’s a princess cake without telling me it’s a princess cake. Well, the two-dimensional acrylic tiara and the pink isomalt decor say it all.

This little cake just looks royal with its sparkly tiara. The white buttercream cake is simple and almost plain, but all those rhinestones on the tiara would make you go wow.

Take a small drip cake, top it with meringues, macarons, sprinkles, and a little crown.

Red isn’t a usual color for a one-year-old’s princess cake, and that’s what makes it unique. Aside from the gold crown sitting on top, the cake has white, pink-tipped roses cascading down its side and on one side of the base.

Here’s another take on a cake fit for royalty. It has a fondant tiara in gold sitting on top of it, a little gold castle in front, and the celebrant’s name in a golden frame.

Yet another with a crown as a topper. But this cake is purely in white and gold. It’s being two-tone and multi-textured has a very dramatic effect.

Princess Ballerina

This one’s another cake with a gold crown as the only indicator that it’s a princess-themed one. Because without it, it’s definitely a ballerina cake, with the edible image and the base that resembles a tutu.

Unicorn Princess

We know how unicorns are such a fad among little girls. So if your birthday girl is torn between a princess and a unicorn theme for her party, well, you can give her both. You’ll be happy to know that My Little Pony also has a unicorn princess character, Princess Celestia!

Pastel Princess & Castle

This princess cake just looks delicately sweet and beautiful with its fondant castle in soft pastel colors. Add to that all the decorative elements that little girls’ dreams are made of: rainbow, lollipops, butterflies, candies, a unicorn, and a fairy princess.

Swan Princess

For girls, swans will always be beautiful, pure, graceful, and magical creatures, just like how princesses are or should be. So if you take a swan and put a crown on its head, you’d hear no objections.

This small cake has a delicately shaped swan cut from a sheet of fondant. Add a golden crown and let it float above some beautiful flowers, then top it off with a fondant tiara, and you’re done.

Here’s another gorgeous princess swan cake with pretty much the same concept. Well, except that it’s a two-layer one, and its first layer is decorated with edible feathers.

Princess Number Cake

You can also make a princess number cake that is more generic. Just add tiaras as your defining element.

Princess Cake for the Young-at-Heart

Who says princess cakes are only for little girls? You can definitely surprise a girl of any age with a cake that gives off princess vibes, like this quilted fondant cake in light gold, with a crystal crown resting on a cushion.

Pink, Roses, and Ruffles

This cake shows you that you don’t have to put tiaras, princess figurines, castles, or scepters to make it a princessy cake. All you really need are mad piping skills! Get a two-layer cake and cover it in soft pink buttercream, pipe some ruffles and roses, add edible pearls, and you got something with princess vibes. This cake even reminds me of a princess dress.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How much does a princess cake cost?

Answer: It is hard to give a definite price range for princess cakes. Aside from the size, cost would also depend on the kind of cake it is, the flavor you choose, and the complexity of your princess cake’s design. And these things could be relative since different bakers or cakemakers vary in skills and expertise, and the availability of different ingredients could vary in different places. So all these things should be factored in when you set your budget. This is why it is always best to inquire about prices ahead of time and to know which bakery could make the kind of cake you want.

Question: My daughter asked for a Disney Princesses cake. Who are the Disney Princesses?

Answer: The official Disney Princesses are Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Moana. Anna and Elsa are also Disney princesses, but they are not included in the official list because Frozen has its own franchise and its own line of products that are marketed as separate items from that of Disney’s. However, your daughter probably does not know this, so she may not care about who made it to the official list.

Question: What makes a cake a princess birthday cake?

Answer: The definition of a princess birthday cake depends on whose birthday it is. If your daughter asks for a princess cake and she defines it as one with Disney princesses, then that’s what you ought to go for. If it’s just something pink with roses and tiaras, then you go with that definition, too.

Conclusion

At one point or another, little girls will want a princess birthday and, therefore, a princess birthday cake. And you will soon realize that choosing a princess cake isn’t as simple as you thought it would be, mainly because “princess” can be a broad term. You wouldn’t want to give your birthday girl the wrong princess cake. The best way to get a princess birthday cake right is to always ask your birthday girl what specific princess cake she wants. But let me just clarify and get it out of the way: princess cakes are not just for little girls.

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