seaside cake~(n)

also known as “how to make realistic looking sand”

Last week, a dear friend of my sister’s asked if I would do a cake for her daughter’s birthday. She was turning eighteen, and wanted something “beachy”. I was honored, because eighteen is a big one. Birthday, that is. I wish I could remember my 18th birthday. I don’t though. But, I am pretty certain it happened.

In case it didn’t does that mean I can go back for a do-over?

Easy enough, right?

Like when you need shampoo, and forget it at the store.. you just go back, right?

I’m rambling. Anyway….

This was actually my very first sheet cake… err…half sheet cake. When I was a kid, I always thought they were called “sheep cakes”. My mom would always say, “You can have a party but I’m not buying one of those sheet cakes!”

I don’t know… she had a thing against the big bakery cakes.

Need to talk with my mom about that, I guess…

The part I had fun with the most was the sand… doesn’t it look real?

The seashells were simply fondant pressed into a candy mold, and allowed to “firm up” overnight.

The sand was a mixture of vanilla wafers, graham crackers and sugar pulsed in a food processor. Then I placed it on top of some beige tinted frosting on the cake, and the “sea” was simply butter-cream tinted blueish-teal.