Surf's Up!

            One of my favorite themes to recreate on a cake is the beach. Being one of the first cakes I’ve ever made, I was excited when my friend Morgan asked me to make her boyfriend’s cake with a beach theme.

            Shawn, who is a lifeguard in Long Beach Island, loves surfing and summer. For this reason, Morgan and I set out on designing a cake that Shawn would absolutely love.

            French vanilla cake with a rainbow chip filling, the cake was covered in buttercream frosting and cerulean blue frosting. To create the sandy effect, graham cracker crumbs were secured onto half of the cake using a thin layer of white frosting. The other half was covered with a blue and white swirled frosting, applied using Wilton star tip 21 to create the wavy effect.

            The lifeguard chair, due to limited time constraints, was constructed using miniature wooden picket fences purchased from Michaels, which were then painted white and hot glued together to form a chair. The driftwood plank that hangs on the front was painted the decorated in the same manner.

            White anchors and blood orange crabs were cut from colored fondant and adhered to the sides of the cakes using a small amount of water.

            TIP: When working with fondant, be sure to keep the room you are working in at a cool temperature. When exposed to too warm temperatures (especially when put in the microwave to soften), fondant becomes too soft and sticky, making it extremely difficult to work with. When working with the crabs, due to the amount of food coloring used combined with the temperatures of the microwave, it took many attempts until a crab did not fall apart upon cutting.

            A yellow surfboard and beach ball were formed out of fondant and secured on the cake using toothpicks that were hidden inside the cake. It was then lined with white frosting using star tip 21 to create a clean border.

            This cake, surprisingly, was quick to make, only taking approximately three hours. It was fast and fun and a huge hit for the birthday boy. With the hot summer months quickly approaching, anyone would love a beach themed cake for their birthday.