Cake Decorating

Welcoming summer with a fondant cake!

Beach themed cake

Earlier this week, I made a beach-themed fondant cake to welcome the summer season. This cake was specially requested by (and designed for) my nephews to mark the end of their less-than-traditional school year.

I haven’t had much experience with fondant, beyond the celebration cake workshop during Intermediate Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London. In that multi-day workshop, I created a cake decorated with handmade fondant “macarons” stacked on top and spilling over the sides:

Cake decorating workshop

So, since it had been awhile since I’d worked with fondant or decorated a tiered cake, this beach-themed cake presented a fun challenge. It also offered an opportunity to refine my modelling skills.

To create my beach themed cake, I began by making lots and lots of decorations, including surfboards, flip-flop sandals, life preservers, beach toys, beach balls, shovels pails, and sandcastles. I also crafted plenty of marine life, like fish, starfish, seashells, and an octopus. I made each individual piece by hand, using white fondant which I’d tinted with gel food coloring in an array of sunny cheerful summer colors.

Beach themed fondant cake decorations
Seashells, starfish, surfboards, and other cake decorations made out of fondant

Modeled fondant decorations on a sheet of parchment

Fondant surfboards, beach balls, and sea shells

Fondant finsh, lobster, and surf boards

Fondant octopus, lobster, and jellyfish

Modelled fondant decorations shaped like surfboards and marine life

Underneath the decorations, I wrapped the cake in blue and white rolled fondant with a marble effect:

Beach themed cake decorated with rolled and modelled fondant

Fondant Cake Tools and Techniques

For this cake, I relied on a few favorite products, including:

Tylose Powder
Decorator-Preferred Fondant
Chefmaster Liqua-Gel Food Coloring
Fondant Modelling Tools

I do need some additional practice with covering the cake with the rolled fondant (if you look closely, you’ll see that it cracked in a few spots) and I wish I’d had a mini rolling pin handy. Next time, I’d also make the modeled pieces a few days earlier, to allow for plenty of drying time. But over all I was fairly happy with the finished product, and there will definitely be more cakes in my future!

Beach themed cake decorated with fondant, on a marble countertop

Tiered beach themed fondant cake

Beach themed cake with three tiers and fondant decorations

Beach themed cake decorated with rolled and modelled fondant

Octopus, fish, and seashell decorations on top of a beach themed fondant cake

Beach themed cake on a marble countertop

Beach themed cake on a marble surface

Beach themed cake on a cake stand, sitting on a marble countertop

Beach themed cake decorated with fondant

My nephews showing off their beach themed summer cake
Celebrating summer!

Feel free to follow me on Instagram for more of my baking adventures. And if you’re inspired by this post, or make any of my recipes, be sure to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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