Parenting & New Baby Advice Blog

Archive for the ‘Baby Shower Cakes’ Category

What exactly is this thing called a diaper cake that everyone’s been talking about? It’s actually a very cute idea for a baby shower centerpiece or gift for the expectant mom at her baby shower. It’s a tiered “cake” made entirely out of rolled diapers. You can add as many tiers as you like to make it the center of attention or as few as you like to make it a simple gift. It’s great to bring to the hospital when you first meet the new baby or to give whenever a new baby is born. Here’s how to do it.

To start off you’ll need one large bottle of baby shampoo or lotion. This will be the base for your cake. You’ll need another small one, about 4oz. for the top tier. Then, you’ll need about sixty diapers for a standard three-tiered cake. You can choose to use either cloth diapers or disposables. Check with the new mom to see what she’s planning on using if you can. Select ribbon for the outsides of the cake that matches the shower décor. Gather up enough rubber bands to tie each diaper. Then, you’ll need some small baby supplies like travel sized powder, lotion, tiny thermometer, etc. These are for the outside to decorate the cake.

First, plan to arrange the cake on some sort of platter or disposable cake plate. Clear your area and start rolling up diapers. It’s easiest to do with disposable diapers because they’re already half folded. But if you are using cloth, just fold the diaper in half and then in half again and start to roll. Secure with a rubber band. Continue on for all sixty diapers.

To assemble, place the large bottle of shampoo or lotion in the center of the cake plate. Start adding the rolled diapers until you have on circle of diapers around the bottle. Secure the tier with wide ribbon tightly. Now, add the next tier. Do the same thing around the top of the bottle. Encircle it with the rolled diapers and secure with wide ribbon. For the third tier, place the small bottle of shampoo on top of the second tier. Use the rest of the diapers to create a small tip tier. Tie tightly with ribbon.

Use the extra supplies you have purchased to make a cute topper. A rubber ducky works well. Add the rest of the supplies by tying with ribbon onto the cake all around it. You can omit this last step if you like your cake the way it is. You can also sprinkle on baby-themed confetti that comes in the shape of ducks and baby bottles. You can find it at a craft store.

That’s it! Your cake is set to go. Present it to the hostess  and she may want to use it as a baby shower centerpiece. Or, just put it alongside the other gifts on the gift table. New moms love the gift of a diaper cake because as they disassemble it, they can use the diapers every day. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. Vary the sizes of the diapers if you like as moms tend to get more newborn diapers at their baby showers and then have to run out to the store as baby grows for the larger sizes.

As with all my cake posts, I'm drooling by the time I finish my research!  Luckily, my husband's birthday was earlier this week so I was able to indulge in a little cake, although it wasn't quite as inspiring as the cakes shown below.  All photos were found on www.flickr.com

The adorable creation shown in the top left is displayed by mandott on Flickr.  The two layer design features a railroad track piped on the cake plate and a train pieced together with fondant chugging around the bottom layer.  The top layer has fondant mountains and the topper is a railroad crossing sign.

The top center photo is a colorful train engine created by bo_n_arro.  The cake was cut and pieced together, then skillfully iced with buttercream.  Although it was time consuming to achieve the texture seen on the cake, the end result was worth the effort!

There are many ways to add a train to your shower cake, as seen on the top right cake made by sharoncakes.  The fancy 2 layer cake has colorful fondant accents, topped with a cardboard train that is decorated with icing.

The bottom cake shown above is my favorite train cake because of the shape, color and display!  The display board was simply decorated by cakeboxsoc with green icing and small, simple flowers along with a curved train track created out of icing.  The train itself was covered in brightly colored fondant, then small details were added with colored icing.  Although the design is not the most complex of the cakes shown here, it's still a successful creation.

The center cake in the collage shown above is a simple sheet cake, iced with a small train design in the center.  The train was modeled after the one on the tableware that was used at Linda's Kitchen's shower.

The top design in the second collage is a large train piece baked and frosted by bluecakecompany.  The large pieces were frosted and decorated with buttercream and fondant.  I especially love the gum paste babies that were along for the train ride!

The bottom left cake was made with cakes baked in a loaf pan, then cut, iced and decorated with cookies, graham cracker bears and candy pieces.  The tracks were made out of popsickle sticks and a toy conductor is perched alongside.  This cake was made by amanda p. wu, and I found a great instructional video illustrating how to make a cake similar to this - sponsored by the Betty Crocker Kitchens and Howdini.com.

The final cake in this post is a professionally decorated piece with zebra stripes and jungle animals riding inside the train cars.  I love the detailed fondant work done by Pacific Pastries.  She actually created the circus train out of rice krispy treats because they are easier to mold into shape than cake. I would love having any of these as a baby gift if I were a newborn!!

More fun cake ideas:

• Theme Baby Shower Cakes
• Theme Baby Shower Cakes II

The cupcakes pictured here are perfect for a Blooming Flower Baby Shower, but you don't have to wait for a baby shower to make them!  The creative designs are so easy that they can be made for no reason at all.  The pretty cupcakes are fun to look at and delicious to eat!  Special thanks to my cousin Ashley - whose cupcake creations are an inspiration to me.  Some of her designs are shown here along with great homemade cupcake photos from Flickr.

The top left design is shared by Frostedbites on Flicker.  The cupcakes are covered with white frosting, then decorated with marshmallows that have been cut into petals.  The sticky inside of the marshmallow is perfect for catching colored sugar sprinkles, and a Pez inserted into the center of each cupcake completes the design.

The remaining 3 photos shown above are all cousin Ashley creations.  The top right photo shows cupcakes dipped in colored sugar and decorated with miniature candies such as jellybeans, mini M&M's and colored candy sprinkles.  To get the teardrop shape, insert an M&M sideways into the frosting so only the edge shows.  The bottom left photo is by far my favorite because I love sunflowers!  The cupcakes were initially frosted with light green icing.  Ashley then used Oreos (regular and mini sized) to create the sunflower bases.  She used a petal tip and decorator's bag to form the petals, and finished the flowers with red M&M ladybugs.  The leaves are gummy candy.  The bottom left photo shows miniature cupcakes, created for a very special birthday tea.  The mini cakes were frosted with a green base using a leaf tip for texture.  Ashley then cut out miniature gum paste flowers and dusted them with edible pearl dust to make them sparkly.  The dot in the center is a small candy bead.

1. The pink and white floral design shown above (far left) is a little more labor intensive than the other designs, but once you get the hang of using candy melts it's a lot of fun!  The cupcakes seen here were made by mommy golightly, but check out bakerella's blog to see how to make these neat cupcake toppers.
2. The orange and yellow flower cupcakes are easy to make, and perfect for anyone who loves licorice!  Here the bakers at Betty Crocker Recipes show us how to create brightly colored flowers using varying lengths of licorice sticks, some white icing and chocolate candy sprinkles.
3. The third design is another use of marshmallows for flower petals.  This time the cut side of the marshmallow is set on top the frosting, so the rounded portion is showing.  The center is made with colored M&M's.  Kids of all ages can help with decorating these cupcakes, which are displayed by Us3Crew.
4. The fourth design (far right) is all in the placement.  The chocolate cupcakes are simply dipped in icing, then sprinkled with colored sugar and artfully arranged on a cake board.  The flower stem is a piece of green licorice, and the leaves are gummy candies.  This floral pattern was created and shared by lars hammar.
5. The sprouting flower design is another one of my favorites - the cupcakes are brought to life with the use of pretzel sticks, miniature flower-shaped cookies, M&M's and gummy candy leaves.  The bakers at McCormick Kitchens will help you through the process on their Flickr page.
6. The final design I chose to spotlight shows yet another use of marshmallows for flower petals.  This time the marshmallows are simply cut in half, then placed around the cupcake in a circular pattern.  The center is again a colored M&M candy.  The hot pink frosting creates a dramatic background for the white flower.  These pretty cupcakes were made by hopskipjump.

As you can see by the designs shown here, it just takes a little creativity to make fun and tasty gourmet desserts for your Blooming Daisy Baby Shower.  Virtually any type of sweet treats can be used for flower petals, leaves or stems.  Even if you're a novice baker or decorator you will be able to make these beautiful cupcakes, and if you make any mistakes all you have to do is eat the evidence.  Happy Baking!

For more cupcake ideas, check out some of the following articles:

• Wedding Cupcake Ideas
• Sugar Free Cupcake Recipes
• Candy Cane Cupcakes
• Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

A baby carriage cake may be just the finishing touch you want for your carriage-themed shower.  Whether you hire someone to make the cake or you are going to tackle it yourself, I have found a number of fun and colorful cakes for inspiration.  Many of these cakes can be done yourself, but some of the more difficult ones may require more time and patience then you have.  The most important thing to remember when making a cake is to have it taste good - and to know that your guest of honor will appreciate your effort no matter what!

The first cake shown above was carved from an oversized sheet cake, and decorated to match the baby shower invitations.  It is covered in buttercreme, then accented with sheets of fondant.  The checkered pattern is painted with edible paint, and the flowers are made from marzipan.  This cute creation was displayed on Flickr by Retro Bakery in Las Vegas.

The center cake is a simple round design, covered in buttercreme and finished with a carriage-shaped cookie.  The edges are draped in more fondant and simply accented with green Fleur de Lis patterns.  This cake was designed by Valerie Bredow Cakes.

The bright purple and yellow cake is a fun design, brought to life by great texture work and a cute baby face peeking out of the carriage.  The cake shape is from a carriage cake pan and was done by craftycake.

The blue carriage cake seen above and left was done with 3 round cakes, artfully arranged and cut to form a carriage.  The decorator used a fancy tip to create the buttercreme design, and sugar flowers accent the wheels and carriage base.  In my search, I found a number of cakes with this similar design, many decorators chose to use candies such as M&M's to create spokes in the carriage wheels.  I love the way creationsbyskip chose to add a handle to this carriage.

The center cake shown just above is the most difficult cake I chose to highlight in my post.  Done by a professional decorator, the layers are covered in fondant and the carriage is sculpted from  2 round cakes.  KupKake Tree used marzipan to make the teddy bear, and covered wire with gold-tinted chocolate to form the handle.

The final cake I chose to discuss is my favorite - the simple design is one I feel confident in recreating.  The cake is again crafted from 3 rounds, and most of the decorating is done with designer tips and buttercreme.  The tough part of this cake for me would be the fondant ribbon, I'm not sure I would be able to recreate the 3-dimensional affect that was achieved by purpleflourcakes.

Whether you're a novice at decorating or a semi-professional, the most important part of making a cake is the thought behind it.  Well, that and the taste!!  Don't be too critical of your decorating skills and remember that it will be eaten no matter how good or bad you think it looks.  Enjoy the process and delight in the praise you are sure to receive!

Find more baby shower ideas in this article on Personalized Baby Shower Favor Ideas.

These cakes look so good I can almost taste them! After weeding through hundreds of designs, the duck themed cakes shown below are some of my favorites!  Made with a variety of decorating techniques and multiple levels of difficulty, you're sure to find one to use at your next duckie baby shower.  Photo credit to www.flickr.com.

The first cake shown in this collage is a 3D creation shared by TimScott.  The cake was made by baking 2 duck-shaped cakes, standing them up and sticking them together with icing.  The yellow "fuzz" was made with a decorator tip and yellow buttercreme.  His eyes are made of candy and his beak is orange fondant.  The cutest part of this cake is the way it was displayed.  The decorator used a silver galvanized tub with a blue base, and then scattered marshmallows throughout the tub to simulate bubbles.  I would feel confident recreating this cake, although the beak may get a bit tricky (fondant can be hard to work with) so I would just frost it with buttercreme.  The "mama and babies" tiered design on the right is a fun combination of cake and cupcakes.  Each cupcake has a simple layer of white icing with a miniature rubber duck favor on top.  The mama duck is a single layer cake, covered in fondant with a cupcake head.  Although this particular cake is for a birthday, it would be perfect for a baby shower also!  This cake can be found at Jellycakes flickr site.  The final cake pictured above is a masterpiece of decorating.  It is covered in smooth fondant with intricate edible designs including a clothesline, washtub, and the duck on top!  The stunning and finely detailed cake was displayed by rsvpcakes and it is so beautiful I would hate to cut into it!

The cute design above left was crafted from two round cakes and a pair of sugar cookies for the webbed feet.  Bit-O-Me explains how to create this cake on her blog.  The cake on the right is another awesome mother and baby design, with a pond base and marshy background.  The mama is a single round cake, covered and fondant with a cupcake head and fondant details.  The babies are smaller cupcakes with molded fondant details, but if I were to reproduce this cake I would simply use toy ducks for the babies.  This flickr cake can be found at teri_caza's page.

The last cake I picked to display is my most favorite!  It is also one that I think could easily be reproduced for your ducky baby shower.  The simple round cake is covered in buttercreme, then accented with green grass at the bottom.  The top was designed with a circular layer of blue fondant, but you could easily ice the "pond" with blue buttercreme instead.  The fishing pole is a simple dowel poked into the cake and wrapped with a piece of string.  The hook is colored icing and the top is finished with four rubber ducks.  This adorable creation is displayed by Leeroy Rokkenrohl.

Want more ideas for this theme? Try this article on throwing a Duck Themed Baby Shower