In this guide you will be given step-by-step instructions on how to decorate this beach/Margaritaville themed cake. I will also give tips on how to make edible sand and water.

This cake was made for a group birthday party and the theme was Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. In this cake guide you will learn techniques like making sand and making the water look more realistic.

To make this cake you will need:


12 or 14 inch cake board
2 10 inch round cakes
Blue buttercream icing
Royal icing tropical flowers (instructions not included but click to purchase)
Graham Crackers or Nilla Wafers
Blue icing coloring
Piping gel
Tips #2 and 19
Toy palm trees
Toy or handmade paper parrots (instructions included)
Margaritaville sign (instructions included)
Mini margaritas (instructions included)
Mini beach towel
Mini surf board

Directions:


Step 1:


Level, tort and fill your cakes then place them on the cake board. Ice the cakes with light blue buttercream icing. In order to make the beach look hilly, ice mounds on the top half of the cake.


Step 2:

Ground up the Nilla Wafers using a food processor or a Zip Lock bag and a rolling pin. Then, place the crumbled wafers on the top of the cake to make sand.


Step 3:

Color the piping gel blue and spread it on the other half of the cake as pictured. To get the water to look wavy, spread it so that the piping gel is not smooth.


***Decorator's Tip*** For an added detail, put a small amount of light blue icing on a tooth pick and run it through the "water." This will make it look like the top of your waves has foam.


Step 4:

Using tip #19, pipe on your boarder along the edge of the water on top of the cake. Then, place the royal icing flowers around the bottom of the cake as a boarder.


Step 5:

Place your trees, surfboard, and other accessories on the cake. Finally, write your message in the water with light blue icing and tip #3.


Instructions for paper parrots, sign, and mini margaritas:

• The paper parrots and sign were very easy to make. Save these pictures to your desktop and open them in any picture program that allows you to resize images. Paint will work just fine. Next, print and cut out your pictures. Finally, tape them to a toothpick. If you want to hide the toothpick just put the same picture on the other side but remember that you will need to use the mirror images for the parrots.

• To make the mini margaritas, I purchased miniature dollhouse glasses. I first dipped the rim in a little bit of water and then into some sugar. To make the drink, I filled the glass with light green icing.
  

This is a great baby shower cake when the parents do not know the sex of the baby.

12 inch round cake board

10 inch round cake

8 inch round cake

Tips # 3 and 5
Wooden Dowel Rods

2 lollipop Sticks

Sage Green(light moss green) and white buttercream icing

White and sage green gum paste

White pearl dust


Directions:


Step 1:


A few days in advance, make the gum paste bow and stroller.

***Decorator’s Tip*** Click here to purchase a gum paste stroller otherwise follow these instructions. To make the stroller, cut 2 large circles and 4 small circles out of white gum paste. Cut out ¼ of each of the large circles to make the body of the stroller. Once the gum paste dries, sandwich the lollipop stick between the body of the stroller and the wheels. Remember to let some of the sticks hang below the wheels so that you have something to stick into the cake. In order to get the lollipop sticks to stay you will have to wrap the parts touching the stroller in gum paste and wet with water. Once dry you can stick on the sage green details and paint with pearl dust.

Directions to make the gum paste bow can be found here.

Step 2

Bake, level and fill 10 inch and 8 inch cakes. Then, place it on the 12 inch round cake board.Ice the 10 inch cake with sage green buttercream icing.

Step 3

Place 4 wooden dowels into the cake in order to support the top tier.

Step 4

Place the 8 inch cake onto an 8 inch card board cake board. Ice the cake with sage green buttercream icing and place on the center of the 10 inch cake

Step 5

With a sharpened wooden dowel, hammer through the center of the cakes to secure the cakes together. Ice over the exposed dowel.

Step 6

Using tip #5 pipe a boarder around both tiers.

Step 7

Cut out ribbons for the bow and place onto the front of the cake as desired. Next, place the bow on top of the ribbon. Dust with white pearl dust for added shimmer.

Step 8

Using tip # 3, pipe footprints on the sides of both tiers.

Step 9

Place the stroller on top of the cake.