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retirement beach cake
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I made this cake for a dear friend and co-worker who retired from his nursing career but this design would also make a fun birthday cake. If you change the figures on the top, you have a perfect beach party themed cake for some fun in the sun.

This cake started out with a 9 inch tier on the bottom and a 6 inch tier on top. I used my Intense Chocolate Cake and filled the layers with cream cheese frosting. I frosted the outside of the cakes with Italian Meringue Buttercream. To make the ocean on the bottom tier, I colored the buttercream with two shades of blue and frosted the cake in a hap-hazard fashion to resemble waves. I left a bit of white in the frosting to make it look like white caps.

lazy day beach cake
To make the sandy beach, I frosted the top tier fairly smooth then covered the buttercream with crushed graham crackers.

I had meant to mix sparkling sugar in with the crushed graham crackers but realized I had ran out of it. If you try this technique I do recommend you plan ahead and get some sparkling sugar. It creates a sun-kissed sparkle to the sand.

The cute little man, palm tree, walker and life ring were made out of fondant. Vanessa from Sugarness  has a tutorial for making fondant people and Sugarella Sweets has a tutorial for a fondant palm tree.

lazy day beach cake for retirement
lazy day beach cake (retirement cake design)

Want more fun ideas for a retirement cake or fun birthday cake? Check out this cheeseburger cake  or this wine barrel cake

More Cake Designs

About Dahn Boquist

Dahn is a retired nurse, recipe creator, home cook, baker, and self-proclaimed foodie. She loves creating in the kitchen and cooking for family and friends. She lives in Washington State with her husband and dog. When she isn't cooking or baking, you can usually find her spending time with her grandchildren or exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Read More About Me

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4 Comments

  1. Kathi @ Laughing Spatula says:

    I want one! Oh, wait I’m already retired…darn it! So cute!

    Reply
    1. Dahn says:

      Haha, thanks Kathi and lucky you! Retirement looks good on you

      Reply
  2. Vanessa-Jane Chapman says:

    Thanks for linking to my post! Really cute beach cake:)

    Reply
    1. Dahn says:

      your welcome Venessa, I enjoy your blog. Thanks for the visit.

      Reply