Summer Cake Decorating Ideas for Kids

Swimming Pool Cake Ideas

A swimming pool cake is a fun summer cake decorating project for pool parties, summer birthdays, and beach-themed celebrations. Kids can help frost the water, add candy decorations, and place teddy bear swimmers around the cake.

What You Need

• 1 baked and cooled round layer cake
• Blue frosting for the pool water
• White frosting or fondant for the pool edge
• Fruit strips or fondant for a slide
• Pretzel sticks for a ladder
• Teddy bear crackers
• Small candies for beach balls and pool toys
• Gummy lifesavers, optional

Directions

1. Bake and cool a round layer cake. Fill the cake layers with frosting if desired.
2. Frost the sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting.
3. Frost the top of the cake with blue frosting. Swirl the frosting slightly to make it look like water.
4. Cut strips of fondant or frosting-covered decorations to fit around the sides of the cake for the pool wall.
5. Create a slide using fruit strips or fondant and place it along the edge of the cake so it runs into the blue frosting.
6. Make a ladder using pretzel sticks and place it near the slide.
7. Add teddy bear crackers on the ladder and in the blue frosting to look like swimmers.
8. Decorate with candies, gummy lifesavers, candy beach balls, or other summer details.

This swimming pool cake pairs well with a summer birthday party, pool party menu, or summer cooking activity.

Beach Ball Cake & Cupcakes

Bright beach ball cakes and cupcakes are cheerful summer desserts for birthdays, beach parties, pool parties, and family cookouts. Kids can help divide the cake into colorful sections, frost each panel, and finish the design with a simple fondant center.

Beach Ball Cake Directions

1. Bake and cool your favorite round cake. This design also works well on an ice cream cake.
2. Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting and chill the cake for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Using a clean ruler or toothpick, lightly divide the cake into six equal sections.
4. Pipe thin black or white frosting lines to outline each beach ball panel.
5. Fill each section with brightly colored frosting. Smooth gently with a small spatula or a butter knife dipped in warm water.
6. Finish by adding a small white fondant circle to the center of the beach ball.

 

Beach Ball Cupcakes

These cupcakes use the same colorful beach ball design in a smaller size and make an easy decorating activity for groups of children.

Directions

1. Frost cooled cupcakes with white frosting.
2. Color granulated sugar using food coloring gel or prepare several colors of frosting.
3. Create a simple six-section beach ball template from wax paper.
4. Place the template on each cupcake and decorate one section at a time with colored sugar or frosting.
5. Remove the template carefully and repeat until all sections are complete.
6. Add a small white fondant circle to the center to finish each beach ball.

Looking for more summer desserts? Visit our Cake Recipes for Kids, Cake Decorating Ideas, and Summer Cooking Activities for even more seasonal baking inspiration.

Flip Flop Beach Cake

A flip flop cake is a colorful summer decorating project that's perfect for beach parties, pool parties, birthdays, and end-of-summer celebrations. Kids can help choose frosting colors, decorate the sandals, and create a sandy beach scene using simple candies and crushed cookies.

Cake design by Joanne Clifton (Fredericksburg, Texas)

What You Need

• 2 loaf cakes or one large sheet cake
• Buttercream frosting
• Food coloring
• Wax paper
• Sharp knife
• Fruit strips, licorice, fondant, or frosting for the sandal straps
• Crushed graham crackers for sand
• Optional candy decorations

Directions

1. Bake and cool two loaf cakes according to your favorite recipe or cake mix.
2. Create a flip flop template by tracing a large flip flop onto wax paper or cardstock.
3. Place the template on the cakes and carefully cut out two matching flip flop shapes.
4. Cover each flip flop with a thin crumb coat of frosting, then chill for about 15 minutes.
5. Frost each sandal in bright summer colors such as pink, blue, yellow, green, or orange.
6. Decorate with stripes, polka dots, flowers, swirls, or other fun patterns.
7. Create the sandal straps using thick frosting, fondant, fruit strips, or licorice.
8. Spread white frosting onto a serving board and sprinkle generously with crushed graham crackers to create a sandy beach.
9. Arrange the flip flops on the "sand" and finish with seashell candies, beach balls, or a personalized birthday message if desired.

Pair this fun summer cake with a Summer Cooking Activity, a Cake Decorating Party, or explore even more Cake Recipes for Kids.