Mermaid Merriment
My eldest will be celebrating her fourth birthday soon, and accordingly, she has been planning her party for a couple months (she’s so my daughter). We’ve been throwing around theme ideas for a while, but can never get farther than her current obsession: mermaids!
Thus, I’ve been spying adorable projects for Charlotte’s party like a hawk, leaving no blog unread and no DIY tutorial unwatched. And when I noticed Maria Provenzano‘s adorable Sand Castle Cake on Home and Family, I knew I had found the perfect centerpiece for my little mermaid princess’s shell-ebration! Not only is it gorgeous, but it’s full of delicious chocolate and coconut, too. Yum! Below are the instructions (as provided by Maria Provenzano), as well as a tutorial video as seen on Home and Family.
By the way, beyond the chocolate-y deliciousness of this cake, I now have a bigger budget for other party stuff – like this amazing Mermaid Tail or this gorgeous stand-in Photo Booth backdrop! We are in beach heaven over here!
- Chocolate Cake; I used 2 8 inch rounds for this specific cake
- 5 icecream cones with flat bottoms
- Buttercream Icing:
- 1 cup unsalted butter; room temperature
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 2-5- tablespoons whole milk; room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sand
- 2 cups ground graham crackers
- 2 cups coconut, toasted and finely ground
- White Candy Coating Chocolate
- Candy Seashell mold
- Buttercream Icing:
- Beat the butter until it becomes light
- Add in the powdered sugar and slowly begin to mix together
- Add in the vanilla extract
- With the mixer running (stand mixer or hand mixer works) add in a couple tablespoons of room temperature milk; add more if the frosting is too thick; you are looking for it to be spreadable and smooth
- For the “sand”
- Preheat oven to 350 degree
- Place the coconut onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it out so it is in an even layer
- Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until lightly toasted, and the color of sand you are looking for
- Allow to cool
- Place the graham crackers and the cooled toasted coconut into a food processor and process until it looks like sand!
- White Chocolate Seashells:
- Place the white candy coating chocolate in a bowl over a pot with simmering water, being sure the water isn’t touching the bowl
- Stir frequently until the chocolate has melted
- Pour the chocolate into the clean candy molds
- Tap on the counter to help the chocolate spread throughout the mold
- Place in the fridge to harden
- Once hardened, the chocolate can be removed from the mold
- For the Cake
- Place the cake on a cake stand
- Apply the “crumb coat” which is a single layer of icing to hold down any crumbs
- Place in the fridge for 15-30 minutes
- Take the cake out, and immediately apply another clean layer of icing, smoothing it out with an off-set spatula to make it look clean
- Use your hands to apply the “sand” around the sides of the cake
- Cover the ice-cream cones with frosting, and coat them with sand
- Place the ice-cream cones around the top of the cake
- Cover the top of the cake that is still showing frosting with the “sand”
- Place the white chocolate seashells around the cake as desired
Check out the video for full instructions and a step-by-step tutorial!