Another in the trends I keep seeing on Instagram and Pinterest...
....the mermaid cake!
If you're looking for a mermaid cake recipe that looks like it took hours to make - but didn't - you're in the right spot! This cake is simple to make and easy to assemble and decorate!
The backstory -
I’ve seen SO many cool mermaid cakes. Probably thousands at this point, honestly. So I was super excited when I got an order request for a mermaid cake! But after I'd ordered the silicone mermaid tail and seashell molds to make it - the party got canceled. So obviously, so did the cake order. I was BUMMED.
But life goes on - I had other orders to fill, and full-time work kept me busy. That set of silicone molds just sat in my cake decor drawer for MONTHS. But finally a free few evenings presented themselves - and I got a chance to make this cake!
The internet is already overwhelmed with pastel and bright-colored mermaid cakes. So I took this one down a bit of a different route. I opted for super-dark-purple (almost black) frosting for the cake. Then I chose lighter colors to accent for the decorations.
I was so SO happy with how the cake turned out!
Why you'll love this easy Mermaid cake recipe -
- Like I said - imho, light / bright mermaid cakes are everywhere - the dark tones in this one make it stand out!
- I’ve seen myriad Mermaid cakes with tons of fondant decorations and airbrushed detailing - they look like they took HOURS. Because they probably did, lol. (I'm not a fondant fan, and I'll skip using it for decorations whenever I can.) This cake comes together with silicone molds + candy melts - and a few piping tips and frosting!
- Both the cake and frosting recipes are simple, and use just one bowl each to prep.
- Plus also - I mean can you beat cream cheese frosting? This is my go-to favorite recipe - it tastes amazing, colors beautifully - and you can see how well it pipes!
(Disclosure: As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, and my posts often contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you!)
Couple more notes before we get to the recipe!
- First - piping! First - I thickened up my frosting a bit before piping the decorations onto the side of the cake. I didn't think gel food color would thin the frosting down much, but apparently it made just enough of a difference the decorations weren't holding their shape.
- I didn't consider when I purchased the set that I did that NONE of them were numbered. :/ So I don't have piping tip numbers for you, but any 'beginner piping tip' set should have basically the same ones.
- I used a small notched oblong tip to make the 'seaweed' up the side of the cake,
- a large open star for the rosettes/swirls up the sides and on top of the cake, and
- a small open star for the light teal piping.
- You'll see I used some white and silver sprinkles plus some Fancy Sprinkles teal Prism powder in the photos / video. Both technically optional. Though I will say that adding 'bubbles' with the pearl sprinkles was fun - and super cute. 🙂
If you want to make a similar cake – recipes and links to the supplies I used are below!
Mermaid Cake
Popular mermaid cake with a dark purple twist -starting with a dark-colored frosting gives a great depth to the look of your Mermaid cake!
Equipment
- large piping bag + star tip (linked is a set that contains both)
- small piping bags + tips (linked is a set that contains reusable bags & all the tips I used)
- Mermaid tail & seashell molds (the set I used is out of stock as I write this, but linked is a larger & less expensive set!)
Ingredients
Mermaid Cake layers
- 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
- 5 eggs
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk (room temperature)
- 1/8 cup 28 grams vegetable oil
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
- 1 cup butter (two sticks, softened)
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 3-4 drops Purple gel food coloring (for decorating; save and add later)
- 3-4 drops Black gel food coloring (for decorating; save and add later)
- 3-4 drops teal gel food coloring (for decorating; save and add later)
Decorations
- 8 ounces black candy melts (or fondant if you prefer)
- 4 ounces white candy melts (or fondant if you prefer)
- Sprinkle mix of your choice (I used Fancy Sprinkles ‘Silver Bells;' this mix is almost identical)
- Edible glitter (optional; I used some of Fancy Sprinkles teal Prism Powder)
Instructions
Mermaid Cake layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8 inch round pans with baker's floured spray (or grease and line with parchment rounds).
- Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined. Mix bits of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks crumbly.
- Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk slowly, on a low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.
- Bake for 34-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans – it helps to run an offset spatula or knife around the perimeter of the pan first. Cool completely before frosting. Set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.
- Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and any caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming. If you try to trim the layers while they’re still warm, they will crumble apart. (This is a great time to make your frosting!)
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and salt if needed and beat until well combined.
- Remove about ½ – ¾ cup of frosting from the bowl into each of 3 additional bowls and set aside – you’ll use these to color and decorate later! Leave the remaining frosting in the bowl.
Assembly
- Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle.
- (This is optional, but I colored a bit of frosting teal at this stage and piped alternating colors onto the cake layer to make ‘stripes’ when the cake was cut – up to you!) You could also just spread the first layer with frosting. Add your next cake layer on top, and repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.
- Now you're ready to crumb-coat. If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer. Allow crumb coat to set 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
Decorating
- This is a great time to make your decorations and color your frostings! (Update - since originally making this cake I've discovered candy melts harden and unmold more quickly and easily than fondant. An easier option, but you can use either one!) Melt white and black candy melts and pour into the molds. (Or press white and black fondant into the molds). After they're set, un-mold them – you can make un-molding easier by refrigerating them for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle or brush with a bit of prism powder for some extra sparkle, if desired.
- I colored one bowl of frosting light purple, the next bowl light teal, and the last bowl dark teal. The frosting left in the bowl I colored with several large drops of Americolor purple and a couple drops of black to make a deep purple.
- Once your crumb coat has set, add your final layer of frosting and smooth. I like to use an offset spatula and bench scraper for this part. Once your cake is covered, place it into the fridge or freezer to set the frosting.
- All the tips I used for this cake are in the sets linked above – they didn't come with numbers, but I used a small notched oblong tip to make the ‘seaweed’ up the sides of the cake, the large open star to make the swirls up the sides and top of the cake, and a small open star for the light teal ‘squiggles.’ Make sure your frosting is thick enough – some of my ‘seaweed’ didn’t hold its shape until I thickened the frosting with a bit of powdered sugar.
- Add a few mermaid tails around the sides of the cake, and then a few to the center of the swirls on the top of the cake. Add some seashells to the sides and top, and some sprinkles wherever you think they fit best! I thought the small silver pearls looked neat as ‘bubbles’ on the sides of the cake, and added a few of the oblong silver sprinkles to the piping on the front of the cake.
- Annnnd you’re done! Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Please note nutrition information is an estimate and may not be exactly accurate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 782kcalCarbohydrates: 101gProtein: 9gFat: 38g
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Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
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