Fun Baby Shower Cake Ideas and Tips

A baby shower cake can be such fun to design and create, especially if you love babies. If you're not partial to them, planning this cake should warm you up!

The baby shower cake will usually depict the overall theme for this special event. If you are planning the shower, you could even plan the theme around the cake. Of course, keep the preferences of the mommy-to-be in mind. If you don't know her personally, talk to someone who does.

Below are a few of the most popular baby shower themes, followed by some cake decorating ideas, along with a recipe, to help you create a cake that

will have the guests making so much baby talk, you'll swear the baby

arrived early!

Baby Shower Themes

Nursery Song or Rhyme: Keep in mind the story not just the cute pictures here. Every once in a while we see Humpty Dumpty (and other dire tales) as baby shower themes - but considering what happened to this wall climbing egg, is this really a fun theme for a new mommy? She'll have enough worries when baby starts toddling and exploring! "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," is a safe choice, especially with the "Little Star" symbolizing the soon to be star of the household.

Baby Animals: Any furry or feathery baby animal makes for a cute baby shower theme – unless it's an animal the mom is phobic about or just doesn't like. You may be surprised. Did you know there is even a word for a phobia of otters? (Lutraphobia.) And if she suffers from ornithobia, you might want to skip the yellow ducky theme. Or maybe a duck doesn't count as a bird. The most popular baby shower theme is of course the yellow ducky. Whether bright or soft yellow, the ducky coordinates well with just about any color.

Baby Blocks: These can spell out messages, display nursery pictures and bring a touch of nostalgia to a shower. Need we say more?

While we've been talking about themes, you may already have come up with some ideas for your baby shower cake. Here are some fun designs we came up with – feel free to use as is or as jump-starters for your own!

Baby Shower Cakes

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" Cake – Begin with a cake covered with sky blue fondant (skip the fondant that tastes more like the cardboard under the cake than icing and whip up a batch of marshmallow fondant). Save some fondant for the star. Use white or yellow, roll it out and cut out the star shape and facial features (don't forget the dimpled smile).

Yellow Ducky Cake – Pipe the outline of a pond with blue buttercream, and fill with blue gel. Then add some yellow duckies (sugarcrafted or store bought

miniatures). Finally give the ducklings some buttercream raindrops, put on your punster hat, and create a fun message that ties the baby shower to the duckies shower.

Butterfly Cake: Pipe (or model with marzipan) a butterfly garden for baby, complete with flowers, butterflies, and a crawling explorer in diapers (a baby that is!).

Baby Blocks – If this baby shower is an elegant afternoon tea (or even if it's a potluck at the park!), petit fours are perfect for this theme. Fill the cake with jam, cut the petit fours and cover with poured fondant.* After they dry, decorate some with lettering and arrange to spell out the message. Decorate the remaining petit fours with pictures.

*Poured Fondant (Yum!)

2 pounds sifted powdered sugar (8 cups)

2/3 cup water

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 teaspoons clear almond flavor

Food color (optional)

Combine all ingredients, except for the food coloring, in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

If colored fondant is desired, now add the food coloring – one drop at a time.

Keep in mind that the fondant's color will darken as it dries. Pour the warm fondant over the petit fours. Or you can dip them. Dry the petit fours on racks, allowing them to drip onto waxed paper underneath. During this process, keep the fondant glaze warm, but don't let it heat higher than 100°F.

This recipe and many of the above tips and ideas are adapted from "Cake Decorating Made Easy!" Here's what one reader had to say about our Video Books:

"Incomparable! I've not opened my other

books now that I have yours...don't decorate

another cake until you've seen these Video Books!"

Pia D.

Lynnwood, WA

And here's one more tip! If a fondant covered cake contains perishables (such as lemon curd filling), store in the refrigerator - but when you remove it, be sure to allow it to gradually de-chill in an air conditioned room. If the room isn't air-conditioned (to control humidity as well as temperature), set the cake (or petit fours) in front of a fan. Otherwise the condensation will ruin the fondant. After an hour or two, the moisture should dry. Be sure the fan is set so that it gently blows on the cake - you want your fondant to dry, not decorate the wall!