How to: Make a Bathtub Cake

10
Mar

I made this the night before my daughter’s birthday, and I would definitely recommend preparing the cake a day in advance.

Ingredients:

Two 3 oz boxes of Berry Blue Jello gelatin
Two 9×13 inch cakes
About 32 oz of frosting
Decorators gel or writing icing
Two large marshmallows and 14 mini marshmallows
Toothpicks
Rubber ducks or other bath animals

Directions:

Make gelatin according to the Jiggler recipe on the back of the packages. Pour the mixture into an 8 inch square dish and chill in the fridge for about 50 minutes. Take it out, and vigorously whisk the gelatin to create the ripples and bubbles. Then, put back in the fridge for at least another 2 hours.
Before stacking the cakes, spread a thin coating of icing in between them. Then, carve out a basin that is two inches from the edge of the cake. Cut it about 1 inch deep using a knife with a serrated edge. Then, you can spoon out the inside. Or, if you want to use the inside for a smash cake– which is what I did– get someone to help you dig out the inside with spatulas. I cut out the smash cake below from the part that was spooned out of the basin.

her smash cake

Frost the tub, including the walls, but don’t frost the floor of the basin.
For the faucet, stick four mini marshmallows on a toothpick. Then, stick another 2 marshmallows on another toothpick. Then, attach the toothpicks so the marshmallows look like an “L”. Insert into the wall of the basin.
For each faucet knob, use scissors to snip 4 v-shaped notches in the top of a big marshmallow. Then, press a mini marshmallow into each notch. It could be sticky enough to keep the piece in place, but you might want to attach them with toothpicks, just in case. Put the knobs on either sides of the faucet. Label them H for Hot and C for cold.
Cut the Jello to fit into the basin. Spoon the Jiggler “water” into the basin.
Add ducks, fish, frogs, or other bath animals on top of the jello.

Check here to see the other decorations I “made”. An fish aquarium with koolaid and fish bowls of goldfish crackers and gummy animals.

Now I need to start thinking of what to do for her second birthday. What cakes did you make your kids? What ideas are you looking into?

Submitted to Mmm Monday at Mommies with Cents

Lynn
March 10, 2009 at 3:58 pm

Very cute!
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Lori
March 10, 2009 at 4:00 pm

Thank you Lynn.
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Tara @ Feels like home
March 10, 2009 at 5:09 pm

I think this is adorable! I probably wouldn’t do it for a birthday, but it would be a great “just because” kind of cake. Just for fun, you know?

I’m going to link to your post on Sunday in my weekly Things to Write Home About post.
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Lori
March 10, 2009 at 9:15 pm

Thanks Tara for dropping by. And feel free to use it in your post. Let me know if you have any extra questions about the cake. Also, the cake could be used for a baby shower, too.
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Tina @ Mommys Kitchen
March 11, 2009 at 8:15 am

That cake is to cute. I bet your dd loved it. Happy Birthday.
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Elizabeth
March 11, 2009 at 9:05 am

What a cute idea!
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Lori
March 11, 2009 at 10:20 am

Thanks Tina and Elizabeth for stopping by and leaving comments! This was my first time to make it, and except for the extended time it took to make it, it was fairly easy.
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Lisa
March 13, 2009 at 12:58 pm

How cute! You are very creative!
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Lori
March 13, 2009 at 1:02 pm

Wow, Lisa, that is very sweet. Thank you. I just thought “What does my daughter love most?” I thought of our dog, but my nephew had a dog cake for his first birthday, so I didn’t want to do that. Then, I thought about how she loves bath time, so I ran with it. Anyway, thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.
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Jenna @ Newlyweds
March 13, 2009 at 9:21 pm

How cute!! What a great idea. I have seen a similar cake and always wanted to make one. Great job!
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Lori
March 13, 2009 at 9:24 pm

Jenna, thank you. You should try it; it was fairly time consuming, but I’d do it again. Some tips: use a white cake– chocolate was difficult to ice, but I’m definitely not a professional; I had to ice it twice. Also, depending on how your cakes rise, you’ll probably have to shave off the top so it’ll look even.
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Susan52
March 15, 2009 at 4:07 pm

This is so cute! I used to make cute cakes for my kids when they were little. Their birthdays are just a couple weeks apart (plus three years) so we usually did one party and one great cake. Not sure I could have pulled off two masterpieces that close together!
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Lori
March 15, 2009 at 6:11 pm

Susan, thank you! What types of cakes did you make? I need more ideas for next year:)
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Susan52
March 15, 2009 at 6:18 pm

Lori,

My favorite was a pirate’s chest covered in candy, but that might be something for you in the future. Another was blocks, like A, B, C blocks, you know? That was on a sheet cake, but it still was cute as can be. Let’s see. We had an airplane party once and did a great airplane cake. Can you tell I have boys?? There are tons of great ideas around, so I’m sure you’ll find more than you need by next birthday. Have fun!

Susan
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Lori
March 15, 2009 at 6:42 pm

Good ideas, Susan.
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Lori
March 16, 2009 at 10:41 am

Thanks Tara for featuring me on your website. How fun.
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Holly
March 16, 2009 at 9:42 pm

So cute! Thanks for sharing it with us on Mommies with Cents!
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Lori
March 16, 2009 at 10:07 pm

Thanks Holly for dropping by, and thanks for hosting the recipe links.
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