A few months back, I got an order for a Sweet Little Mermaid Cake and I have to tell ya - I couldn't have been more excited! As much as I love doing the big, dramatic cakes, sometimes the small simple ones are the best 🙂
I had just taken Corrie Rasmussen's Perfect Birthday Cakes Craftsy Class and I was itching to do one of the little 2-D layered characters or decorations. This was a perfect opportunity! P.S. For a limited time, get Corrie's class FREE when you buy the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle that will be available by Flash Sale next week... sign up for notification here!
Anyway, let me tell you a few details about this cake. It was an 8" round vanilla cake covered in vanilla buttercream. I used teal gel coloring for the buttercream (I prefer Americolor colors) and the scales/waves.
I used homemade marshmallow fondant for the ombre fondant waves and they were cut out with these scale cutters from Not Just Cakes by Annie. I used just a tiny brush of water on the back of each scale to attach them to the buttercream and it worked beautifully.
Oh and I used white Sixlets for the "bubbles"... aren't they cute?
For the little mermaid on top, I found a generic coloring sheet mermaid online, then used it as a template to cut out the pieces with a scalpel (my new favorite cake tool!). I used homemade marshmallow fondant for all of her except her red body/tail and bikini top. Those were done with Satin Ice red fondant.
When I finished her - I felt like she needed a little more... something. So I added texture to all the red fondant with one of these texture mats and that really seemed to do the trick. I know she's not perfect, but I was happy with the outcome.
And that's it... I just loved doing this little cake and was thrilled with the final product. The customer loved it too - that always makes for a happy ending!
Do you have any questions about this cake? Leave me a comment! Also check out these other mermaid and water-themed cakes below...
Bright Mermaid Cake
Under the Sea Cake with Pearls
Ombre Buttercream Ruffles Under the Sea Cake
Christine Stephens
Absolutely adorable Love this.
Rose Atwater
Thank you!!
Joyce
Darling! How did you attach the sixlets to the fondant scales ? Thanks for sharing!!
Rose Atwater
A tiny dot of melted white chocolate 🙂
Heather Johnson
Hey Rose... Super cute cake. Just wondering what you charged for this type of cake? I've gotten quite a few requests for mostly buttercream cakes and fondant "extras"... just curious.
Rose Atwater
I charged $96 for this cake ($4/serving is my minimum and this was 24 servings).
Natasha
Where did you find the mermaid image? This cake is wonderful and I'd like to give it a go for my daughters birthday on Sunday.
Rose
I just searched online for one that I liked. I don't rememeber a specific website.
Kameran Schaffner
What do you use to make the cheeks rosy? Are the eyes & lips made of fondant too?
Rose
I used food markers (here: Food Markers) for the mouth and eyes. I used petal dust for the cheeks 🙂
Linda Connolly
How did you cut out the scales? Are they individually cut out? My Granddaughter wants this cake for her birthday on 9/2/2018. I tried going to the "Not Just Cakes " site but nothing came up.
Rose
Hey Linda - it appears Not Just Cakes... has gone out of business. But you can find a comparable cutter here: https://amzn.to/2MAQH6S .
Debora
Hi Rose, can you tell me how big were the scale cutters you used on the side of the cake? Thank you.
Rose
I think they're about 1.5" wide.
Kirche
Hi Rosa, can you tell me how tall and how many inches around this cake is? Also what food coloring did you use to achieve the frosting color? And did you use fondant or gumpaste for the mermaid? Did you cut her out by using a templet? The cake is gorgeous! 🙂
Rose
This is a 7" round cake, around 5" tall. I used Americolor Teal Gel Coloring for the frosting. It's been awhile, but I probably used fondant for the mermaid. I found a picture online and used it as a guide.