Graduation is worth celebrating, whether from high, middle school, or university. And what’s a party without a thematic, stylish, and delicious cake? So, if your class or your loved ones graduate in 2025, you might want to bake a special graduation cake for them, huh?
Have no idea what type of cake to choose for your graduation party style?
Keep reading:
This task is not as challenging as choosing food research topics for students while in college. Below, you’ll find 15 original ideas for graduation cakes to satisfy any sweet tooth.
1. Graduation Roses
Do your grads love florals? Cover cake layers with elegant off-white fondant and decorate it with big white and pink roses in a delicate arrangement.
You can use real flowers (remember to warn your celebrants about this before they start degustation) or buy realistic water flowers online. It’s also okay to make edible roses from creams; you are a boss, after all. Or, add a little personality to the cake: Place cookie-cutter pieces of fondant featuring the grads’ names.
2. Oreo
This cake is the best option for a class of Oreo lovers. A whipped cream with fresh fruit and favorite cookies is easy to cook (no bake, guys!), and keep it in advance for your graduation party! It’s an icebox cake requiring at least four hours in a refrigerator to be ready to eat. (Up to 12 hours in a fridge are okay for this yummy masterpiece to spend.)
3. Neutral Colors Cake
Bake a beige rectangular tiered cake and decorate it with white and light brown flowers and sprays. Will six layers be enough to feed everyone at the party? Use square baking pans and place frosting between each layer for added stability.
Add a little black graduation cap on top to complete the look.
4. Purple Dream
The psychology of color says purple promotes harmony, peace of mind, pleasure, and calming nerves. Isn’t that what any grad needs once exams are over and the diploma is finally in the pocket?
Bake a small layered cake and cover it with beautiful purple fondant. What about the filling? Try a classic vanilla cake with buttercream frosting, unless otherwise is of your favorite flavors, and decorate it with a sculpted graduation cap and delicate pearls.
5. Ice Cream Sandwich
What about classic ice cream sandwiches, which are delicious and comfortable to eat for all your celebrants? You’ll need four ingredients:
Use ice cream sandwiches as the cake layers, add a minty filling loaded with mint-flavored Oreos — and voila! Sure, you can choose other flavors, depending on your taste preferences. Caramel would be another hit to try!
6. Piña Colada Cake
School is over, so it’s high time for summer vacation! Bring some tropical vibes to your graduation party with a fruity cake of coconut and pineapple flavors; top it with cherries and lime zest, and remember to decorate with mini umbrellas for a summer mood.
What’s inside of this cake?
Use a can of crushed pineapple instead of water or milk as a liquid component. Once layers are ready and cool, drench them in piña colada ingredients: coconut cream, lime juice, and dark rum. If you can’t find coconut cream in a supermarket, take instant vanilla pudding and mix it with coconut extract.
7. Sweet Pink
Pink is about relaxation, warmth, and innocence. A graduation cake decorated with corresponding frosting, rosettes along the edges, and writings will please the graduates in love and need of such feelings.
The key is to make your cake’s surface smooth. Decorate it the way you want: Place edible flowers along the sides or use artificial silk roses from craft stores, draw a black graduation cap, write some wishes on the surface, you name it!
8. Mini Bundt Cakes
Why make your grads wait for a piece of yummy cake to celebrate the achievement? Prepare a big plate of adorable mini cakes they can reach and enjoy in seconds. Make cakes of different flavors to make them more unpredictable and fun to guess and digest. For example, you can try chocolate, lime, and blackberry to satisfy everyone’s tastes.
9. Lime Cakes in Jars
Speaking of limes, by the way:
Place your graduation cake pieces in jars! This twist won’t make it less tasty but more refreshing and comfortable to eat with a spoon. (Perfect for picnic parties in parks or neighborhood potlucks!) Pack your cakes with lime flavor and sprinkle with macadamia nuts for crunch.
10. Navy Blue Elegance
Combine blue and gold in your cake’s decoration — make it look stylish and trendy. (Speaking of trends, by the way: In 2025, tall square cakes will be a hit!)
Take some navy blue edible paint and stencils, and use royal icing to design your cake the way you love. A navy blue graduation hat and warm words of congratulations on the top will add theme and personality to your masterpiece.
11. Timeless Classic
What about keeping your graduation cake classic? Sometimes, the cakes with minimum decorations are the yummiest! Bake 3-4 round cake layers of your favorite flavor and use a plain fluffy buttercream frosting to cover it. After that, add black gel food coloring to the rest of the buttercream — and “paint” something minimalistic on the cake’s top with the help of piping tips.
12. Confetti Snack
Add colors to your graduation cake to make it more festive and lively. Bake a pie with sprinkles in the batter and powder the finished crusts with — surprise-surprise — sprinkles! Easy to make, such a cake will create a festive atmosphere and cheer up all the celebrants.
What’s inside besides sprinkles?
It’s a vanilla cake smothered in vanilla cream cheese frosting. Once ready, cut it into mini squares to make it easier for celebrants to eat the cake.
13. Coca-Cola Cake
Are there any fans of chocolate? Make your graduation cake double chocolate with a chocolate glaze and a subtle caramel flavor by adding a bit of Coca-Cola in the batter. Don’t forget a thematic decoration: Sprinkle with dried fruits or marshmallows, “write” some funny or motivational phrase on the top, etc.
14. Graduation Balloons
Decorate a tall round cake with edible balloons to congratulate your graduate with a degree. For that, melt chocolate with food coloring (take those fitting the cake’s overall design), and form half circles with the help of a rounded silicone tray. Then, just melt the edges and join them to create a sphere.
15. Sprinkle Ice Cream
No sprinkles are enough for a graduation party! Add them to your vanilla cake layers and strawberry (or any other of your taste) ice cream — and you have it! (Remember to keep an ice cream frozen: “Build” a cake right before serving, and use whipped cream for a quick decoration.)
And now, over to you:
What will be your graduation cake to cook in 2025?
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