This Beach Cake is the ultimate summer dessert for pool parties, beach-themed parties, and cookouts. Made with simple cake mix and decorated with fun candies, this easy cake looks impressive without requiring any fancy decorating skills.
Summer in finally here! The kids are out of school, we’re sleeping in a little later, and spending as much time as possible outside by the pool. That also means plenty of cookouts, neighborhood parties, and family gatherings where everyone is asked to bring a dessert.
This beach cake is one of my favorite desserts to make because it’s colorful, fun, easy to decorate and comes together in minutes. Kids love the gummy sharks and teddy grahams too!
Transporting it is easy! Just pop it into a cake carries and you’re ready to go. If you’re looking for more summer desserts, check out my Beach Crab Cookies and Ocean Gelatin Cups!
Why You’ll Love This Beach Cake
- Simple ingredients – Everything can be found at most grocery stores.
- Easy to decorate – No piping or cake decorating experience needed.
- Kid-friendly – Kids love to help decorate the beach scene with candy.
- Easy to customize – Add your favorite gummy candies, cookies, or beach-themed decorations.
Beach Cake Ingredients
- Cake Mix: Yellow, vanilla or white cake mix all work great.
- Cake Mix Ingredients: Eggs, oil and water listed on box.
- Blue Frosting: Store-bought blue frosting or tint vanilla frosting with blue food coloring.
- Teddy Bear Cookies: Used whole as “people” on the beach and some crushed to create edible sand.
- Rainbow Candy Strips: Cut into small rectangles to resemble beach towels.
- Peach Rings: To use as floaties for the teddy bears.
- Gummy Sharks: These can be found in the specialty section of the candy aisle.
- Paper Umbrellas: Small drink umbrellas complete the beach scene. Be sure to remove before serving.
How to Make a Beach Cake
Step 1: Bake the cake according to the directions on the cake mix package in a round cake pan. Allow to cool completely.
Step 2: Frost the entire cake with blue frosting to create the ocean.
Step 3: Crush about 1 cups of teddy bear cookies into find crumbs and sprinkle them over one-half of the cake to make the sandy beach.
Step 4: Insert the paper umbrellas into the sandy section. Cut the rainbow candy strips into smaller rectangles and arrange them on the sand as beach towels. Place a teddy bear cookies on each towel.
Step 5: Place additional teddy bear cookies inside peach rings to create floating tubes and set them on the blue frosting. Finish decorating with gummy sharks swimming in the ocean.
Recipe Variations
- Crush up vanilla wafers or Golden Oreos for sand instead of teddy grahams.
- Add gummy fish, dolphins, octopuses for more ocean life.
- Bake two round cakes and layer for a taller cake.
- Make cupcakes instead and decorate each one with its own mini beach scene.
- Can you use patch kids as people instead of teddy grahams.
Recipe Tips
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the icing doesn’t melt.
- Crush the cookies finely so they resemble real sand.
- Don’t over crowd the cake! Plan it out before you decorate.
- Decorate the cake a few hours before your party so the frosting has time to set.
- Save time and use a store bought cake and decorate yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Bake and frost the cake a day in advance. Add the candy and decorations the day of the party for the freshest look.
I do not recommend freezing this cake due to the candy and cookies. You can freeze unfrosted and undecorated cake for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Beach Cake
Ingredients
- 1 boxed white cake mix
- Eggs Water, Oil: ingredients listed on cake box
- 1 container of Blue frosting
- Teddy Grahams
- Rainbow Candy Strips
- Peach Rings
- Gummy Sharks
- Paper Umbrellas
Instructions
- Bake the cake according to the directions on the cake mix package in a round cake pan. Allow to cool completely.
- Frost the entire cake with blue frosting to create the ocean.
- Crush about 1 cups of teddy bear cookies into find crumbs and sprinkle them over one-half of the cake to make the sandy beach.
- Insert the paper umbrellas into the sandy section.
- Cut the rainbow candy strips into smaller rectangles and arrange them on the sand as beach towels.
- Place a teddy bears cookie on each towel.
- Place additional teddy bear cookies inside peach rings to create floating tubes and set them on the blue frosting.
- Finish decorating with gummy sharks swimming in the ocean.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the icing doesn’t melt.
- Crush the cookies finely so they resemble real sand.
- Don’t over crowd the cake! Plan it out before you decorate.
- Decorate the cake a few hours before your party so the frosting has time to set.
- Save time and use a store bought cake and decorate yourself.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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