Look! It's Jenn from Rook No.17. Love her!!

Hello Sweet Song Bird fans!
I'm Jenn from Rook No. 17

By day I work at an elementary school.
By night, I'm a graduate student.

So, it's little wonder why I have summertime on the brain.
I can't wait for summer!
How about you?

  

I'm delighted to be sharing a summer-themed party cake
that's easy to make and sure to spread a little sunshine
wherever it's served: The Beach Bucket Cake
 

It's fun, whimsical, and very versatile!
It takes little time and little money,
but makes a big impression!

The Beach Bucket cake is the perfect cake for any occasion where you want a delicious dessert with "WOW" factor, but not a lot of time. You can use any type of cake, filling and frosting. You can use mini pails to make individual cakes for birthday parties too. Here's how it's done...

Beach Bucket Cake

• A plastic pail/bucket and shovelI purchased mine from Michael's Crafts for $1 each

• Any type of cakeYou can use homemade or store-bought cake.  You can layer cupcakes or chunks of cake like a trifle, or use layer cakes as I did.  For layer cakes, measure the inside of the bucket to determine the size of cakes you need.  To fill the bucket close to the top, you'll need four layers.  I used only three.

• Any type of frostingYou can also use a filling like mousse, preserves, or custard between the layers.  Fresh berries and whipped cream make a wonderful compliment to white or angel-food cake.

• Edible "sand"
  Graham Crackers (5 full crackers)
  2 Tablespoons Raw Sugar
  1 teaspoon Black Sugar

• Decorations
  Chocolate Seashells

Step 1: Wash bucket and shovel with warm soapy water. Rinse and dry.

Step 2:  Place one layer of cake in the bottom of the bucket.  Top with filling or frosting.  Continue to alternate cake and frosting/filling until you're satisfied with the height of the cake.  The top layer should be of frosting.

Step 3:  Make the edible "sand".  First, reduce the graham crackers to an ultra-fine meal in a high-powered blender or food processor.  Place in a bowl and stir in the raw sugar and black sugar. 

Step 4:   Dump the "sand" on top of the frosted cake and spread out to give the illusion of a bucket full of sand.

Step 5:  Insert the shovel, then decorate the sand with edible seashells.

I made little flags out of scrapbook paper and paper straws, and stamped the type of cake on the back.  My Beach Bucket Cakes were carrot cake made from the Joy the Baker recipe (omitting the walnuts and raisins), and were frosted with my homemade vanilla bean cream cheese icing.

Life's a Beach!

Enjoy!

Thank you Evelin & Erika for having me here today!