The easy mermaid cake: Our “Happy Mermaid Cake”

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My big mini is turning four! And for her big day she wishes for a mermaid party… and that’s exactly what she’s going to get! Of course, a real mermaid cake can’t be missing – our Happy Mermaid Cake!

Four years! I can hardly believe it… Just like my grandma, I’m suddenly realizing how quickly these four years have passed. They’ve been exciting, turbulent years, full of new challenges that on some days pushed me to the edge of madness. On other days, I feel like my heart is overflowing with happiness – cheesy, but true. My life has been completely turned upside down…!

Not so long ago, I was sitting next to my little daughter, covered in mush, spoon-feeding her apparently inedible – but homemade – carrot purée, and today she’s asking me for a “mermaid cake.” (I never claimed that the challenges you’re faced with get fewer over time… but I can reassure you: you grow with your tasks! 😉)

Here you can see the birthday cake for her 3rd birthday.

A Mermaid Cake for Beginners

When I think of all the wonderful mermaid cakes on social media, I picture huge fondant cakes with beautiful glittering and sparkling decorations. I definitely can’t compete with that… Just the thought of a cake covered in fondant gives me sweaty palms and shortness of breath.

So a simple but beautiful alternativewas needed!

I decided on a fluffy sheet cake. To make it recognizable as a mermaid cake, I cut out the “Happy Mermaid” cake template from paper. (You can find more DIY templates in our shop.) I transferred this tail fin onto my finished sheet cake using a knife – and just like that, my Happy Mermaid Cake was done!

This trick is something I find incredibly helpful again and again, especially if – like me – you’re unfortunately not equipped with the fondant-cake-pro gene. The wonderful thing about a “themed sheet cake” is that you can transform your favorite sheet cake into endless designs using a template and a bit of decoration. Number cakes are also quick and easy to bake with a simple sheet cake (ideally not a crumb cake – though even that is possible).

Recipe for the Happy Mermaid Cake (Lemon Sheet Cake)

Since it’s the end of August and Abuela recently brought fresh lemons from the garden, I baked a lemon cake. A themed cake is easiest to make with a simple sponge batter.

Ingredients for one sheet

For the dough

• 350 g margarine
• 150 g brown sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar (15g)
• 6 eggs
• 350 g (spelled) flour
• 1 packet of baking powder (15 g)
• 2 organic lemons (juice & zest)

For the decoration

• 200 g powdered sugar
• 6 tbsp lemon juice
• Purple food coloring from GoodBake*
• Light blue Deco Melts*
• Chocolate lentils in blue, purple, and pink
• Sugar pearls (I used the beautiful „“Sprenkle Medley” from Sweetapolita , but the trio sprinkle set* , sugar sprinkles with seahorses & mermaid tails , or large Chocolate pearls* also fit the mermaid theme perfectly)

Discount code for your purchase at GoodBake: With the discount code “LIA12” you save 12% on your purchase from Goodbake.

Baking accessories

Baking tray, baking paper, dough scraper, mixing bowl, scale, hand mixer, knife, citrus juicer, grater, small bowl, saucepan for a water bath to melt the Deco Melts, pastry brush, piping tip with a very small opening (0.1–0.5 cm)* or a freezer bag used as a piping bag.

(*The links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links. I can recommend suitable products that do not cost you more and I receive a small commission that helps me finance my blog. Thank you!)

Preparation

• First, preheat the oven to 170°C (top/bottom heat).
• For the batter, mix all ingredients (except the 6 tbsp lemon juice needed for the icing) into a smooth mixture using a hand mixer.
• Next, spread the batter onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 30 minutes. At the end, do a skewer test to make sure the cake is fully baked.
• Then let the cake cool completely.

Turning the Lemon Cake into a Mermaid Cake

Once the cake has cooled, cut a mermaid tail out of the rectangular cake. You can lightly sketch the tail onto the cake with a toothpick, or – as described above – make a paper template. Place it on the lemon cake and cut it out with a kitchen knife.

Mini tip: the cake scraps are perfect for snacking or for rolling into homemade cake pops – so don’t throw them away! You can also freeze them.

Now mix powdered sugar, lemon juice, and purple food coloring to make a purple icing and spread it over the tail fin using a pastry brush. Quickly decorate with sprinkles and chocolate lentils, as the icing dries fast and otherwise the decorations won’t stick.

As a final step, melt the Deco Melts and pipe them onto the mermaid tail in a “scale” pattern using a small piping tip. Let everything dry and…

…your Happy Mermaid Cake is ready!

I wish you lots of fun baking!

Yours, Lia

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Have you baked the recipe?

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With kind permission and in cooperation with: Trallafitti & Gedöns

Notice: A PR sample was provided to me for this posting. This article is partly a collaboration. On my blog I only present products, companies, (online) shops etc. that I am personally convinced of and that offer added value for me and you and will facilitate or multiply our “Baking pleasure” . If I discover a product through a possible cooperation that helps us to be happy, I will present it in an article based on my own written opinion.