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A slice of a sea-inspired summer cake, decorated with blue ocean waves, white frosting 'foam', and crushed cookie 'sand', topped with palm trees.

Sea Inspired Summer Cake

This cake uses blue and white coloring to resemble ocean waves and sand. It is a simple vanilla cake suitable for summer gatherings.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 people
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 Large eggs
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 tbsp Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
For the Ocean Frosting
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cups Powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup Heavy cream
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • Blue food coloring Gel food coloring Use gel for best color saturation
  • 1/4 cup Crushed graham crackers For sand effect

Equipment

  • Two 8-inch round cake pans
  • Electric mixer
  • Wire cooling rack

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
  4. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. To make the frosting, beat the softened butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, alternating with the heavy cream and vanilla. Beat until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
  6. Divide the frosting into three bowls. Leave one bowl white. Tint the second bowl light blue and the third bowl a darker blue. You will use these to create the ocean effect.
  7. Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a thin layer of white frosting on top. Place the second layer on top. Frost the entire cake with a thin crumb coat of white frosting and chill for 15 minutes.
  8. Apply the remaining white frosting to the top and sides of the cake. Use an offset spatula to create soft peaks or wave patterns on the top surface. Dab small amounts of the light blue and dark blue frosting randomly onto the white frosting. Use a clean spatula or knife to gently swirl the colors together to mimic water movement, being careful not to overmix.
  9. Sprinkle the crushed graham crackers along the bottom edge of the cake to represent sand.

Notes

You can add a few drops of clear vanilla extract to the frosting if you want a stronger vanilla flavor. For a more realistic ocean look, press a fork lightly into the blue frosting to create texture before adding the sand layer.