It’s no surprise that graduation cake have become increasingly popular in recent years. From elegant cakes with traditional caps and certificates to stylish book-shaped cakes.
From simple cupcakes with elaborate, pre-purchased cake decorations to colorful representations of the student’s personality. We’ve put together a list of the best graduation cakes, along with simple instructions for baking a delicious cake at home.
The best and tastiest graduation cake ideas for boys
Our masculine graduation cakes are fun and have subdued tones. Combine these with all the other ideas in this article to create the perfect graduation cake for your boy. Or simply follow our design ideas closely to create your Pinterest-worthy graduation cake.
Young vs old graduation cake
Young vs. old cakes are usually used for anniversaries and special birthdays, but also make great graduation cakes.
Start by baking our basic cake recipe below and when it has cooled, top with your choice of buttercream. Rustic buttercream, applied with a wide butter knife, is ideal here.
Then use sugarpaste to draw a line through the center of the cake. Little red hearts along a line of red fondant look pretty, but any other color will work too.
Finally, add a calligraphy topper that says “Then vs. Now” to the back of the cake in the center. Finally, place two photos printed on sugar or wafer paper on either side of the cake.
One should portray the graduate as a little boy who has just started kindergarten, the other as a current graduate. This is an emotional cake design, but it’s worth it.
Lego man cake
This fun cake is easy to make and is sure to put a smile on the recipient’s face. Start baking our basic recipe below and let your cake cool to room temperature.
Then spread your cake with buttercream of your choice. We prefer lighter cake colors because they are more forgiving, but a dark chocolate frosting can be just as effective. Use a cake scraper for a smooth surface or a wide butter knife for rustic touches.
Finally top off with a finished Lego graduate in miniature. You can get these custom made or, if you can’t find one, get a LEGO cake topper printed out of cardboard. It is best to bake this cake for a Lego fan and give a new set as a gift in addition to your cake.
Navy blue and gold graduation cake
This is a great cake for boys and girls, although the colors make it look quite traditionally masculine. Start baking our basic cake recipe below.
Once your cake has cooled to room temperature, you can spread it with the buttercream of your choice. Roll out a large sheet of navy fondant and cover the entire cake. Make sure you remove all bumps and bubbles.
Top tip: Thicker fondant has fewer flaws but also tastes sweeter.
Finally, top your cake with a small fondant cake and a sugarpaste certificate for it. Write the word “Graduate” for the topper in gold letters.
The best and tastiest graduation cake ideas for girls
Graduation cakes are very popular with both boys and girls. Our feminine graduation cake ideas are a little more delicate and floral.
Feel free to use these to suit a boy or combine ideas from our two design ideas lists to create your perfect cake.
Floral letter closing cake
This beautiful cake will please many girls, but it can also be easily baked at home. You can cut your letter out of a cookie baked in a rectangular shape, or you can buy a letter-shaped cookie cutter.
Start baking our basic recipe below and let cool to room temperature. If you are using a regular cookie sheet, place a paper cutout of the first letter of your diploma on the cooled cookie and cut it out with a sharp knife.
Cover everything with buttercream of your choice. You don’t need to make your buttercream look so smooth because you’ll be decorating it next.
Pipe buttercream flowers of the same color over your “letter”. You can use the same piping nozzle for each flower or combine them to give it the look of a bouquet. Finally, add a cake topper with a step. If you want, you can write “Congratulations, Name” on the board next to the cake with fondant or chocolate letters.
Girl graduation silhouette cake
Another really cute cake design that couldn’t be easier to make, start baking our basic cake recipe below and let it cool.
Then spread your cake with your favorite buttercream and smooth it with a cake scraper. Finally, add a fondant print of your prom girl.
You can get beautiful cartoon drawings of girls “going away”, wearing a cap and a dress. Pour this onto the front of the cake and press gently until none of the edges curl.
Top Tip: Any printed fondant or waffles should be done by a professional unless you have a food safe printer and food coloring at home.
Basic Graduation Cake Recipe: Simple Instructions
This simple recipe for a delicious graduation cake couldn’t be easier to make. If you take your time and follow the steps below, you are almost guaranteed a delicious cake that will impress.
You can even adjust the recipe a bit to make it more customized: for example, you can replace the vanilla extract with another flavor such as orange, rose or almond.
You can add a few drops of food coloring, cocoa powder, sprinkles or chocolate chips.
If you have food allergies or need to follow certain dietary restrictions, don’t worry: you can replace the eggs with yogurt or aquafaba, the milk with oat or almond alternatives, as well as the vegan or coconut butter.
You can also replace the flour with a gluten-free variant and use less sugar or an alternative such as coconut blossom sugar or fruit concentrate.
Ingredients:
1. 2 ¼ cups self-rising flour
2. 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3. ½ cup salted butter
4. 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
5. 1 ½ dl whole milk
6. 3 medium eggs
And here’s how you do it:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Meanwhile, prepare two 9-inch cake pans or one 9 x 13-inch pan by greasing them with butter or coconut oil.
2. Beat sugar and butter with a mixer until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract until no streaks remain.
4. Gradually mix the butter and cream together with eggs and flour until everything is smooth.
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared molds and bake for 30-35 minutes. The center should be elastic when pressed and slightly brown. Top tip: Poke the sponge cake with a toothpick. Your cake is ready if it comes out clean.
Allow your cake to cool completely to room temperature and then frost it according to one of our delicious graduation cake design ideas above.
Graduation Cake Message Ideas
“Congrats, grad!”
“Well done!”
“Dream big!”
“Achievement unlocked!”
“Cheers to success!”
“Follow your dreams.”
“The future is yours!”
“Grad power!”
Celebrate your graduation with a mouthwatering cake from Costco. Explore our top ideas for graduation cakes that will delight your taste buds and impress your guests.
Smaller meals, like sandwiches, cheese and fruit trays, and pastries, provide delicious options to all of your guests. You can also have heavier foods like burgers and pizza, or unique dishes including quiches, casseroles, salads, and soups. Cake is the traditional dessert that is served at graduation parties.