Gabriel’s favorite thing to eat is sushi, so for his birthday, I decided to make him a sushi birthday cake. A California Roll Sushi Birthday Cake, to be exact.
Since I’m more of a traditionalist and I don’t use fondant very often, I called on my friend Linda who is incredible with fondant. She also just happens to be the Portlandia Pie Lady and makes incredible pies! She’s just all around super talented.
See that detail on the chopsticks? She hand painted them. They are edible too! In fact, everything on this cake is edible, even the wasabi!
I made and frosted the cake at home, and I transported it to Linda’s house to transform it into a giant sushi roll filled with crab, carrots, avocado and rice!
Sushi Birthday Cake
This realistic sushi birthday cake is 100% edible – even the chopsticks! Transform a regular cake into sushi following these easy instructions.
Sushi Birthday Cake
Equipment
- Kitchen Aid Meat Grinder
- Fondant
- Wooden Skewers
- Food Coloring
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup softened butter
- ½ cup oil
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups Mountain Dew Soda
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 egg whites
Frosting
- 16 oz. cream cheese
- 2 sticks butter
- 16 oz. package of powdered sugar
- Juice half a lemon
- ¼ cup of milk or heavy cream
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to Fahrenheit 350°
- Cream butters and sugars until smooth
- Add 4 egg yolks, one at a time mixing well after each addition
- Add 1 ½ cups Mountain Dew and beat in with mixer
- Add flour, buttermilk, salt, and baking soda
- Mix until well incorporated
- Set aside
- In a separate bowl, whip 4 egg whites to stiff peaks
- Fold into batter
- Pour into two 9” prepared pans
- Bake at Fahrenheit 350° for 25-30, or until cake springs back at the touch
- Invert cakes on wire rack, let cool for a minimum of 3 hours
- When cooled, spread frosting in between layers and a light crumb coat on the exterior
- See post for applying Sushi Birthday Cake decorations and fondant
Frosting
- Mix all ingredients together until smooth and spreadable
Create Sushi from Regular Birthday Cake
To transform this plain cake into a sushi birthday cake start by cutting out a hole straight through the center of the cake, at least 3” across.
Fondant Coating
Cover the cake in white satin fondant and smooth around the entire exterior and in the middle of the hole you created.
Seaweed
Take a large section of fondant and color it black for the seaweed. Roll it into one long piece, and texture it with a long wooden skewer. Cut a straight edge and line that up with the top of the cake, and then roll it around the sides of the cake and trim the bottom.
Rice
Use the meat grinder attachment on a kitchen aid to create rice! Fill the top of the cake with pieces of the rice fondant until it is full.
Vegetables & Crab
Color sections of fondant to create different shades of green and orange for wasabi, carrots, crab, avocado and chopsticks. Shape into individual ingredients and place inside the whole you created in the center of the cake.
Secret Birthday Plans
Of course this Sushi Birthday Cake was all kept secret from Gabriel and it was well worth it. His reaction was priceless!
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Every single size springform pan your heart could ever desire!
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Make Your Own Sushi Birthday Cake
If you make a comically large sushi birthday cake, be sure and tag @Fahrenheit350sweets on Instagram so I can see it! And I’d love it if you left a review and a comment below!
My birthday was fantastic! Thanks babe! I love you. Holy moly that cake was amazing!!!
hi fahrenheit, thanks for dropping by my blog. what a fantastic effort for the sushi cake, and WOW, chopsticks with chinese lettering!!! what a feat!
you guys are so creative. i wanted to share with you another edible sushi cake platter that my friend got for her 40th last year. (no, it wasn’t made by me). how i admire you creative sorts.
http://fatboyrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/09/and-celebration-continues.html
You put me to shame! That is an amazing idea. How to fun to make a sushi cake. Submit it to Tip Junkie! Happy Birthday Gabe.
That cake is GREAT! Your friend has incredible talent and you’re right – she should totally start her own blog/website/something. Good for you two!
That is fantastic. Happy Birthday Gabe! I need your help Kitty. I am not doing a carnival for Millie’s b-day anymore it was being to stressful for this time in my life so instead, I am giving her a pinkalicious party. Hence where you come in: I need some ideas for pink foods that are 4-7 year old appropriate. I looked up pink foods and all the ideas were like salmon rolls and stuff. Millie loves salmon I don;t think her little friends want thtat at a b-day party however. Do you have any ideas?
Catherine that is outrageous! i can NOT believe you did all of that!!! THat is out of this world! wow! wow! wow!
What an amazing and clever cake! Love it!
What a cool idea! I think it would be really fun for April Fool's Day. I'm saving the idea!