5 Cake Recipes to Unleash the Power of the Ocean Inspired by Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken!

When you were younger, did your parents ever get you cakes modeled after your favorite cartoon character? Whether it was Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, or How to Train Your Dragon, bakers from all over the country know to expect a surge of new design requests once a movie gets released.

And, trust us, they are already preparing to make cakes about Universal Picture‘s newest hit movie: Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Showcasing awkward Ruby as she struggles to navigate high school and her newfound Kraken lineage, this film is definitely going to be your kid’s new favorite movie and a must for their next birthday cake.

But, we know buying a well-designed cake costs big bucks. Lucky for you, we’ve come up with these 5 simple, creative cake recipes that you can make easily at home!

Ruby’s Big Moment

Difficulty: Medium • 15-20 Servings • Total Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

•  6 cups of rice crispy
• 3 cup of buttercream frosting
• Royal blue gel food coloring
• 3 skewers
• 3 ½ cups purple fondant
• (1) 8 inch 3 layers cake that has been crumb coated and refrigerated
• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon water

Directions:

1. Start by dividing the buttercream into three separate medium-sized bowls. 
2. Add blue food coloring to each bowl, creating different shades of blue. Begin with a light blue color and gradually add more food coloring to each bowl, transitioning to darker shades of blue.
3. Prepare three separate piping bags and fill each one with the three different shades of blue buttercream. 
4. Take the crumb coated 8-inch cake out of the refrigerator and place it on a lazy Susan. 5. Begin decorating the cake by using the darkest royal blue frosting. Create two even stripes at the bottom of the cake. 
5. Move up and use the next darker shade of blue buttercream to create two even stripes above the previous ones. 
6. Lastly, take the lightest shade of blue buttercream and create two even stripes above the last stripe of color. 
7. Take a spatula and lightly swipe the colors while rotating the lazy Susan to achieve an ombre effect on the cake. While rotating the cake, lightly shift the spatula up and down to create a wavy effect with the frosting. 
8. Once the cake is evenly covered with the buttercream, place it in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to set.
9. Take a skewer and attach about a cup of Rice Krispies to the end, forming the shape of a tentacle. Set it aside. 
10. Roll about a cup of purple fondant to a thickness of a quarter inch. Carefully cover the Rice Krispie tentacle with the fondant, smoothing it out with your fingertips. Repeat this process two more times to create a total of three purple tentacles. 
11. Take the remaining fondant and roll it into small balls. Then using a round object, such as a 1/4 teaspoon, press it into a piece of fondant to create suction cup shapes for the tentacles. 13. Mix powdered sugar and water to create a paste, which will act as glue to attach each suction cup to the tentacles. 
12. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and place the purple fondant tentacles on top, creating a fun Ruby Kraken effect.
13. Finally, step back and admire this eye-catching cake that beautifully showcases Ruby’s ability to be her true self.

Let Your Inner Light Shine

Difficulty: Medium • 24 Servings • Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 24 baked and cooled cupcakes of your choice flavor
• 5 cups buttercream frosting
• 3 cups cold Tonic water
• 2 packets of gelatin
• ½ cup hot water

DIY Seashell Chocolates:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3 seashells and starfish
• ¼ cup melted chocolate (colored purple)
• ¼ cup melted chocolate (colored pink)
• ¼ cup melted chocolate (colored green)
• ¼ cup melted chocolate (colored yellow)

Directions:

1.  Start by dissolving two packets of gelatin in a half cup of hot water in a glass. Stir the mixture until there are no clumps visible. 
2. Next, combine three cups of cold tonic water with the gelatin mixture. Stir everything together thoroughly. 
3. Take a cupcake and frost it in a large spiral pattern. 
4. Carefully dip the frosted cupcake into the tonic mixture, making sure to coat it evenly. Repeat this process for each cupcake. 
5. While the cupcakes are setting, take a shallow dish and pour in two cups of brown sugar. Smooth the brown sugar, making it flat and even. 
6. Take clean seashells and press them into the brown sugar, creating imprints on the surface. 
7. Melt colored chocolate and carefully pour it into the imprints made by the seashells. Allow the chocolate to set completely. 
8. Once the chocolate has set, gently remove the seashells from the brown sugar and use a pastry brush to dust off any excess sugar. 
9. Finally, place the DIY seashells on top of each cupcake. Then, switch on a black light and enjoy these mesmerizing glow-in-the-dark cupcakes that symbolize letting your inner glow shine even in the darkest of places!

The Power Of The Ocean

Difficulty: Medium • 35 Servings • Total Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

• 4 sheets of rice paper
• 1 cup of water
• 3 drops of blue food coloring
• (1) 2 tiered royal blue cake (6 inch on top of 8 inch cake)
• 1 tablespoons of gold edible sugar paint
• 1 tablespoons of white food coloring
• 1 sponge

Directions:

1. Take a shallow dish with a one-inch rim and pour one cup of water into it. Add three drops of food coloring to the water, giving it a vibrant blue hue. 
2. Place a sheet of rice paper into the dish, fully submerging it in the blue water. Carefully lift the soaked rice paper and position it on top of a glass pitcher that has been laid on its side. Repeat this process to create two waves. Allow the rice paper to dry completely until it becomes hard. (About 45 minutes to an hour) 
3. For more wave effects, crinkle a piece of parchment paper and place the rice paper on top of it while drying. This will add a textured wave effect to your decorations. 
4. While the rice paper is drying, take a sponge and dip it in white food coloring. Gently dab the sides of your tiered cake diagonally from the top corner to the bottom. This technique will create a seafoam effect. 
5. Next, use gold edible paint to make wavy lines down the sides where you applied the white food coloring. These golden waves will add a touch of magic to your creation. 
6. Once the rice paper has dried and hardened, carefully remove it from the glass pitcher. Place it on top of your cake to create a captivating wave effect. Take the other rice paper wave decorations and position them along the sides of the cake. 
7. Using your edible gold paint brush, delicately brush the edges of the rice paper to enhance the illusion of golden waves. 
8. Finally, step back and take in the beauty of the Power of the Ocean cake!

Embracing Two Worlds

Difficulty: Medium • 15-20 Servings • Total Time: 4 Hour 25 Minutes

Ingredients:  

• 1 cup blue gelatin 
• 1 cup chocolate edible seashells 
• (1) 8 inch 3 layered cake with a white buttercream crumb coat 
• ½ cup graham cracker 
• Green food coloring 
• Black food coloring 
• Acetate (about 9 inches) 
• 1 cup white buttercream

Directions:

1.  Take a knife and carefully slice out half of the top of your 8-inch cake. Set aside the cutout cake pieces in a medium-sized bowl to save for later. 
2. Fill the gap on your 8-inch cake with buttercream, ensuring a smooth and complete coverage. Allow the cake to set in the fridge for 15 minutes. 
3. Next, place edible chocolate seashells into the indention in the cake, adding a decorative touch. Carefully wrap the cake in acetate, making sure it is tightly secured without any bubbles. Use a springform pan to firmly hold the acetate against the sides of the cake. 
4. Using a ladle, pour one cup of gelatin into the hole in the side of the cake. Allow the gelatin to set for approximately 4 hours in the fridge, ensuring it becomes firm. 
5. While the gelatin is setting, take the cake scraps and mix them thoroughly with black food coloring. Roll the mixture into a ball to create a boulder shape. Place the black boulder onto a plate and add a mixture of green food coloring and crushed graham crackers on top, creating a moss-like appearance. Repeat this process to make various shaped boulders, then refrigerate them until they harden. 
6. Once the gelatin has set, carefully remove the springform pan and acetate from the cake. Now, you can place the cake boulders on top of the rim of the cake, strategically arranging them around the gelatin shore effect. Add any additional seashells for further decoration. 
7. Along the bottom of the cake, sprinkle crushed graham cracker to create a sandy effect. Place more seashells and boulder cake pieces in this area to enhance the underwater theme. 8. Finally, enjoy this cake that blends two worlds into one, immersing you in a captivating experience that celebrates the magic of the ocean.

Evil Flipping Mermaid

Difficulty: Easy • 15-20 Servings • Total Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

• 2 cup orange buttercream 
• 2 cups teal buttercream 
• 2 cup blue buttercream 
• 1 blue chocolate edible mermaid tail 
• (1) 8 inch 3 layer red velvet cake with a white buttercream crumb coat 

Directions:

1. Take an offset spatula and place a dollop of orange buttercream on it. Swipe the spatula along the bottom rim of your 8-inch cake, creating a smooth smudge of orange buttercream. Similar in appearance to a sideways teardrop. 
2. Next, take your teal buttercream and carefully place it slightly on top of the orange buttercream. Swipe the spatula in the same direction, repeating this process with the blue buttercream. This technique will create a mermaid scale effect. Repeat the color pattern all the way up to the top of the cake. 
3. Once you reach the top of the cake, start in the center and create scale-like buttercream smudges in a circular motion, spiraling outwards towards the edge of the cake. This will further enhance the mermaid scale design. 
4. Add a blue edible chocolate mermaid tail to the top of the cake, giving it an enchanting finishing touch. 
5. Finally, slice into the cake to reveal its hidden surprise. As you cut through, the red velvet inside that symbolizes Chelsea’s contrasting nature—a dark center wrapped in a beautiful exterior.