Everything mermaid-themed from hair, to tails and accessories, is becoming increasingly popular. Whether you’re an amateur or professional baker, there’s always a possibility that at some point you’ll be asked to create a mermaid cake! At the Cake Decorating Company, we’ve got lots of ideas, handy tips and tools to help you make your first-ever mermaid themed cake, be it a tiered seaside spectacular celebration cake or a selection of mermaid tail cupcakes.
From ‘when to use a mermaid tail cake mould’ to ‘how to make a giant mermaid tail cake’, we’ve got all of the inspiration and help you’ll ever need to make a splash with your latest seaside-inspired creation!
When would you use a mermaid tail mould?
A mermaid tail mould is a simple and effective way to create single or multiple mermaid tails to top your seaside themed celebration cakes or mermaid inspired cakes. The perfect size for making mermaid tail cupcakes, they are easy to use yet give a professional finish that’s perfect for mermaid-themed parties or as a fun baking project with the kids.
The mould used to create our mermaid cupcakes (above) is our Katy Sue Designs Mermaid Tail Mould. Made from silicone, it has a beautifully intricate finish to add stunning fish-like scale details to each mermaid tail you make. Perfect for use with a range of mediums such as sugar paste, fondant, modelling paste, marzipan and flower paste, the possibilities of your mermaid tail creations are truly endless!
How do you use a mermaid tail cake mould?
It’s super easy to make a mermaid tail from a Katy Sue Mermaid Tails cake mould. Simply dust the mould with cornflour to start, before taking your modelling paste, fondant or sugar paste and treating it with Tylo to slightly dry out its consistency. Work the fondant to make it more pliable, before carefully pressing it into the mould.
Once you’re happy that it’s firmly pressed into the mermaid tail mould, ease the fondant out to see your beautifully detailed tail start to take shape! If you want a more rounded mermaid tail, repeat this process twice and then press the two pieces of fondant together, sticking with a little water or some edible glue. Shape the tail slightly then leave it to dry out, before painting it with one of our edible pearl or metallic paints to add a beautiful shimmer to your design! There’s a great ‘how to’ video from Katy Sue Design showing you how to achieve this and you may also like their video on how to prepare your fondant for moulding too! And voila! A perfect mermaid cake topper or cupcake topper ready to use!
How do you make iced mermaid cupcakes?
Now you have your mermaid tail mould mastered and your toppers made, it’s really easy to make mermaid iced cupcakes! Follow a basic cupcake and frosting recipe then simply place your mermaid tail creations into the centre of each cupcake! If you’re feeling less confident about the frosting or you’re decorating in a hurry, we’d recommend topping your cupcakes with this stunning mermaid twisty frosting from Cake Decor to create that mystical mermaid feel! It’s striped in purple and blue and is easy to use with its wide, star-shaped nozzle, allowing you to pipe straight from the tube! Finish off your design with some mermaid edible sprinkles for an eye-catching and glamorous final touch!
How do you make mermaid cake decorations?
If you want to go for a full mermaid-inspired, tiered cake or you simply want a variety of toppers for your mermaid creations, alongside the mermaid tail mould there are some other amazing seaside-inspired moulds by Katy Sue Design that will give you lots of variety for your mermaid cakes and mermaid cake toppers.
With this beautifully decorated mermaid cake, a number of Katy Sue Cake Design cake moulds have been used. The swimming mermaid, King Neptune and the tentacles were all created using moulds from the brand and are all available to buy individually or as part of the larger ‘Quest For The Sea’ collection. Crafted using the same techniques as the mermaid tail mould, each product link on our website comes with a handy ‘how to’ video attached to show you exactly how to achieve perfect creations from each of your moulds. If you’re looking for more of a general seaside theme, you may also like these seahorses and coral moulds too.
How do you make a mermaid tail cake?
One of the most popular mermaid style cakes is the mermaid tail cake and the good news with this one is that you can be as adventurous as you want with the filling! For beginner bakers, a good sturdy sponge cake with jam and buttercream is a worthy filling for this beautiful masterpiece. If you want to be more adventurous, you could add some food colouring to your sponge mix and create a marble-effect, sea-inspired sponge much like this one in this handy Youtube tutorial.
Once your sponges are baked and layered with your filling, add a dowel through the centre to keep your sponge layers in place. Shape your sponges with a knife to create the cone shape before frosting. To add the scales and tail, use fondant, shaping the tail freehand with a knife and the scales with a cookie cutter or this stunning mermaid scales mould. Layer on to the frosting and then mould together to cover any gaps. Patience is required with this one, but in the end, you’ll be left with a magnificent mermaid masterpiece, perfect for any mermaid-themed event!
For more mermaid-inspired moulds, toppers, frostings and embellishments, shop our full mermaid selection and set off on a journey of mystical and magical creations!
