Easy New Year Cake {Clock Cake}

Easy New Year cake recipe and, homemade with simple ingredients. Decorated to look like a midnight clock cake with buttercream icing, white and black fondant. Step by step tutorial included. Great for New Year's Eve parties. If you don't want to use fondant, a detailed cake decorating tutorial with only buttercream is also included in this post.

It's "time" to kick off the New Year and try new things. This cake is a great start, too! And believe it or not, these New Years Resolution Cookies may actually help you with your own goals and aspirations for the upcoming year. But don't wait too long to try these scrumptious treats, because...well...the clock is ticking! Besides New Year's Day, I think this cake can also work well for Father’s day just like this Tool Box Cake, Star Wars Cake, and Karate Cake.

Jump to:

• Key ingredients for happy new year cake
• Variations
• How to make easy new years cake (clock cake) from scratch? 
• Another design using buttercream frosting
• Tips and techniques
• Recipe FAQs
• Storage
• More easy decorated cakes
• Recipe

Key ingredients for happy new year cake

• Cake- You will need a total of two round cakes.
• Buttercream icing- Versatile icing that is great for cake decorating.
• Black fondant- This is hard to make homemade, so I recommend using store bought.
• White fondant- You will use this to make the numbers and clock hands.
• Sprinkles- I used gray and white to make the finishing touches on the cake.

Variations

• Try different cake flavors- Such as Vanilla Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Funfetti Cake, or Moist Triple Chocolate Cake.
• Add a filling- Like Strawberry Jam, Raspberry Pie Filling, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Whipped Cream, Crockpot Apple Butter, Chocolate Ganache, Caramel Sauce, or Homemade Vanilla Custard.
• Try other frosting flavors- Including Marshmallow Frosting, Easy Mint Frosting, Caramel Frosting, Cream Cheese Frosting, Lemon Frosting, Chocolate Ganache Frosting, or White Chocolate Buttercream.
• Use frosting instead of fondant- This entire cake is a very simple design and can be fully decorated in Black Buttercream Icing and no fondant. It's entirely up to you what medium you prefer to use.
• Try other color combinations- I chose black and white, but you can do blue and yellow, purple and green, pink and white, or whatever you like!
• Pick a different time- I wanted it to look like the clock was about to strike midnight on New Year's Eve. You can pick something more significant like the time of birth for a birthday cake.
• Make wrist watch- This design can easily be modified to look like a wrist watch by adding a bit more cake and/or fondant on either side made to look like part of the wrist strap.

How to make easy new years cake (clock cake) from scratch? 

1. Bake the cakes and allow them to cool completely- While you prepare the icing.
2. Place the cake on a stand- Spread icing over the top, and cover with second cake.
3. Ice the entire cake- In buttercream icing. (Image 1)
4. Roll out black fondant- And spread it over the cake. (Image 2)
5. Smooth it out on the top and sides- Then, trim excess along the bottom. (Image 3)
6. Cut out a thin strip of black fondant- Stick this around the top of the cake. (Image 4)
7. Use the side of a toothpick- To make indentations around the strip. (Image 5)
8. Use a fondant mold or candy mold- To create numbers with white fondant. (Image 6)
9. Stick these numbers on the cake- By brushing on some water. (Image 7)
10. Cut out two small white strips- And two small triangles to stick in the middle of the cake. (Image 8)
11. Steam your cake- To create a cleaner, smoother finish.
12. Stick on a few sprinkles- Around the top and base of the cake.

Another design using buttercream frosting

If you are not a fan of fondant, consider making this full buttercream cake design. It's super easy and kids can even help in the process.

1. Bake cakes and allow them to cool completely.
2. While the cakes and baking the cooling, prepare the white icing.
3. Place one cake on a serving dish.
4. Use a spatula to spread icing on top of the cake.
5. Place the other cake on top of the icing and press gently (Image 1).
6. Ice the entire cake in white buttercream smoothly (Image 2).
7. Use an offset spatula to create a spiral pattern alone the side and top of the cake (Image 3).
8. Toss some white sprinkles of top if you like (Image 4).
9. Fill a piping bag with black icing and a attach a small round tip. You can also use store-bought black icing tubes. Make sure the cut the tip really tiny with scissors. Pipe numbers on top of the clock. I recommend piping 12, 6, 3 and 9 first and then piping the rest of the numbers to keep all the numerals evenly spaced out (Image 5).
10. Also pipe arrows striking midnight and use a wooden skewer to smooth out any imperfections (Image 6).
11. Toss some gold sprinkles on the top and sides of the cake to give it a pop of color (Image 7).
12. Cover and chill cake until you are ready to serve (Image 8).

Tips and techniques

• Black colored fondant is hard to make at home- I highly recommend buying it. Satin Ice and Wilton are two brands that I like.
• Don't get too close to the cake when you are steaming- It because sometimes water can splatter onto the cake and that create unsightly puddles and ruin the cake design.
• Steaming the cake at the end is not optional- It has to be done to create a cleaner, refined finish.
• If you don't like the smell or flavor of fondant- Mix in an extract of your choice and then roll it out.
• When rolling out fondant- Make sure your surface is generously sprinkled with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
• Allow cakes to cool completely- Before decorating them or else the frosting will melt and things will become a mess.
• Use a spatula to spread icing- On top of the cake so that it is smooth.
• Trim excess fondant with a pizza cutter- Because this is the easiest, smoothest way to accomplish the task.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Make Ahead- This can be made a day in advance and I recommend keeping at room temperature away from direct heat and humidity until you are ready to serve.
• Room temperature- This can be left out for 2-3 days in a box or container. Fresh is always best!
• Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days but the fondant will become slightly sticky due to the moisture in the fridge.
• Freeze- Fondant decorated cakes cannot be frozen because the fondant becomes sticky upon thawing. However, if you choose to do frosting instead of fondant, store frosting and cake separately in sealed containers for up to 1 month. Thaw and decorate per instructions below.

More easy decorated cakes

• Easy Penguin Cake
• How to Make Ombre Cake (Blue)
• Rainbow Sprinkle Cake
• Easy Galaxy Cake
• How to Make Rosette Cake (Buttercream)
• Easy Cereal Cake (With Trix)
• Easy Dinosaur Cake (Dino Cake)

Recipe