Quick and easy tutorial on how to make homemade birthday sushi cake with fondant, pound cake, icing, candies. Great for April Fool's Day dessert.
I am not particularly fond of sushi but this dessert is something I get on board with. It looks just like the real thing but tastes nothing like it. It's just as fun to make as these other Birthday Cake Ideas or this Bumblebee Cake (Spring Cake).
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from CakeWhiz
How to make sushi cake from scratch?
- Bake cake- And allow it to cool completely.
- Cut circle slices- Using a circle cutter.
- Ice cake- In chocolate frosting.
- Cut strip of green fondant- And stick it around the cake.
- Add toppings- This includes shredded coconut and crushed candies.
- Enjoy- Serve on a tray with chopsticks.
Variations for fondant sushi birthday cake
Use black fondant- I chose to make the outer strip of fondant dark green to look like seaweed but you can also choose to make it black too. I have seen both versions in real life.
Use other candies- Instead of candy corns, use other orange and yellow candies.
Make a large cake- Use the same tutorial to make a single 8 or 9 inch cake instead of mini cakes.
Try other cake flavors- Such as Chocolate Pound Cake (With Cake Mix) or Lemon Pound Cake (With Cake Mix) or Buttermilk Pound Cake (From Scratch) or Sour Cream Pound Cake.
Consider other frosting flavors- Such as Peanut Butter Frosting or Easy Maple Frosting.
Tips and Techniques
Cake must be firm- Whatever cake recipe you choose, make sure it has a firm texture to hold the weight of the fondant decorations and to also maintain its round shape. I highly recommend sticking to pound cakes.
Don't decorate warm cakes- Because the icing and decorations will melt into a sticky mess.
Use a metal cutter instead of plastic cutters- Because they create the sharpest cleanest circle slices.
Homemade fondant vs. Marshmallow fondant- Either can be used. I prefer homemade fondant because it tastes really good and also smells amazing. Also, you can buy pre-colored fondant, which means less work for you.
Storage
Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. However the fondant decorations will become slightly sticky and tacky from the moisture in the fridge.
Freeze- Unfrosted cakes can be stored in a sealed container for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then, decorate as per instructions below.
Make ahead instructions- This cake can be baked and decorated 1 day in advance and stored at room temperature until you are ready to serve.
More Decorated Cakes
- Watermelon Cake
- Butterfly Cake
- Tie Dye Shirt Cake
- Fondant Flower Cake
- Peacock Cake
- Crying Baby Cake
- Modern Abstract Cake
Recipe
Easy Birthday Sushi Cake
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from CakeWhiz
Ingredients
- Cream cheese pound cake
- Chocolate buttercream frosting
- 2 cups Marshmallow fondant Dark green or black
- ½ cup Shredded coconut Sweetened
- ¼ cup Candy corn Roughly chopped
Instructions
- Allow it to cool completely. It's better to chill in fridge overnight to really make it firm.
- Cut it in half lengthwise.
- Use a small 2 inch circle cutter to out circle cake pieces.
- Ice the sides of these mini cakes with chocolate buttercream, using a spatula.
- Roll out green fondant (or black fondant) and cut strips using a pizza cutter. The width of these strips should be the same as the height of the mini cakes.
- Wrap these fondant strips around your circular cakes and cut off excess along the sides.
- Tip:I have seen some sushi cakes that use green fruit roll up strips instead of fondant. I think that’s very smart. It would save you the hassle of rolling fondant and cutting strips.
- Cover the top of your cakes with icing.
- Sprinkle shredded coconut on top.
- Sprinkle crushed candy canes in the center.
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
daksha
Wow very creative and unique combo of flavours.....Looks delicious cakes..Lovely color too.
briarrose
This is definitely my kind of sushi. Beautiful job on these.
Kate
Gorgeous!!! Excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor.
Maris
Oh yes these definitely look like sushi! Amazing job!
Nelly Rodriguez
This are adorable and thanks for the tutorial, because they do look easy! Do you buy your fondant or make your own?
Abeer
Thanks Nelly.
I make my own fondant. I did a tutorial on that here: https://www.cakewhiz.com/CakeWhiz/post/How-to-make-marshmallow-fondant.aspx
It is softer than regular fondant and takes longer to dry but it tastes soooo much better than regular fondant. Hope this helps
thoma
oh my God the first pic is such a stunner...so oriental it looks. we all tend to keep repeating here that you are so creative. Wilton's seems to be quite an asset to you right? i should try getting it some where...
Bills
I want to make these for my sister, although I think she likes sushi better than cake, Im sure she'll LOVE the idea.
shabunam
These look good Abeer , cool idea
Erin
What a great idea! I too am not keen on sushi, and I always seem to be the downer when friends wants sushi. Thankfully, most places serve other dishes as well.
Magic
These are amazing...I really thought they were sushi at first. Fantastic!
Meghan
You did a fabulous job on these! They look awesome!
Beth Michelle
OK, these are fabulous. So creative. You did such a wonderful job! Good work
Delishhh
OHHHH that is just adorable NICE!
Nami
Aww.... Abeer, it's too bad you don't like sushi, but honestly sushi in the US is not so good. Unless you go to a very nice sushi restaurant, it's not authentic or fresh at all.... And I know some people think Japanese eat sushi (raw fish) everyday.... how funny. Sushi is considered expensive food, so we don't eat often. Your sushi cake is amazing Abeer. Just simply amazing. You've been making breathtaking cakes so I'm not surprised with your skills, but you are very creative too!
Life
This looks soooo good! They really look real. I love sushi, and I love cake!! For me this is win-win and now I'm craving both! Good job!