Creative Graduation Cake Ideas
Go beyond basic graduation cakes with these creative graduation cake ideas! While some are more complex and might need some help from your local bakery, others are super simple and can be put on any type of cake. From sheet cakes to cookie cakes to well-decorated cupcakes, our list has no shortage of ideas that the graduate will love! These are appropriate for all types of graduation, from kindergarten to PhD programs.
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A Mortar Board Cake Surrounded by Cupcakes
This classic design is great for parties! It serves a lot and can have different cake flavors for the cake and the cupcakes. To make it easy on yourself, pick up a graduation cap cake pan for a professional looking cake you can make at home!
A Super Cute, Easy, Punny Grad Cake
With just three different icing colors, you can compliment the graduate and create a hilarious cake!
A Spongebob-Inspired Cake
This is perfect for any high school or college graduate who loves SpongeBob! The design is relatively easy and can be put on the top of any cake.
A Snarky But Funny Cake!
This is a great cake to surprise a friend or coworker who’s graduating with a good sense of humor!
A Reference to the Classic Book
Include a copy of Dr. Seuss’ book with this cake for a complete set!
Grad Year Cake
To make this elegant cake at home, pick up a set of numbered cake pans from Amazon. You can make each cake a different flavor so that you please everyone in the crowd. If you’re not expecting as many people, feel free to just do the last two digits of the year, instead of all four.
Smart Bitch Cake
Perfect if you want to surprise your friend or sister! You can use letter molds to shape fondant for a professional-looking cake that you can make at home.
We Survived High School Cake
Celebrating with your friends? This celebratory cake is simple and to the point: you survived! Feel free to change out high school with middle school, college, grad school or whatever else you’re graduating from!
Grad Cut Out
You can make any cake a graduation cake with this fun silhouette and name cake topper! Personalize it with their name and pick their favorite color for the silhouette. Simply top your cake with it and boom! You have a fun graduation cake.
Stack of Books Cake
Admittedly, this one takes some skill (or a trip to a local bakery). But if you really want to impress and you’re good with fondant, celebrate all the books they read throughout their education with a stacked book graduation cake!
College Bound Graduation Cake
This one is perfect for any college-bound high school senior! If you’re artsy, you can freehand the mascot, but if not, simply use edible icing sheets to print out a picture and paste it on the cake!
The Tassel Was Worth the Hassle Cake
We know it was a lot of work to get to where you are now, so celebrate it with a clever the tassel was worth the hassle cake!
Moving on Up High School Grad Cake
If you want a tiered layer cake, then this idea is so fun! Put a cake celebrating where you’re graduating from on the bottom and then on the top, make a cake celebrating where you’re heading off to! Use fondant to create a little ladder to show that you’re moving on up!
Through the Years Graduation Cake
What a unique cake! Use edible paper to print off two pictures of the graduate and place them side by side for a comparison that shows just how far they’ve come.
Half High Schoo/Half College Cake
Perfect for graduating high school seniors, this cake celebrates where they’ve been and where they’re going! Decorate half of the cake with their high school colors and the other half with their college colors for a fun, easy cake!
Simple but Elegant Cake
This simple but elegant cake is great for anyone who is good at piping! Once you’ve decorated your cake to your liking, top it with a graduation cap and diploma topper for an elegant cake!
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