How to Make Baby Bump Cakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a baker, you must have been asked at least once to make a baby bump cake. These cakes are a popular choice for mothers to be. There are various methods of making these cakes. Some more detailed ones show the navel of the mum or parts of the baby anatomy (usually a foot made with rice krispies). Below, I will be sharing my method of making a “simple” baby bump cake. It is the one I use most often. To see more of my baby bump cakes, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE PROCESS:

In this post, I will be showing you how I made this light blue baby bump cake which features simple braids and a flower on the left side of the waist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) First, bake your cakes. I usually bake my cakes in two 6 inch Wilton Ball Pans (for the bust) and one 9 inch Pyrex glass bowl (for the belly). Depending on the proportions you are going for, you might want to use smaller bowls for the bust and/or larger bowls for the belly. You can also bake the parts in regular round cake pans and carve afterwards. I however find this more laborious (pun unintended) and leads to a lot of waste.

When baking in bowls, remember to grease the bowl properly (preferably with shortening) and coat the greased bowl with an extra layer of flour. You can read more about preparing cake pans and bowls here. Also remember to reduce your oven temperature by about 25 degrees when baking with glass bowls (325 instead of 350).

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) When your sponges are cold, cut off the top to give you a flat surface. Divide each sponge into 2 (bust) or 3 (belly) layers, fill them with frosting, build them back up and frost the outside of the sponges. You might need to carve them a little bit in order to arrive at perfect smooth surfaces (This is because glass bowls often have flat bases).

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Cover your cake board with fondant (How to here). Make sure you choose a cake board which is large enough to contain all 3 cakes with room to write the message. I am not a fan of writing on the belly itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4) Now start building the cake. If I am making a gown which covers all the bust and belly, the first thing I do, which is an optional step, is to cover all the three cakes with a layer of white fondant. I discover that this makes the cake very smooth after it has been designed and hides all the imperfections which flow from frosting spherical cakes. If I am making a cake with a low cut neckline, I cover the belly with white fondant and the bust with ivory or light brown fondant (skin tones).

Place the covered belly on one end of the cake board leaving room for the message. I use melted white chocolate to stick the cakes to the board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5) Draping the cakes. Some bakers use a single piece of rolled fondant to drape all three cakes. This method is great when making cakes with full gowns like the blue and while polka dot cake at the beginning of this post. While this method saves time, I find it more difficult when making cakes with low cut necklines. I thus cover the belly first before covering the bust.

To cover the belly, drape your rolled out fondant over the belly allowing the fondant to drape naturally over the sides of the belly. Use your hands to smooth out the belly while creating folds and gathers at the base of the belly. Use a sharp blade or cutter to cut off the excess fondant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6) Next, stick the bust above the belly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7) Roll out another piece of fondant and drape over the bust. You can get very creative here. You can use another color of fondant for the bust. You can also create various types of necklines. Use your palms to smooth out surfaces which need to be smooth and tuck in areas which need to be tucked. You will need to stretch the fondant to create grooves and cover the cake properly. Do not panic if your fondant tears in the process; simply cover it with a flower or any other cake design. Use a sharp blade to shape the neckline if need be. Also cut off any excess fondant and fondant which drapes over the top of the belly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) You would notice that there is a gap between the belly and the bust: the waistline. This is the reason why most baby bump cakes have belts or bows around the waist. While they add an element of design to the cake, their main function is to cover this gap. Bet you didn’t know that 🙂

I decided to use a simple braid to cover this gap. I also used the same braid in the middle of the bust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9) Finish up the design by adding any extra touches. I added a flower to the left side of the waist. I also added a thin strip of white fondant to the neckline to make it neater. I sometimes use a thin strip of fondant around the sides of the entire gown. I do this often when I need to cover flaws in the shaping of the gown or if the cake underneath is exposed in anyway. If you are going to design your gown with flowers, dots or other patterns, now is the time to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Write your message on the cake board. That’s all there is to it. Happy caking!