Description
Graduation Bento Cakes are delightful mini celebration cakes baked in 4-inch rings and beautifully decorated with colorful buttercream, piped details, and custom toppers featuring graduates’ names. Ideal for gifting or party favors, these cakes involve a three-day process to ensure stable layers and intricate decoration, offering a charming and personalized dessert for graduation festivities.
Ingredients
- Cake batter for two 8-inch cakes (your preferred flavor)
- Buttercream frosting, various colors (about 3 cups total)
- Custom cake toppers with graduates’ names
- 4-inch cake rings or thoroughly cleaned tuna cans
- Sprinkles or edible décor (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare your favorite cake batter and bake it in two 8-inch round pans as per your chosen recipe.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely. Wrap and refrigerate overnight for easy handling.
- The next day, use 4-inch cake rings or cleaned tuna cans to cut out mini cake rounds from the larger cakes.
- Stack cake rounds with a layer of buttercream between each. Apply a light crumb coat to each mini cake.
- Freeze assembled cakes for at least 30–60 minutes to firm up and make decorating easier.
- On the final day, use piping bags fitted with fine tips and various colored buttercream to decorate cakes according to the graduation theme.
- Personalize with custom toppers and additional edible decorations as desired.
- Allow cakes to sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before serving.
Notes
For gluten-free cakes, substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free blend. Swap buttercream for whipped cream or vegan frosting if needed. Bake and freeze layers up to a week in advance; decorated cakes stay fresh in the fridge for 2–3 days, covered. Let cakes thaw before decorating to prevent smudging. If buttercream is too stiff, add a bit of milk; if cakes appear dry, brush with simple syrup. ALWAYS scale down recipes for mini cakes to avoid waste.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cake
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg