DIY Nail Polish Cake

Hey everyone! I’m Erin from Hey, EEP! here with another dessert idea for you! I collect nail polish like some people collect stamps. There are too many pretty ones to choose from! Bright neons? Subtle pastels? Glitter? Confetti? I’m obsessed and I know Kelly is, too—have you seen her incredible manicures!?

This nail polish bottle cake is super colorful and so much fun to create. Since the construction of the bottle has a bunch of steps, I simplified things by using boxed cake mix and store-bought frosting but you can do this entire project with your favorite homemade recipes if you’d prefer.

I happen to have a 6-inch and a 7-inch round cake pan at home, so I used those to create the sloped bottle shape. If you only have 1 size cake pan (say an 8-inch or 9-inch round) that’s totally fine! You can carefully shave down your cakes to create the bottle shape using a serrated knife. I’d recommend doing this right before your crumb coat in Step 5.

By the way, I love using a piece of cardboard (like a cereal box!) as a base for the cake as I’m frosting it—easy tip!

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DIY Nail Polish Cake

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE
• 2 15.25 ounce boxes yellow cake mix, plus required ingredients
• Nonstick cooking spray for the pans
• 3 to 4 16 ounce containers store-bought frosting or about 6 to 8 cups homemade frosting
• Pink food color for the frosting
• FOR THE CEREAL HANDLE
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
• Black fondant for covering
• Edible gold leaf paper optional

Instructions

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Prepare the cake mix as the label directs.
• Coat 2 (6-inch) round cake pans and 2 (7-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the batter among the rounds and bake as the label directs or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
• Let cakes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then run a knife along the outside of the pans and invert onto cool racks to release. Let cool completely.
• Put 1 (16 ounce) container or 2 cups homemade frosting into a small bowl. Tint with food color. Put 1 large cake round on a cake plate; top with a large scoop of frosting. Top with the second large cake round and repeat with the smaller cake rounds to create a rough nail polish bottle shape. Insert a chopstick or skewer through the cake to secure.
• Cover the whole cake with a thin layer of the frosting (it can be messy, this is your “crumb” coat). Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Put the remaining frosting in a large bowl. Tint with food coloring, if desired. Use a big scoop of frosting to refine the shape of the nail polish bottle. Return to the refrigerator to harden. Cover the cover with a smooth layer of frosting, using the refrigerator to help you “sculpt” the shape if you need!
• Make the bottle handle: Melt the butter and marshmallows in a large pot. Add the Rice Krispies cereal and stir until combined.
• Transfer the cereal mixture to a piece of parchment paper and shape into a cylinder, slightly smaller than the top of your cake.
• Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners’ sugar. Roll out a piece of black fondant on the confectioners’ sugar to about ¼ to ⅛ inch thick. Drape and smooth the fondant over the cereal cylinder to create the nail polish handle.
• Attach the the handle to the cake using the same skewer or toothpicks if you’d prefer. Attach edible gold leaf paper to the bottom rim of the handle for a sleek metallic look!

Tried this recipe?Mention @studiodiy or tag #studiodiy!

Photos by Erin Phraner | Hey, EEP!

I’m putting my polish collection to good use and hosting a DIY nail art party with for my girlfriends! This would also be a great dessert for a sleepover, bachelorette spa party, you name it! I think next time I’ll work some edible glitter into the mix and create a shimmery color for my cake 🙂 What polish shade would YOU create!?

P.S. Marble Notebook Cake!

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