12 Celebratory Cake Ideas for Your Graduation (2024)

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12 Celebratory Cake Ideas for Your Graduation (1)

Are you preparing for your upcoming graduation celebration and looking for some exciting ways to make it memorable? One fun and delicious way to celebrate is by getting a graduation cake! If you’re unsure about what kind of cake to buy or make for yourself, don’t worry – we’ve got all the graduation cake ideas you need to get your inspiration going.

Before selecting a graduation cake, you’ll want to consider a few things: size, number of layers, and colors. The size of your cake will depend on the number of guests you’ll have. You can choose to use your school colors or go with the classic black and gold graduation colors for your cake.

{RELATED POST: 40 Incredibly Cute Graduation Dresses for 2023}

If you plan to make your own graduation cake, don’t forget to choose a flavor you love! To help inspire you, we’ve compiled a list of graduation cake ideas for you to choose from.

Whether you’re looking for a traditional cake or something more unique, these graduation cake ideas will impress your guests. Congratulations, and here’s to the best graduation celebration ever!

Table of Contents

Graduation Cake Ideas

1. Black & Gold Graduation Cake

HOW TO MAKE A TWO TIER BLACK AND GOLD GRADUATION CAKE || Janie's Sweets

If you want the classic graduation cake, I suggest a black and gold cake. Black and gold are the two most popular colors for graduation celebrations.

So, if you don’t plan on using your school’s colors to make your graduation cake, you could always go for these colors to make your life a lot easier when putting together your graduation celebration.

This cake is comprised of two tiers. One will have a quilted design, while the other will have a striped design.

Want a look at how it’s done? This video will show you exactly how this cake is put together from start to finish.

2. Gold Drip Graduation Cake

Graduation Buttercream cake design | Gold Chocolate Drip

Another fantastic option for a graduation cake that you could totally use with the same gold and black color scheme or even with other colors is a gold drip graduation cake.

As the tutorial above illustrates, they use a blue color to go with the gold, which is another popular color that I recommend trying if you like how this cake looks!

It might look a little hard to create a gold drip design on a cake but this video will show you exactly how it’s done so that you can have a graduation cake that looks just like this one.

I also recommend adding some of the fun cake toppers that they added to this cake design to make your graduation cake stand out at your celebration!

3. Quilted Graduation Cake

If you want to add a fun design to your graduation cake, I recommend trying this quilted graduation cake design.

This will give your graduation cake a simple, but also elegant design that will be perfect for your graduation celebration.

If you are interested in this type of graduation cake, this video tutorial shows you how it’s done. It’s a lot simpler than it looks.

I also recommend adding some cute cake toppers like this blue graduation hat and diploma to the top of the cake to make it even more exciting.

4. Textbook Graduation Cake

Easy Textbook Cake Ideas/Graduation Cake/Daily Cake TV

For those who want to do something a little different for our graduation cake design, I recommend trying out this textbook graduation cake!

At first glance, this does not look like a cake because it closely resembles a textbook, but it actually is a real cake — so cool. With this cake, you will definitely surprise and impress your party guests.

Watch this video tutorial to see how you can get this fun cake for your graduation celebration that will leave your party guests speechless!

5. Graduation Hat Cake

How To Make Graduation Hat Cake | Toga Cake | Cake Decorating Idea

A graduation hat cake is one of the most popular cake designs for graduation parties! I love this type of graduation cake because it looks just like the graduation hat that you will be wearing at your graduation.

However, you may wonder how to get one of these graduation cakes for your graduation party!

And that’s where this video tutorial comes in. It will show you how to get a graduation hat cake, step by step. This is perfect whether you’re attempting to make your own cake or you’re getting it made at a bakery and just want to know what to expect.

6. Graduation Cake Toppers

Fondant Graduation Cake Topper Tutorial (Part 2)/ How To Make Graduation Cupcakes/Book Cake Topper

You may want to add some graduation cake toppers to a plain graduation cake, and this is a super cute and simple option!

There are a bunch of super cute cake toppers you can make for your graduation cake to make it stand out at your graduation party. For example, this video will show you a couple of options you can try, such as a diploma, graduation cap, and graduation medal!

These can also be added to your graduation cake or graduation cupcakes if you decide to make those too.

7. Graduation Cake Pops

GRADUATION CAKE POPS TUTORIAL | CAKE POPS PARA GRADUANDOS | GRISELLE'S CAKES

For those who don’t want to go the traditional route with a graduation cake, you can also make graduation cake pops, which are just as fun and honestly pretty simple!

You could also have these as an added dessert item at your graduation party with your graduation cake.

If you want to make graduation cake pops, I recommend going for these mini graduation cap cake pops that are super cute. Watch this video tutorial to see how they’re created.

8. Pink Graduation Cake

Graduation Cake | How to make Graduation Cake | Mami Glai Cakes

Some of us may want to do something completely different from the usual gold and black graduation cakes. For example, if you want to add color to your graduation cake, pink is a fantastic girly option that looks great with a black grad cap design.

You can also add gorgeous floral designs to this cake to make it even more girly and fun for your graduation celebration!

9. Graduation Hat & Tassel Cake

How to Make a Graduation Tassel Cake | Wilton

Another classic graduation cake idea I recommend is this graduation tassel cake.

To make this cake, you can add mini graduation tassels surrounding the cake, and you can even add some fun polka dots to add more to the design!

Also, I love that this cake will go well with whatever colors you decide on for your graduation cake, whether you opt for black and gold or your school colors.

10. Simple Graduation Cake

Simple & Easy Graduation Cake Tutorial for Beginners / Graduation Cake

If you want something simple and minimal for your graduation cake, I recommend trying this graduation cake design idea!

This is essentially a basic white cake with some extra frosting detailing at the bottom, adorned with beautiful cake toppers like a graduation cap, roses, and a diploma.

Then, to finish this design, mini pearls are such a beautiful and classic addition.

11. Graduation Cake with Photo Art

Simple and delicious chocolate graduation cake #fyp #food #viral

Another option for a graduation cake design is adding graduation photo art to your cake!

This video will show you exactly how graduation photo art can be added to your graduation cake to make it really stand out for your graduation celebration.

I love these types of cakes because the options are endless, and you can get really creative with the options. For example, this cake has a cute photo art design added to it that shows people throwing their graduation caps!

12. Three-Tiered Graduation Cake

3 Tiered Graduation Cake

If you are having a ton of people at your graduation party, I recommend making sure that your graduation cake will be able to feed all of your guests.

For a big party, I recommend a three-tiered graduation cake with a fun design. This way, you can have a fun cake at your celebration while ensuring you can feed a crowd.

If you are looking for some designs that you can use for a three-tiered graduation cake, this video will show you a great example of a design that works for a large cake.

Which of these graduation cake ideas is your favorite?

When will you be graduating? What kind of cake do you want to have at your graduation party? Which graduation cake design will you be trying to recreate for your graduation cake?

12 Celebratory Cake Ideas for Your Graduation (2024)

FAQs

What is trending in birthday cakes? ›

“When it comes to design, the food world parallels the fashion world, and we are on the bow trend, too. I have seen cakes covered in bows made of buttercream, candied orange peels, or even real ribbons attached to the sides of a cake. That feminine touch makes for a beautiful decoration for any occasion,” says Cox.

What does a graduation cake symbolize? ›

Your graduation cake is not just a dessert; it's a symbol of your hard work, dedication, and achievements. By choosing a unique and personalized graduation cake design, you can make your celebration even more memorable.

How much cake do I need for a graduation party? ›

Tiered cakes can serve as few as 20 or as many as 600. Sheet cakes will serve between 25 and 100 guests while sculpted cakes may serve 15 to 30. If you're unsure how many guests to expect, a good rule of thumb is to plan on serving 80% of invited guests.

What to write on a congratulations cake? ›

Simple Congratulations: You can never go wrong with simple messages like “Congratulations on Your Promotion!” or “Well Deserved!” These straightforward messages convey your best wishes without overcomplicating things.

What is the latest cake craze? ›

Drip Cakes

Drip designs are probably one of the hottest wedding cake trends at the moment. You can use just about any base style – be that naked, semi-naked, celestial, floral or something else – and then top it with a drip to elevate its look.

What is the simple cake trend in 2024? ›

2024 cake trends: messy and fluffy. With the fluffy cake trends, messy, melty piped frosting makes a ruffled effect and dollops of buttercream add texture for a playful vibe.

What does a white ribbon mean for graduation? ›

White. Traditionally represents degrees in the arts and humanities, including majors in English, history, and literature. Drab (or beige). Represents business degrees, including accounting and labor relations.

Do you cut a cake for graduation? ›

A cake cutting ceremony is a fun and memorable way to celebrate a graduation party. It is a tradition that has been around for centuries, and it is a great way to show your guests how much you appreciate their support.

Do you serve cake at graduation party? ›

A centerpiece cake is tradition but cupcakes are gaining respect among large parties. There's many custom options which can be created from our bakery to correlate to school colors, mascots and other designs.

What size cake for 12 people? ›

Choose the right size of cake: Generally, a 6" cake serves about 12 people, an 8" cake serves about 24 people, a 10" cake serves about 36 people, and a 12" cake serves about 50 people.

What is the best time of day for a graduation party? ›

If your graduation ceremony is at 2 p.m., a 10 a.m. to noon or a 4-7 p.m. open house may work best. The time of day you select will also help determine the type of food and beverage you serve. If your party begins at 10 a.m. you may want to serve breakfast or brunch items.

How long is a graduation party supposed to be? ›

It can be planned for directly after the graduation or held a few days (even weeks) afterward. Typically you do not host this party prior to graduation. This party can be structured as a typical party (about 2-4 hours) with a start time or as an open house where guests can come and go as they please.

What message to put on a cake? ›

Here are a few simple and meaningful messages you could write on a birthday cake:
  • "Happy Birthday [Name]!"
  • "Celebrating You!"
  • "Another Year of Wonderful You!"
  • "Cheers to Another Trip Around the Sun!"
  • "Wishing You Joy and Cake!"
  • "A Year Older, A Year Wiser!"
  • "Here's to Making Memories!"
Feb 25, 2023

What are some words for cake? ›

What is another word for cake?
tartfondant
gateausouffle
cupcakekuchen
muffinpudding
dessertpastry
13 more rows

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