Rubber Ducky Baby Shower Cake is a moist chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, decorated to look like a cute yellow ducky in a tub of bubbles. Plus it's gluten-free and dairy-free!
I hosted a baby shower for my sister last weekend. She came all the way from California to attend the event. It was very special and I wanted to make her a cake that would be just as cute as it was delicious! I had already decided to make rubber ducky punch, so I needed a cake to match. I found a picture of an adorable rubber ducky cake online and thought it was a super idea.
Save Time with a Cake Mix
You can use your favorite mix for this easy baby shower cake. I used a gluten-free chocolate cake mix and substituted vegetable oil instead of butter. (My daughter can't have gluten or dairy.) Then baked two 8-inch round layers and whipped up a dairy-free frosting which consisted of vegetable shortening, powdered sugar and some almond flavoring.
How to Decorate a Rubber Ducky Baby Shower Cake
This is just an overview, the full recipe is towards the bottom of this post.
- You will need one batch of buttercream frosting (recipe follows).
- Reserve 2 cups of the frosting to keep white, then color the rest blue.
- Fill and frost the cake with the blue tinted frosting using an offset spatula and bench scraper. (See video.)
- Divide remaining white frosting into two pastry bags, one fitted with a #4 round pastry tip and another fitted with a #6 round pastry tip.
- Place a clean rubber ducky on cake, then pipe small, medium and large "bubbles" or little round balls of icing onto cake in a pattern of choice.
The cake came out great and it was scrumptious!
The Baby Shower was a success!
Kathryn, the mom-to-be, approved! I'm so happy that she loved the cake and all the goodies we had at the party.
I have to mention the cream cheese mints in the above photo. They were homemade by my aunt Emily. They were a wonderful addition to the table and so tasty too! She brought chicken salad from Chicken Salad Chick which was a big hit! If you've never had Chicken Salad Chick, you MUST try it! They have about 12 kinds to choose from!
A Traditional Southern Baby Shower
I wanted to throw a traditional, Southern baby shower, so I had a little help from my sweet Alabama relatives. Thank you to my aunt Sara for bringing the famous Rolen's Bakery petit fours from Dothan, AL and thank you to my cousin Maggie for loaning me these beautiful silver serving platters. I lined a few of them with white doilies to be extra fancy. I used my grandmother's table cloth which I actually got professionally pressed for the first time ever. It's never looked so good! I used my grandmother's china called Singapore Bird by Adams China. I wanted to have a paper plate free party, but didn't have quite enough china for all the guests, so we ended up getting a few clear plastic plates for the young boys in attendance.
Our Baby Shower Menu
- A Baby Buggy Watermelon filled with assorted fruit (made by my daughter, Savannah and her friend, Sutton)
- The classic Spinach Dip served with Fritos and Wheat Thins (recipe is on the package of Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix and it is so, so good!)
- Fresh veggies platter with Ranch dressing for dipping
- Homemade Cheese Straws made by me! A Southern favorite and I even used my grandmother's cookie press which required a lot of elbow grease, but still was special and they came out great.
- Assorted nuts served in my great-grandmother's crystal candy dish
- Rubber Ducky Punch - blue Hawaiian punch with ginger ale in my mom's beautiful punch bowl she's had since the 1960s. (Special thanks to my friend, Lisa, who loaned me extra punch bowl cups.). We also had a self serve coffee service with real tea cups and saucers (Singapore Bird pattern.)
The baby shower was so much fun! I just love getting together with family and friends while enjoying traditional treats and of course, this Rubber Ducky Baby Shower Cake! It was the first official party in our newly renovated kitchen which I'll be blogging about soon. I can't wait to show y'all the before and after pictures of our 3 month kitchen project. Stay tuned for that.
p.s. Special thanks to my neighbor, Barbara, who made this fun, Russian doll dress. If you're a fan of New Girl, you might recognize it.
Tools for success
Wilton Aluminum 8-Inch Round Cake Pans, Set of 2
SMARTAKE 200 Pcs Unbleached Parchment Paper Baking Sheets Round, 8 Inches
Stainless Steel Bench Scraper for Smoothing Icing on Cake (Set of 2)
Ateco Disposable Pastry Bags (18-inch)
Wilton Decorating Tips Starter Set (8 tips including #6)
Rubber Ducky 3-inch x 3-inch - Topper for Baby Shower Cake
Americolor Food Coloring Gel Set (Includes Sky Blue)
Note: The above items are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Want even more? Subscribe to Mom Loves Baking to get new recipes and a newsletter delivered to your inbox. And stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for all my latest updates. If you make this recipe, share a photo on social media tagging @momlovesbaking and using the hashtag #momlovesbaking.
Rubber Ducky Baby Shower Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 boxes chocolate cake mix I used the Betty Crocker 15 oz gluten free mix
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup vegetable oil instead of butter
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
For the frosting
- 2 cups vegetable shortening
- 8 cups powdered sugar or a 2 lb. bag - comes in a clear plastic bag and you don't need to sift
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1-2 drops blue food coloring gel I used Americolor Sky Blue
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spray again with cooking spray. Set aside. Prepare 2 cake mixes according to package instructions (I used vegetable oil instead of butter). Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool.
For the frosting
- Beat shortening in large bowl with electric mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, almond milk and almond flavoring with mixer on low. Once combined, beat on medium for 2 minutes. If it's too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons more of almond milk.
- Take out 2 cups of white frosting and place in a small bowl. Color the remaining frosting light blue. I added one drop of blue food coloring. You can add a little more for a darker color.
Decorating the cake
- Frost the first layer of cake, then add the second layer and frost the entire cake smooth. (See the video for further decorating instructions.) Divide remaining white frosting into two pastry bags, one fitted with a #4 round pastry tip and another fitted with a #6 round pastry tip. Place a clean rubber ducky on cake, then pipe small, medium and large "bubbles" on to cake in a pattern of choice. Serve. Store cake covered at room temperature for 2 days and in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
You might also like these party cakes made with cake mix...
Chocolate Strawberry Hidden Heart Cake
Please note: This post contains affiliate links.
All text and images © Lise Ode for Mom Loves Baking. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate. This post may contain affiliate links.
Lovina says
Why do you use 2 cake mixes? Wouldn’t one cake mix fill 2, 8” pans?
Lise Ode says
Because I used a gluten free cake mix. One gluten free cake mix makes one 8" round cake. If you use a regular (non-gluten free) cake mix like Pillsbury, then it should make two layers.
Paula says
How would you describe this frosting? Is it light and fluffy or thick and solid?
Can regular shortening be used in place of the vegetable shortening ?
Lise Ode says
I would say light and fluffy when it's at room temperature. If you refrigerate it, it will become solid. And I don't know what you mean by regular shortening, but you could substitute butter.
Deborah says
This is just so adorable! I love all of your special occasion cake ideas
Des says
How cute is this cake?! Love it! Such a great baby shower theme!
Liz says
Love this theme for a baby shower! And the cake is adorable and I love the shortcut!!
Natalie Mayhew says
The cutest baby shower theme and cake!
Bernice says
How adorable. I am crossing my fingers for the opportunity to make one of these for my sisters. Auntie B loves to bake!
Amy says
I love this cake! It's always a show stopper and so tasty!
Karyn says
How long did you let it sit before you frosted it and what did you use to frost it? I havnt had much luck lately that I've been getting cake crumbles in my frosting..
Rachel Morgan says
It’s best to let a cake cook as long as possible! But for at least an hour and a half at the least! The cake needs to be totally cool to prevent any crumbly cake while frosting!!
Rachel Morgan says
It’s best to let a cake cool as long as possible! But for at least an hour and a half at the least! The cake needs to be totally cool to prevent any crumbly cake while frosting!!
Shana says
Which rubber ducky did you use for your cake?? I’ve been looking online and many are not as cute as the one you have. Much appreciated!!
Lise Ode says
Hi Shana,
I think I found it at either Walmart or a party supply store.