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Gelatin Bubble Garland Cake

Have you guys ever had this epic idea BUBBLING up inside that you just couldn’t barely wait to make happen. It doesn’t have to be cake. It can literally be anything. You got it? That one thing that was the BUBBLES to your ocean? This was totally that cake for me. I had this epic idea and in my head it was perfect. It was going to be the cutest, pinkest, bubblyest, 2 year old lovingest (yea I’m just making up words here, just go with it) cake evvvaaa. A Gelatin Bubble cake, inspired by the trendy balloon garlands. And then I got started, and you know added all those human flaws perfectly paired with reality. And the cake quickly because nothing like what I was thinking. Like even a little. It was more riddled with flaws then epicness. I didn’t have the cake pan here that I thought, and then the fondant turned too bright…and GAH! My epic bubbly cake dreams were well…bursting.

an overhead view of a pink cake with gelatin bubbles

But you know what…I decided to keep on keeping’ on. Because in the end…it was a cake. A yummy, buttercream covered, sprinkle tossed, ever loving cake. And it was for a two year old which I’m pretty sure after the word cake – we covered all her expectations. And guess what, in the end…depsite the flaws and despite the few hundred changes I had to get to the end result. I was happy, and feeling accomplished non the less. Why am I telling you guys this. Are you thinking but Toni, you’re suppose to be convincing us how awesome this cake is and how we can make it too!! Well the real deal is because I get so many comments across social media that bring me both joy and sadness, and I wanted to take just a moment to address those comments and empower some fellow bakers, makers, and sprinkle shakers! Many people will say I wish my ___ looked like that. I can’t ever get my ______ to look like that. Wish I had your _____. And to that I say…it ain’t all sprinkles, rainbows, and perfectly piped cakes guys. And while I adore the those sweet compliments, I also see a whole lot of comparison stealing some joy! Sometimes the idea comes right out as you excepted, but many many times it does not. Sometimes it comes out even better and sometimes well, it’s just not your favorite. But in the end guess what, you just put a little more experience into your baking bucket. Yay for knowledge deposits.

I find that no matter what the outcome I’m always learning more and more and more. With every baking success and definitely with every fail even the epic ones, no more so on the epic ones, I’m learning the best of lessons! Those lessons become experience, and experience becomes success. Because in the very end you guys, no matter the outcome, YOU HAVE CAKE!

a pink cake with gelatin bubbles

Now that we have all that bubbly feeling back let’s talk about these bubbles! Gelatin bubbles! Which I feel totally obligated to say right up front…although pretty easy the process was messy! No matter how hard I tried I seemed to make a gelatin mess of some sort. So don’t say I didn’t warn ya, 😉 Alsssooo I just want to point out that YES these bubbles are edible. But remember they re just made of gelatin, so they won’t be very tasty. You can however add a few drops of oil flavoring and try to spruce them up a bit.

I actually made this cake for a friend’s little girl who was turning 2. Her mom gave me free reign over the cake – the best kind of cakes! When I started thinking what do 2 year olds like? I couldn’t help but think bubbles, balloons, and confetti! While brainstorming I came back to a memory of seeing gelatin bubbles on the internet awhile back and I really wanted to try some myself. That covered the balloons and bubbles and the confetti well – SPRINKLES! I was SO pleased with just how easy the bubbles were and how CUTE!

So if you want to try a few of them your self let’s get right too it.

 

gelatin bubbles and frosting on purple

supplies for a gelatin bubble cake

SUPPLIES

  • small balloons (I used water balloons)
  • paper straws, or lollipop stick
  • washi tape
  • a small amount of shortening
  • 2 .25 packets of gelatin
  • 4 tablespoons cold water
  • luster dust and or food coloring
  • a straw stand, piece of styrofoam, or something to insert the straws into for drying

tools for a gelatin bubble cake

GELATIN BUBBLES

Step 1: Prep the balloons. You will want to blow them up in whatever sizes you would like but I recommend sticking between 1-2.5 inches. If your using bigger balloons you might end up with a balloon “nipple” sticking out of the top. How I made them smooth was after blowing up placing my pointer finger and thumb in an o shape, then starting at the top of the ballon sliding down and squeezing the balloon thinner. Then twist, tie, and tape your balloon to the paper straw.

Step 2: With a clean hand rub a very small amount of shortening over the balloon. This will help keep the balloon from sticking during removal.

step by step image of how to make gelatin bubbles

Step 3: To prepare the gelatin first pour the water into a small bowl or cup. Mix in the gelatin stirring until a thick paste has formed.

Step 4: Add in luster dust, food coloring, or both. You can add about a 1/8 of a tsp of luster dust but you will only need a TINY bit of coloring. And by tiny I mean use the toothpick to take color from the cap instead of dropping it in. The luster dust gives the balls a less transparent look and a sparkle. To bring the gelatin to a pastel color I added both my needed color and white.

Step 5: Once you thick gelatin is colored place it in the microwave for 10 seconds until it’s a liquid again. If there is a lot of bubbles on top gently spoon them off. Let the gelatin sit for a minute or two to cool down a bit.

Step 5: Dip balloon into gelatin and quickly tap and twirl to smooth it out. Be careful to leave a little bit on balloon uncovered near the knot. This will make it difficult to remove. Place in a holder to dry. For a deeper color and less transparent bubble you can re dip each bubble after about 4-5 minutes. You can put on 2-3 coats if you would like.

Step 6: Allow bubbles to dry 24 hours the gently snip off the stem of the balloon and gently peel the balloon away. Some will come away quickly on their own. You may need scissors. These bubbles were SO resilient so you really don’t have to worry about breaking them.

Now simply place on a Gelatin Bubble Cake (or maybe cupcakes) as decoration! Or wherever you would like your bubbles, we won’t judge.

Heads up! To keep those legal gurus of the world happy, I need to inform you that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. In short – I may earn a small commission from the use of said link with no cost to you! But don’t worry I only link to stuff I use, love, and know you will too!

Image of Toni Miller in front of a sprinkle shelf.

COOKIE DESIGNER

 I’m Toni, the baker, the blogger,  and cookie cutter maker  behind The Sprinkle Factory and I hope you find a sprinkle of inspiration here at The Factory.

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