How To Make A Fake Cake Birthday Gift Box (+ Free Template)
If you want to make someone feel extra special for their birthday or other special occasion, you’re going to love this tutorial for how to make a fake cake birthday gift box.
It looks like a slice of cake with fake frosting and all, but then…SURPRISE! You can open it up and put a gift inside too.
This fake cake gift box is perfect if you’re giving money or a gift card but want to present it in a unique way.
You can also put some candy inside and you’ll have a complete gift that anyone will love.
All you have to do is print out the free gift box template and follow the fake cake birthday box tutorial below.
I’ll show you how to make this cake look realistic by making your own fake frosting to decorate your gift box with any colors and decorations you want.
If you’re decorating for someone’s birthday, you might also like these free printable balloon templates.
If you’d like to watch my video tutorial for this fake cake gift box, you can see it here.
This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure here.
MATERIALS NEEDED TO MAKE A FAKE CAKE BIRTHDAY BOX
- Free Printable Birthday Cake Box Template
- Poster Board
- Scissors
- Hot Glue
- Modelite Clay, Model Magic, or a Sponge
- Acrylic Paint
- Toothbrush
- Clay Rolling Pin
- Wax Paper
- Lightweight Spackling
- Plastic Spoon
- Piping Bags
- Piping Tips
- Fake Sprinkles (Buy on Amazon or watch my video to learn how to make your own)
- Paper Straw
- Thread
- Cornstarch or Flour
- Mixing Containers
HOW TO MAKE A FAKE CAKE BIRTHDAY GIFT BOX
First I’ll show you how to assemble the box and then we’ll get into how to make the fake cake and fake frosting.
How To Assemble The Cake Box
- Print the template onto poster board. You can also print it on paper and then trace it onto poster board, but you definitely want to use poster board for this box to make sure it is nice and sturdy.
- Cut out the template. Cut only the solid lines.
- Fold along the dotted lines.
- Hot glue the flaps to make a cake slice shaped box.
- Test to make sure your lid fits properly. Trim any excess that hangs over.
- Draw a line around the bottom of the lid.
- Set aside the piece for the cake strip to use in the next step.
How To Make The Fake Cake
- To make the cake part of the gift box, after warming it up roll out some Modelite or Model Magic into a thin piece.
- Rub a little cornstarch or flour onto one side of the cake strip template. This will make sure your template doesn’t stick to your clay.
- Place that side of the template against the clay.
- Use scissors to cut the shape out of clay.
- Make 2 of these (one for each side).
- If you don’t want to use clay, you can also cut a sponge using the template and glue to the sides of the box to make the cake.
- Hot glue the strips of clay to the sides of the box.
- Use a toothbrush to make a cake-like texture on the clay. Make sure the clay is not going over the line you drew for the lid.
- Paint your clay the color you’d like it to be for your cake “flavor”. You can also just leave it white like I did for this one.
How To Make Fake Frosting
Now it’s time to decorate the cake. You’ll need to make fake frosting in the colors you want to decorate your fake cake with.
- Put some lightweight spackling in a container.
- Mix in a little paint until you have the color you like and stir.
- You’ll want this to be the consistency of real frosting. If it’s too dry, add a 1/4 teaspoon of water and stir. Continue to add water in 1/4 teaspoon increments until you have the right consistency.
How To Decorate Your Fake Cake Box
- Use a plastic knife or spatula to apply the frosting to the top, sides of lid, and back side of the box. Be careful not to cover the space where the lid meets the clay or your lid will get stuck.
- If you want to add fake sprinkles to your cake, this is the best time to do that before the fake frosting starts to set. You can make your own fake sprinkles. I have a video showing you exactly how to do that. Or you can buy fake sprinkles here.
- Mix any additional colors of fake frosting that you’d like to use to decorate your fake cake.
- Choose a piping tip to decorate with and push it into your piping bag with the tip cut off.
- Add your fake frosting to the piping bag.
- Pipe on the decorations you like. Get creative! I did a simple zig zag pattern on the edge of mine.
- Using a small round piping tip or a piping bag with the tiniest bit of the tip cut off, pipe a line of fake frosting in the middle of the cake strips to make it look like 2 layers of cake.
How To Make A Fake Candle
- If you want to add a fake candle, place a swirl of fake frosting in the center of the cake slice and place a small piece of paper straw in the middle.
- Then use a tiny piece of clay to fill the top of the straw.
- Take a small piece of thread and coat it in hot glue.
- Once the glue is dry, cut off any excess glue and stick the piece into the clay at the top of the straw to make a wick.
Now allow your DIY fake cake birthday gift box to dry at least over night, but it may take longer depending on the temperature. I usually put a fan blowing on mine to speed up the process.
Once it’s dry, fill it with goodies to give the birthday girl or guy.
