Delicious and Creative College Graduation Cake Ideas to Sweeten Your Celebration
This article is all about college graduation cake ideas.
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If your graduation is coming up soon, you may have spent a ton of time fantasizing about your graduation party lately.
Maybe you’ve already envisioned the perfect decorations, activities, food, and drink at your upcoming graduation party, but have you given any thought to your college graduation cake?
In addition to being a crowd-pleasing sweet treat, graduation cakes are another place where you can get creative and customize the perfect dessert to celebrate your graduation.
We’ve rounded up 19 of our favorite grad cake ideas, with the tastiest flavor combinations and the cutest decorations possible.
If you’re struggling to figure out what you want your graduation cake to taste like, take inspiration from these college graduation cake ideas!
Here are 19 Delicious College Graduation Cake Ideas
DELICIOUS COLLEGE GRADUATION CAKE IDEAS
1. SIMPLE GRADUATION CAKE
This simple, round graduation cake is streamlined and minimalist, but no less stunning and special.
Plus, because you don’t need special cake tins or decorating tools to recreate this cake, this is a perfect DIY graduation cake that you can bake yourself!
For a classic, crowd pleasing flavor combination that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters, we recommend a tried-and-true yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
2. NURSING GRADUATION CAKE
If you or a loved one are about to graduate from nursing school, consider celebrating with this adorable nursing-themed graduation cake!
Fondant makes the cake look like a pair of nursing scrubs.
Plus, it’s also decorated with a fondant stethoscope, pills, band-aids, and syringes!
3. LAW GRADUATION CAKE
Butterflies are one of our favorite decor motifs for a preppy bedroom aesthetic.
This graduation cake is unmistakably made for a fresh law school graduate!
The cake itself is a simple round cake, but what makes it special is the variety of fondant decorations shaped like the scales of justice, law books, and even a courtroom gavel!
4. GRADUATION CAP CAKE
This graduation cap cake is perfect for the graduate who prefers a more minimalist, less flashy aesthetic.
Again, the cake itself is a simple, easy to DIY round cake.
But, the top of the cake features a black graduation cap and diploma, making it the perfect simple cake to celebrate a graduation.
5. SQUIDWARD GRADUATION CAKE
This graduation party dessert is a silly, goofy cake option for a new graduate with a sense of humor.
Again, it’s a simple round cake, but the top is decorated with a picture of Squidward in a graduation cap and gown.
To go with the Spongebob theme, try baking this cake using a tropical-inspired flavor palette, like coconut or pineapple!
6. ONE DEGREE HOTTER CAKE
This “one degree hotter” cake is another great option for a new graduate with a sassy, goofy personality.
Once again, the shape of the cake is a classic round layer cake, which is super easy to recreate at home.
The thing that makes this cake stand out is the pitch-black icing and gold accents, giving it a super striking look – it’s a trendy graduation party idea.
To go with the black frosting, try baking this cake with a rich, fudgy chocolate flavor!
7. BOOK-SHAPED CAKE
This book-shaped graduation cake is both super striking and super versatile!
This photorealistic cake looks like a round cake placed on a stack of books, but upon closer inspection, the books are made out of cake, too!
This is the perfect cake for someone who’s graduating with a degree in English, philosophy, history, comparative literature, or any other especially bookish major!
8. MED SCHOOL GRADUATION CAKE
This med school graduation cake is super cool and eye-catching.
It’s a classic round cake, but the fondant decorations make it look like a doctor’s white coat.
Finish off the med school-themed cake with a fondant stethoscope and a little nametag celebrating your graduate’s newfound doctor status!
9. BIOLOGY MAJOR GRADUATION CAKE
This biology major graduation cake also looks like a scientist’s white lab coat, perfect for celebrating the biology or pre-med graduate in your life.
On the top of the cake, you’ll find adorable decorations that look like beakers, sample vials, and of course, a graduation cap.
10. SCHOOL COLORS CAKE
If your graduate is famous for their school spirit, celebrate their love of their alma mater with this school colors-themed graduation cake.
The cake itself is a classic round layer cake.
Make it special by using colored icing or fondant to decorate the cake with your graduate’s school colors!
11. MASTER’S DEGREE GRADUATION CAKE
If you or your loved one just earned a Master’s degree, that’s certainly something to celebrate!
Take inspiration from this simple, classy Master’s degree graduation cake that says “[Name] mastered it” in classy gold cursive script.
12. NOTEBOOK CAKE
This super cute notebook-themed cake is an adorable, aesthetically pleasing way to celebrate a graduation.
If you have an artistic side, this is definitely a cake that you could try baking and decorating yourself!
Using a variety of different colors of icing, decorate the top of the cake to look like a sheet of notebook paper.
Then, on the top and sides, you can freehand draw school-themed decorations like apples, rulers, and pencils!
13. MINI GRADUATION CAKES COASTERS
For an adorable alternative to a traditional graduation cake, try these trendy mini graduation cakes.
Each individual cake is the perfect size to share with a friend and are also perfect for a graduation party food bar.
Plus, more cakes means more opportunities to decorate with different colors and designs!
14. MATH MAJOR GRADUATION CAKE
This math major graduation cake is the perfect way to celebrate any STEM major.
It’s a simple round cake decorated with neutral, beige icing.
However, what makes this cake exciting is the decorative graduation cap, calculator, and math symbols dotting the top!
15. DENTISTRY SCHOOL GRADUATION CAKE
This dentistry school graduation cake is certainly eye-catching, but also perfectly on-theme for the future dentist in your life.
It’s a two-tiered round layer cake. The top layer is decorated with fondant that makes it look like a set of teeth, which is a little creepy, but also perfect for a dental school graduate!
On top, there’s even a little fondant graduation cap and diploma!
16. GOLD DRIP GRADUATION CAKE
This gold drip graduation cake is another great option for a graduate with a super classy and minimalist aesthetic.
It’s a mostly plain, white, round cake embellished with luxurious-looking gold dripping icing, a fondant graduation cap and diploma, and fondant roses.
17. GRADUATION SASH CAKE
This super cool, photorealistic graduation cake looks just like a real graduation sash!
It’s a two-tiered cake decorated with a cascading fondant graduation sash, which you can customize to match your real graduation sash from your alma mater.
Of course, it also features a cute little graduation cap and diploma on top!
18. GRADUATION CUPCAKES
If you’re not a layer cake person, these adorable graduation cupcakes are a great alternative.
They feature swirls of rich buttercream icing and teeny little graduation cap decorations, perfect for sharing at a party with friends.
19. SPONGEBOB TITLE CARD GRADUATION CAKE
If you’re even a little bit familiar with Spongebob, you’ll definitely appreciate this “4 years later…” graduation cake.
It’s a cute, heart-shaped cake decorated with multicolored pastel icing that looks just like a Spongebob title card!
Whether you’re an amateur home baker or are ordering your graduation cake from a local bakery, these college grad cake ideas are sure to serve as the perfect inspiration.
There’s a cake on this list for every college major and degree program, flavor preference, and aesthetic taste, so no matter what your preferences are, we’ve got you covered with a graduation cake that’s sure to celebrate this momentous milestone in style!
