• Use dried sea stars and real shells to decorate the cake.white frosting cake beach shells image by Paul Retherford from Fotolia.com
  
  Beach-themed parties or events are appropriate for just about any occasion, whether a birthday, wedding, graduation party or housewarming party, and is one of the most popular party themes. The cake should reflect the theme of the party, using both beach colors and iconic images and elements that depict the feel of the beach.
  
  

Color

• The base color of the cake is one of the most crucial decorating elements because it dictates the type of decorations to be used. For a wedding cake, white or sand color is best. For a birthday or other party cake, sea blues or white both work. When using a dark color for the base color, dark decorations or accent icing colors should not be used.
  
  

Wedding Cake

• For a subtle elegant wedding cake, include a combination of white and sandy colors for the base color and accent colors (accents include using pastry bags to pipe flowers, detailed shells or borders, and edging the tiers with fondant ribbons). The base of the cake can either be done with fondant or icing. Fondant is a rolled sugar paste cover that is mostly used for wedding and professional cakes, but is possible to make at home. For decorations, use clean seashells, dried star fish and sand dollars, as well as sugar shells if you prefer some edible elements. For a more bright and vibrant wedding cake, consider bright tropical flowers and coral shaped from gum paste set against a white cake. Gum paste is a sugar-based edible modeling clay similar to fondant. For a blue-based wedding cake, use fondant ribbons painted to look like imitation beach wood or boat rope, pearls and oyster shells, and a variety of small shells and sand dollars to contrast the blue base.
  
  

Birthday Cake

• Birthday cakes have endless possibilities for beach themes. Create small figures depicting beach balls, sand castles, pails and shovels, boats, the sun, kites and seashells made from sculpting gum paste or piped using a pastry bag flat onto the cake. For sheet cakes, or single-tiered round cakes, pipe blue waves of icing against a sandy brown or yellow beach.
  
  

Writing

• Reserve writing for sheet cakes or single-tiered round cakes. If piping writing onto a cake, make sure to use a contrasting color, such as blue writing on a white cake.