My boys LOVE Minecraft, so it was inevitable that when their 9th birthday came around they would want a Minecraft themed party! That means I had to make a Minecraft birthday cake. Honestly, I know knew very little about Minecraft so I had to check with them on every detail, especially the cakes.
The boys were very specific about which type of cake they each wanted. One boy wanted a cake that looked just like the cake block on Minecraft – white top, brown bottom and red squares on top. It didn’t seem like it would amount to much, but those were my instructions. My other son wanted a cake to look like a grass block from Minecraft – ‘grass’ on top and brown all around the sides. So, with my instructions in hand (yes I was given written instructions) I set off.
Today we are talking about how YOU can make this Cake Block Minecraft Birthday cake. It is SO easy to make. I think you will be shocked with how easy it is to do.
In order to make true block cakes, I used an 8-inch Wilton Square Cake Pan and made 3 layers per cake, using one Betty Crocker Boxed Cake mix for each pan. For this Cake Block Minecraft birthday cake I used all vanilla cake mixes, but you could use different ones to change the flavor of the cake.
How to make this Cake Block Minecraft Birthday Cake
I made the cakes as per the box instructions. I made 2 batches of The Best Buttercream Icing recipe and do a crumb coat – basically a thin layer of frosting that seals in the crumbs so they don’t show up on the outside icing of my cakes.
1. Make and Bake the cakes
I used 3 Betty Crocker Boxed Vanilla Cake mixes. Make and bake according to directions.
2. Stack and cover with homemade icing.
Stack the layers with icing in between. I covered it all over in white Buttercream Frosting.
Tip: To get the frosting smooth, cover it and place in the fridge. Once the icing is hard, use VIVA paper towels to help smooth the icing. Just place the paper towel on the icing and slightly pat and rub. Carefully lift the paper towel and you have much smoother icing! 🙂
3. Add the brown bottom
Since the bottom half of the cake is brown, I used a toothpick to “sketch” a rigid outline along the sides of the cake. I didn’t measure anything – I just kind of eye-balled it and got lucky both ends matched up when I finished.
Since my son wanted a smooth looking finish on his cake, I had to find a medium that would be smooth so I decided to try cinnamon. I simply used my finger tip to get this “airbrushed” look – dabbed my finger in the cinnamon and then dabbed my finger on the side of the cake. I repeated until the entire bottom of the cake was covered.
Yes, it took a lot longer than I expected, but I got the effect I was looking for, so it was worth it! Oh and I got tons of compliments on the flavor of the cake. Everyone LOVED the cinnamon on the cake. Win – win!
4. Add the red
For the red squares, I melted Red Candy Melts, quickly spread it thinly on a piece of wax paper and let it dry. It dries very quickly. Once it was dry I cut out various sized squares and transferred them to the top of the cake. I thought this turned out pretty cute, but most importantly, my son loved it!
Now you don’t have to add anything to the bottom but because I wanted to finish it off, I dyed some left over of the Buttercream Frosting red and piped the red along the bottom. You really wouldn’t have to do this if you didn’t want to.
It is really that easy!
Is this frugal?
Um… YES! If you were to pay for a custom cake you will spend $60-$150 for a cake. This cake can be made for around $5-10. If you bought an inexpensive cake at our local grocery store or Walmart you are still saving some money and your child will be so impressed with your skills!
If you are throwing a Minecraft party, make sure you make these EASY Minecraft Cake pops.
Tanya says
Hi! I noticed the green crinkled paper that you put on the table for grass. It looks great and so do both cakes! Here’s a frugal decor tip: I found some Easter grass a couple of months ago on clearance for 10 for $1.00, so naturally I HAD to buy some. I thought I might use it as gift basket filler, but when my son decided on a Minecraft party for his 13th birthday (I am thrilled he still wants a party) I used the grass as decor. I bought brown plastic tablecloths for a dollar and scattered the Easter grass on the top so that the tables resembled grass blocks. It turned out really cute.
I also made a grass block cake, but didn’t buy any special pans or anything. I just used the 8×8 pyrex baking dishes I already own, put a piece of waxed paper on the bottom before pouring in the cake mix (on sale at Kroger for 10 for $10), and they turned out great! For those who can’t purchase special cake decorating bags, tips, etc., I have had success with snipping a tiny hole in the corner of a sturdy sandwich bag (and even the corner of a powdered sugar bag when I ran out of sandwich bags) and piping icing out of it. If you get the hole small enough, the icing will come out in little strands like grass. You could probably even poke several holes in the corner with a large needle to replicate the grass tip. I also had an idea for the red squares: you could cut them out of fruit leather if you wanted, and they would probably turn out cute.
Thanks for the frugal tips! It truly baffles me when people equate quality with price, thus paying $75 or $100 for a cake that probably cost $5 or $10. In my town, some people seem to want to say, “Oh, I ordered my cake from ___________(I won’t say the name of the local overpriced bakery)” to convey some degree of prestige”.
Carrie says
Oh that is a great tip! I love it. Yes, I agree…. there is no need to pay so much for a birthday cake!
Taisha says
I loved all of your tips for the cakes, I pride myself on being old school any trying to almost every thing diy so all of your advice is music to my ears. am so glad I found your page.
Carrie says
Thanks so much Taisha!
Rachel says
These instructions were a piece of cake to execute! (Pun intended). My 12 year old loved it and it cost us about $10. Thank you for sharing!!
Carrie says
Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad it worked for you!
Shannon Wright says
Wanted to clarify…did you use a whole cake box for one 8×8 pan even though box says it makes 2 8×8?
Carrie says
Yes, I did. That way it was really full.
Lorey says
I have easy recipe for barbie. Somewhat time consuming but beautiful. Also made with 3 cake mixes, icing of choice and food coloring. No cutting shapes required. Let me know if you would like a picture and steps.
Carrie says
I would love to know how you did it Lorey.
Erica Bancroft says
Thank you for posting this easy to follow, step by step tutorial! You helped me be The Hero for my little girls 8th birthday.
In preparing the red squares for the topping, I used a small package of red fondant that was left over from something from Christmas. Worked great. But as my kids helped me roll it out with powdered sugar and sampled the scraps, I wondered if an ‘Air Head’ or ‘Laughy Taffy’ candy would work just as well…
Erica Bancroft says
Also, my kids pointed out that they thought the finished cake was too tall (what a thing to complain about!). They showed me the cake in the game – the one with the white frosting & red squares – and I have to agree with them.
So if ya only have 2 boxes of cake/2 layers, you’ll probably be ok 😉
Carrie says
How funny!
Carrie says
Woohoo! I’m so happy!
Sally Brown says
HI Carrie, I have a question I am going to make this cake this weekend for my son’s 10th birthday party, Did you put the cake in the refrigerator before you applied the cinnamon? I just wanted to make sure I do it right!
Carrie says
I would.
Marianne says
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!! It came out great & my 10 year old son and his friends thought the same!!