~ Baby Shower ~ Diaper Cake Tutorial Part 1

If you have been invited to a baby shower and you want to give the new mom a practical gift with a personal touch, a diaper cake is a great choice! I've made them in several occassions and they are always a hit.

I know there are tons of instructions over the net on how to make diaper cakes, but most of them use tape to hold the cupcakes sorry I mean diapers together. I have figured out a way to make them without any tape and still hold together, and now I will share it with you!

To bake this cake you need:

• 1 Bag of newborn diapers (I am using pamper swaddles

#2 MEGA bag 64 diapers bag) I used 63 diapers to make this 3-layers diaper cake.

•1 (16" diameter) disposable cake board. You can purchase it at any baking or party supplies store.

• Size #18 Small elastic bands or 15 to 20 yards of approximately or 1/8” narrow curling ribbon to tie rolled diapers.

•5 or 6 yards of approximately 7/8”ribbon (I am using “It’s a girl” pink paper printed ribbon)

•5 yards of 1/8” pink curling ribbon.

• Little silk flowers to decorate the cake (optional)

•Little clothespins (available at Michaels craft store, dollar store)

• Baby bib, bodysuit, hat and baby socks: You can decorate your cake with anything you like. That’s what makes it a unique gift.

Tools: Scissors and Drill (optional): To make 4 little holes on cake board, you can also do it carefully with a knife.

STEP 1: Roll all the diapers as shown in the picture below.

I am rolling them inwards because I don’t want the yellow print

motive of the diapers to show on the cake. Wrap a small elastic band around each diaper and set aside.

Or if you prefer tie each diaper with a little piece of ribbon (approx. 10” - 12” long each). You will need approximately 15 to 20 yards of 1/8”curling ribbon to tie all the diapers.

If you use elastic bands you will need a wider ribbon to cover them later when you are decorating your cake to cover the elastic.

STEP 2: Preparing cake base

Mark the center on the back of the cake board. Measure 2” from the center to draw an X. And with the help of a drill or scissors make 4 little holes on each end of the X as shown on the pictures below.

Starting from the back of the cake board pass a long piece of 1/8” ribbon (Approximately 1 ½ yards) through 2 of the holes, and another one through the other 2 holes

STEP 3: CAKE LAYERS

I do an inside small 3 layer cake first and then I start building the rest of the cake around this one. This first cake will be tied to the cake base and will be the centre of the cake, and this way your cake will be more stable and won’t tip over. I don’t like using tape to hold the 3 layers together because the idea of the cake is for mom to use the diapers afterwards. Taping the diapers will cause them to rip when taking them apart.

Inside cake 3 layers:

Make the 3 inside layers as shown in the picture above

• Top layer- 3 diapers

• Middle layer- 7 diapers (1 diaper in the centre and 6 around it)

• Bottom layer- 14 diapers (3 inside and 11 around: Tie first the 3 inside diapers with an elastic band and then build around it with the other 11 diapers and tie all again with another elastic band).

• Securing first inside bottom layer to cake base: Put bottom diaper layer on top of cake base and secure with the ribbons tying a knot over the diapers as shown in the pictures below.

• Add middle inside layer and secure with the ribbons.

• Add top inside layer and secure with ribbon. Leave all the remaining ribbon hanging; it will be used later to tie the top bow or anything else you would like to top the cake with like a stuff toy or bottle.

Part 2 continues in next post