The beginning of summer means graduations, the end of school, weddings, camping trips and picnics. Customers will want desserts to celebrate these events. Promote your designs with display cakes and photos that customers can look through for ideas. This also helps make the decorator’s job easier. Offer samples to entice taste buds and to help close the sale.

Summer months have always been popular for weddings, which also means many wedding anniversaries are celebrated during this season. The two-tier anniversary cake serves 38 people, but you can supplement it with sheet cakes to serve more. A 6-in. top tier and 10-in. bottom tier are decorated for a golden 50th anniversary, but the design can be easily adjusted for any anniversary by choosing a different pic. A disposable stand works well to display the cake because the stand is easy for customers to assemble and does not need to be returned.

Use a disposable tray for this two-tier cake because it is easy for customers to assemble.

Pipe elongated shells around the edge of an 8-in. cake with star tip No. 22. The shells represent rays of the sun.

This cake and cupcake platter is ideal for Fourth of July parties. Merchandise a display of these cakes on a picnic table to add sales appeal.

At the top of the ice cream cones, pipe different colored scoops of ice cream using tip No. 8. Top the ice cream with donut icing and a maraschino cherry.

Pipe two rows of yellow petals in a clockwise motion using tip No. 104 to create sunflowers. Add the brown sunflower seeds with tip No. 233.

An airbrushed sandtrap and fairway provide a colorful background for the golf cake.

To begin the design, base ice each tier with white icing. Use the edge of a cut styrofoam cup to mark the top and side of the 6-in. tier with six evenly spaced scallops. Divide the 8-in. tier into eight scallops on the top and side. Outline the scallops with shell borders using white icing and tip No. 86. This tip is divided into half star tip and half rose tip, creating a border that is both a ruffle and a shell. Inside the borders, pipe white sota lace using a parchment bag cut to a No. 1 or 2 tip size. Pipe a cluster of white roses in the center of each tier using tip No. 104. Add a white bottom shell border on the larger tier using star tip No. 22 and a bottom white shell border on the smaller tier using star tip No. 17. Place a string of gold 4mm beads above the bottom borders, and set gold paper leaves among the roses. To finish the design, center the 50th anniversary pic on the 6-in. tier.

A ray of light
A sun cake is the perfect design for a nice, early summer display and a perfect take-along treat for barbecues, camping trips, picnics or afternoons at the pool. Base ice an 8-in. round single layer with yellow icing. Pipe a yellow bottom shell border using star tip No. 22. With the same tip, pipe elongated shells on top of the cake for the sun’s rays. With black icing or piping gel, use open tip No. 4 to add a large smile. Pipe a tongue using open tip No. 6 and red icing or piping gel. Finish the design by placing a pair of brightly colored plastic sunglasses for the eyes.

Another “cool” idea for a large display of easy-to-produce cakes is the ice cream cone cake. The colors for this cake can vary, but I chose to use brown and pink icing for chocolate and strawberry ice cream. After base icing a quarter sheet cake with white icing, airbrush a border on the top of the cake using the dominant colors, in this case, brown and pink. Cut an ice cream cone in half lengthwise, and place each half on opposite sides of the cake top. Use star tip No. 8 to pipe the scoops of ice cream at the top of each cone. Drizzle warm donut icing on top of each scoop of ice cream, and garnish with a stemmed maraschino cherry. With star tip No. 22, pipe top and bottom shell borders, alternating between pink and brown icing. Sprinkle pastel sugars along the top and bottom borders, and pipe an appropriate message.

Be both patriotic and international in July with red, white and blue celebrations of America’s independence on July 4th and the beginning of the French Revolution on Bastille Day, July 14th. Both the American and the French flags are red, white and blue, so it is a perfect way to stretch the festivities and decorations for an entire month. Build full displays in the cake department, and cross merchandise in other departments for added impulse sales.

Patriotic cakes boost sales
These mid-summer cakes can be a real burst of profit to your bottom line. The Fourth of July cupcake and cake platter will make the cash register sizzle with sales. Base ice an 8-in. single cake layer and a dozen cupcakes with white icing. Add a top white shell border to the cake using a No. 8 star tip, and pipe a large rosette top on each cupcake with the same tip. Place a festive holiday topper on the center of the cake top and colorful, appropriate plastic picks or rings on the center of each cupcake. Liberally sprinkle star-shaped red, white and blue sugars on the cupcakes and cake. Merchandise the platter on a wooden picnic table to help set the mood and entice your customers.

The month of August has no major holidays, so to add on to cake sales, celebrate a different theme every week. Center the cake displays around seasonal events that typically take place during this month, such as state fairs, carnivals, beach parties, picnics, circuses or back-to-school.

Another idea is to showcase late summer flowers, such as sunflowers that are especially plentiful in the midwestern United States. To create a sunflower cake, base ice a quarter sheet cake with white icing. Pipe the green stems and leaves with open tip No. 5. Using a circular stencil, mark the cake at the top of the stalks. This designates the interior part of the flower where the seeds are located. Using flower tip No. 104, pipe a row of yellow petals in a clockwise motion, around the exterior of the circle. Leave room between the petals and the marked circle for a second layer of petals. Pipe the brown seed center using tip No. 233. Add an inscription using open tip No. 4. Using tip No. 104, pipe a yellow bottom border using a repeating “w” and swag motion. Create a top white border with star tip No. 17 and a triple “e,” reverse triple “e” motion. Add green squiggles to the top border using a parchment bag cut to a No. 2 tip size.

Happy retirement
Retirement parties occur year-round, but this golf cake is especially fitting for those summer parties. Base ice a quarter sheet cake with white icing. Then, airbrush a top corner of the cake brown for a hazard. Airbrush the rest of the cake top green, and airbrush green along the bottom border. Add an inscription using open tip No. 4. Use open tip No. 10 to pipe simple yellow dot flowers, and add the flowers’ leaves with tip No. 352. Add tufts of grass with tip No. 233. Fit a pastry bag with tip No. 20, stripe it with green icing, and fill it with white. Turn the tip until the stripe appears on the desired side of the shell when piping, and add top and bottom shell borders. Place plastic golf figures in appropriate areas of the cake.

Summer sales in the cake department can be very profitable. Take time to promote and merchandise your sizzling, money-making products.