Hi—I’m Erin from Hey, EEP! Today I’m sharing a fun dessert idea: a nail polish bottle cake. I collect nail polish the way others collect stamps, and I can’t resist bright neons, soft pastels, glitter, and confetti shades. This cake is colorful and playful, and it’s surprisingly approachable to make.
To keep the project simple, I used boxed yellow cake mix and store-bought frosting, but you can absolutely use your favorite homemade cake and frosting recipes. I built the sloped bottle shape by stacking different-sized rounds; if you don’t have multiple pan sizes, you can carve a single-size cake into the shape with a serrated knife before the crumb coat.
I used 6-inch and 7-inch round cake pans to get the slope of the bottle. If you only have one size pan—an 8- or 9-inch, for example—bake the cake and carefully trim it to the bottle shape with a serrated knife before applying the crumb coat. Tip: using a piece of cardboard (a recycled cereal box works great) as a base while frosting makes the process easier.
DIY Nail Polish Cake
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 2 (15.25 ounce) boxes yellow cake mix, plus required ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray (for the pans)
- 3 to 4 (16 ounce) containers store-bought frosting, or about 6–8 cups homemade frosting
- Pink food coloring for the frosting
- For the cereal handle:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups mini marshmallows
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
- Black fondant for covering the handle
- Edible gold leaf paper (optional)
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the cake mix according to the package directions.
- Coat two 6-inch and two 7-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Divide the batter among the pans and bake according to the package directions, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
- Reserve about 1 cup (or one 16-ounce container) of frosting and tint it with pink food coloring. Place one large round on a cake plate, add a large scoop of the tinted frosting, then stack the second large round. Repeat with the smaller rounds to form a rough nail polish bottle shape. Insert a chopstick or skewer through the stacked layers to secure them.
- Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over the entire cake. Don’t worry if it’s messy—this seals the crumbs. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes until the crumb coat firms up.
- Tint the remaining frosting if desired and use a generous scoop to refine the bottle shape, smoothing and sculpting the frosting as needed. Chill again to set the shape, then add a final smooth layer of frosting to finish.
- Make the bottle handle: In a large pot, melt the butter and marshmallows over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and fold in the Rice Krispies until well combined.
- Transfer the cereal mixture onto parchment paper and shape it into a cylinder slightly smaller than the cake’s top where the handle will sit.
- Dust your work surface with confectioners’ sugar. Roll out black fondant to about 1/8–1/4 inch thick and drape it over the cereal cylinder, smoothing to create the nail polish handle.
- Attach the fondant-covered handle to the cake, securing it with the same skewer or with toothpicks. If you like, add edible gold leaf to the bottom rim of the handle for a metallic accent.
Photos by Erin Phraner | Hey, EEP!
I’m using my polish collection as inspiration and hosting a DIY nail art party for friends—this cake would also be perfect for a sleepover, bachelorette spa party, or any girly gathering. Next time I’d love to add edible glitter for a shimmery finish. What polish shade would you make?
P.S. Check out the Marble Notebook Cake for another fun project.