Cake Decorating Ideas For Retirement Party

Retirement Cake Designs and Ideas

Go beyond the basic retirement message when you pick out a cake to honor your family member or coworker who is retiring. Select a cake design that's personalized for the honoree and it's sure to make a great impression during the retirement party.

Cake for Retirees With Travel Plans

The retiree who plans to spend time traveling after his or her career has come to a close is going to love this cake. Three tiers are stacked together, featuring:

Suitcase - Roll out fondant in a fun color and cover a rectangle cake. Add silver fondant accents in the right places to represent luggage hardware.
Partial globe - Bake this cake in a hemisphere cake pan, using just half of the ball. Cover in blue fondant, shape continents from yellow fondant, and use a food-safe paintbrush to add green accents to the continents.
Airplane - A camouflage airplane is made of fondant and tops the cake. If you are concerned about sturdiness, use toothpicks to help hold it together or use gum paste, which will harden a little more quickly.

Hobby Garden Cake

Gardening a common hobby for retirees. Those who already have small plots may decide to expand their efforts after retiring, making a gardening cake a perfect choice! This cake features fruits and vegetables made of fondant on top of soil made from chocolate ganache. Shredded coconut tinted green makes the grass and crushed nuts cover the side.

Pet-Focused Retirement

Pets are an important part of many people's lives. Celebrate the extra time with a faithful companion by adding it to the cake design. This cake can be easily modified to fit any suitable animal. Simply:

Cover the cake layers in fondant and stack together.
Roll out fondant and cut the pet's foot or paw prints out, whether it's for a bird, dog, cat, or other animal. Affix these to the side of the cake using royal icing for adhesive.
Shape the pet out of marzipan or fondant and add to the top of the cake.

Boating Cake Design

Spending time on the water is a lovely pastime for retirees near a lake, river, or ocean. This cake features fondant ruffles in blue ombre around the side of the cake. The sailboat on top can be molded to match the retiree's boat. Add his or her name to the scroll at the bottom of the cake. Finish with nautical accessories made from fondant.

Relax in the Water Cake Design

Retirees who want to spend time in the water instead of on it will love this relaxing pool cake. It's a buttercream design that features friends cavorting in the blue waters. Use cherries to make accessories and chocolate buttercream for the palm tree trunks. The waterfall is a nice touch and can be shaped from scrap cake mixed with buttercream or crispy rice treats.

Rock Retirement Cake Theme

Just because someone's retiring doesn't mean it's time to go quietly into old age. For someone with a big personality or a love of music, a "rock retirement" cake is the perfect fit! It's covered in blue fondant with toothpicks holding black stars up in the background. Swap out the electric guitar for whatever instrument the retiree favors and stand it up with dowels or toothpicks.

A Slice of the Good Life

While a simple "happy retirement" message cake can work, you'll delight the retiree if you tailor the cake to his or her interests and future plans. Retirement is a long-anticipated time of life for retirees, so make sure the cake fits the honoree's future!