Beach Baby Shower Cake

We are still in the midst of baby shower season around here, and the most recent honoree was my friend Meghan. Her shower had a beach theme (perfect for our warm LA winters!) so I made her a seashore cake to celebrate.

I found a great seashell candy mold at Michael's that had 5 different designs, so I was able to make a wide variety of chocolate seashells in a short amount of time. I mostly stuck to neutrals like brown and beige, but also threw in some blues, yellows, and pinks. The pearls are fondant balls rolled in silver and bronze luster dust, all set on a board covered in graham cracker "sand."

The cake topper was an oyster shell made out of fondant, and hand-painted with food coloring. This was actually one of my favorite designs I've made recently, and because so much of the decorating could be done in advance, it was relatively stress-free.
The cake itself was a butter cake with a strawberry and whipped cream filling, and I thought it could have tasted better--I foolishly tried a new recipe and didn't love it, to say the least. But overall it was a success and it was such a pleasure to be able to celebrate my friend in this way!

P.S. Y'all are awesome with your camera suggestions! I am on the brink of buying one this week, and rest assured it will make an appearance on the blog the moment I do. Many, many thanks!