I love cake decorating, and a special occasion like an Einschulung, German for the first day of school, is a perfect opportunity to create a delicious Einschulungstorte edible cake topper that will make a young girl’s 1st day of school very special.
A Schultüte, also known as a Zuckertüte in some parts of Germany (school cone or sugar cone), is a large cone-shaped container made of paper, cardboard, or plastic.
When children in Germany, in parts of the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, and in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland or Belgium set off for their first day of school their parents and/or grandparents present them with a large cardboard cone, attractively decorated and filled with toys, chocolate, candies/sweets, school supplies, and special treats. The cone is given to children to make this anxiously awaited first day of school a little sweeter.
While living in Berlin, Germany I had the pleasure of doing some unique cake designs. The family wanted a cake celebrating Greer’s first day of school. Kristin, Greer’s Mom, wanted a pink Schultüte edible cake topper featuring a horse and Greer’s name. Kristin also wanted school pencils and supplies to accent. This cake is still one of my top favorite cake designs. It’s just so darn cute, and was perfect for kindergarten special occasion.
It doesn’t matter how big or small or how simple or detailed a cake is, it’s the concept, execution, and result that makes all the difference.
Instead of doing a flat fondant school cone, I decided to make it a cake topper. Give them more cake, I say. Why not?
Measuring how much space on the top was important. I wanted the Schültute to fill the top but still leave space for the school do-dads. This was a 9” square, high double-layered chocolate and vanilla cake. The Schultüte was chocolate.
The most time-consuming parts of this project were the molding all the fondant school supplies and pencils that decorate all the sides. As mentioned in my How to make a TikTok Cake Design blog post, these are details that can be made ahead of time and stored in air-tight containers. Decorating at the end is so fun when you’re completely prepared! This is when all the stars align. It’s picture time.
Einschulungstorte Cake Toppers
After the full cake was covered in white vanilla fondant, I cut, frosted, and base covered the Schültute in pink fondant then applied it to the top of the cake before applying any other decorations. Then I sugar glued the horse (that I pre-cut), did the rope tie, top ruffles, and little flowers. After came the pencil siding, the round ball base border, school supplies, and board lettering. I piped Greer’s name at the very end of all decoration in the space I left for this on the cone.
This is when all the stars align. It’s picture time!
3 Cake Decorating Tips
- Always practice layouts with your decorations before application
- Don’t use your cake surface/s as a “first layout attempt”
- When your cake is the shape of your cake pan: (flip the pan over) cover with parchment paper and place your molded figures where you want them. Take a picture if it helps you to remember.
Always, always do practice layouts with your decorations before application. When your cake is the shape of your cake pan: (flip the pan over) cover with parchment paper and place your molded figures where you want them. Take a picture if it helps you to remember. Next, carefully transfer decorations to the cake. Most of this is eye-balling it with your layout in mind unless you are doing precise measurements. Once you make any impressions on your cake surface it is very difficult to back-track these decisions. In other words, don’t use your cake surface/s as a “first layout attempt”.