Costco Cake Hacks to Create Bespoke Cakes for Any Occasion

If you've got a big family or you're a perpetual host, then chances are your Costco membership card has the premium spot in your wallet. As other grocery chains like Publix and Trader Joe's reputation assert, store-bought is just as good as custom ordered. Save money and hassle by ordering a simple cake from the Costco bakery and performing kitchen magic on it with these easy Costco cake hacks.

Thanks to Costco, you can go non-traditional with a chocolate wedding cake for a fraction of the price. Anything wedding related is exorbitantly priced, but you can spread your budget paper thin by using a ~$20 half-sheet cake from Costco. Every cake feeds about 48 people, so for $50, you can feed 100 guests.

To elevate their simple vanilla or chocolate sheet cakes, you'll want to get a few decorative pieces (fake flower petals, fondant and fondant tools, etc). If you don't have any bakers in the family, anyone can roll out some fondant and drape it over a cake. Cut one of your sheet cakes into smaller sizes, and layer them to create a typical stacked silhouette. Add some flower petals around the edges where each layer meets and use your fondant tools to press in a few simple designs.

Level-up your regular Costco sheet or round cake with a few simple ingredients. Get a couple bags of shaved coconut, some fresh raspberries and strawberries, and a few sprigs of fresh herbs. Completely cover the cake in shaved coconut and arrange the berries in the center. Border the edges with your top herb picks (like thyme, lavender, rosemary, basil, etc.) to fill out the space and bring even more of a pop of color.

This simple arrangement takes less than 30 minutes to do and can be displayed at any bridal shower, baby shower, anniversary, or going-away party in your future.

One of the easiest ways to elevate a simple Costco Cake for a last-minute birthday party is to transform it into a razzle dazzle cake full of pizazz. All you need is a circle cake pan, a knife, and your favorite bottle of sprinkles.

Stack a beautiful circular celebration cake by cutting circle layers out of a giant Costco sheet cake using your cake pan. Place the layers on top of each other (the more people you have, the higher you can go) and use a butter knife or icing spoon to spread the frosting back in an even layer. Now, liberally sprinkle your sprinkles on the top. Pour the sprinkles into your hand and press them all around the cake until it's thoroughly covered. Finish it off with a candle or two, and you're ready to go.

The 4^th of July can get rowdy, and you'll want something sweet to go with your hot dogs and burgers. Order a half-sheet cake from Costco at least a day early, and pick up a few packages of blueberries and strawberries while you're there.

Once you've got your sheet cake in hand, the decorating couldn't be easier. Simply, wash and trim your strawberry tops, and place them in rows to mimic the American flag. Leave space in between each row for the icing (or whipped cream if your sweet tooth is aching something fierce). In the top left corner, stack blueberries on top of each other to cover the whole area.

After you've finished with your fruit, fill in the spaces between everything with either some icing using a piping bag or some whipped cream. Viola! You've got something to enjoy while you watch the fireworks fill the night sky.

From Mother's Day to graduation, there are so many events to celebrate in the spring. Get inspired by the floral blooms that make spring so special and transform any plain Costco sheet cake into a beautiful daisy dessert. All you need is a sheet cake, a few bags of white fondant and yellow fondant, a daisy-shaped cut-out, and fake or fresh daisies for decoration.

Depending on how many you need to feed, you can cut your Costco sheet cake down to size. Roll out the pre-made white fondant to about 1/8" thick and proceed to cut out and construct daisies, as Wilton instructs. Cover your cake with these daisies and add a few fake daisy sprigs to the corner for volume. You can even paint or airbrush any icing that's not covered with daisies to incorporate your party's color scheme.

Tone-on-tone cakes are simple but super artistic. You can use the same color icing that's on your cake to create a decorative texture element, such as a snowflake, scrollwork, flowers, fleurs de lis, letters, or any other elements you love.

Divide your regular Costco sheet cake into sections, and slice them down the line. For each mini-cake, smooth over any messed up icing. Using the piped icing you can buy in stores, draw out snowflakes, flowers, letters, stars, or any other decorative element across the top and sides. Finish it off with a few dustings of edible glitter or luster dust, and you have a group of elegant cakes with different design motifs. Don't need to use them all right now? You can freeze undecorated portions with the icing smoothed out and decorate them at a later date.

Anyone who liberally uses their Costco membership can attest that the adage 'you get what you pay for' couldn't be more wrong. Costco's low-cost cakes save the day for so many people, but as with any pre-made product, sometimes you want a little customization that they don't offer. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars to buy a bespoke cake from an elite bakery, put your hands to the test and see just what you can magic up using these easy Costco cake hacks.