I am making a sandcastle wedding cake and have seen some cakes done with what looks like beach sand on them (not around the bottom but actually on the cake)..What is that or what can I use besides brown sugar to get that look of sand ?
Thanks

You can try finely crushed cookie crumbs. I used graham crackers for the dirt on a monster truck cake, or try vanilla wafers to get the right color of sand. Someone else may have more ideas.

Jo

brown sugar also, but I use graham crackers like Jo

Try turbinado sugar... basically what comes in the "sugar in the raw" packets at Starbucks and such. It is supposed to be a healthier alternative to sugar, and therefore easier to find in small bags at grocery stores (with the baking supplies). If you live near Trader Joes, they have it there for sure. Good luck!

I use a mixture of graham crackers and light brown sugar.

I use nilla wafers with alittle white sugar (not powdered sugar). Turns out perfect. I'm from Hawaii so that turned out the closest. I tried graham crackers and it wasn't the same as the sand in Hawaii, the closest is nilla wafers.

I like to use cinn. and sugar....to me its more like sand because its already so fine. I used it on a beach themed gingerbreadhouse...it looked pretty good to me.

I did a sandcastle wedding cake, I used Nilla wafers crushed in my food proc. I iced the cake in buttercream and but the nilla wafers on, pushed them in a little to secure them on. I drove about an hour away with no problems. The picture is in my photos. Good Luck....Shirl

I saw one on here that was flip flops and they said they used raw sugar. I thought it looked great. Just trying to remember who it was.

Raw sugar or Nilla wafers, crushed...

P.S. thin thin layer of clear gel is good to hold most of it in place....doesn't seem to melt the sugar.

Rice Krispies ground in a food processor... works great! I also mix them into fondant when I want the look of hard-packed sand.

For my Hawaiian Bridal Shower cake, I think I used nilla wafers. Peacan Sandies also work well.

I like crushed nilla wafers mixed with a little bid of gold sanding sugar (makes the sand sparkle just a little).

Thanks so much for all of the ideas.....the beaches here are so soft and white, they look like flour or powdered sugar but I know I can't use either of those things "on" the cake because they would blend in (not to mention who would want flour packed on the outside of their cake )....so i think I'll try the vanilla wafers....Thanks Again

Maybe you could use a sugar cookie mixed with the nilla wafers to make it a little lighter in color with still the the crumb effect of sand?

I had read a post before where they mixed nilla wafers with pecan sandies to get different textures, so maybe it would work with nilla wafers and sugar cookies for a lighter effect. I beleive they did a 2 to 1 ratio, with pecan sandies being less since they are a moister cookie. If you try it you might have to add more of one then the other.

Just another suggestion...

Shirl

I used crushed graham crackers on top of light brown RC.

Here is one that I saved in watched topics...
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-382063.html

HTH

JUDI