Why Sea-Themed Cakes Are Having a Moment in Canada (And Honestly, It's Kind of Lovely)
I’m not sure exactly when it happened—maybe sometime during the early 2020s—but sea-themed cakes quietly floated into Canadian bakeries and somehow... stayed. Not in a loud, trend-of-the-moment way. More like a gentle tide, showing up again and again at birthdays, baby showers, even weddings. And now? You’d be hard-pressed to scroll through an Ontario bakery’s Instagram without seeing at least one cake adorned with waves, shells, or little fondant dolphins.
It’s not just a coastal thing either. You might expect these cakes to be a big hit in places like Vancouver or Halifax (and they absolutely are), but surprisingly, they’ve caught on inland too. Calgary, Regina, Toronto—even up in the Yukon, bakers are getting requests for cakes that look like a coral reef exploded in buttercream. There’s just something about ocean-inspired cakes that seems to resonate with people, regardless of how close they are to actual saltwater.
Maybe it’s the colour palette. Soft teals, deep blues, sandy beiges, pearl whites—it’s relaxing to look at. Peaceful, in a way that a neon unicorn cake or a hyper-realistic burger cake just... isn’t. There’s a calmness to a sea-themed cake. And yet, it can also be dramatic. Think crashing waves sculpted in fondant or ombre layers that shift from turquoise to midnight navy. You can go gentle and whimsical or bold and cinematic. That flexibility is part of the appeal.
Also, and this is probably worth mentioning—these cakes are wildly photogenic. Whether you’re planning a Pinterest-perfect birthday or just want something that’ll pop on your feed, a sea-themed cake almost always delivers. Add in a few edible pearls or gold-dusted starfish, and you’ve basically got a dessert that doubles as décor.
Now, Canadians are no strangers to specialty cakes. We’ve seen phases—naked cakes, drip cakes, number cakes, the whole money pull cake craze (still going strong, by the way). But the sea theme? It’s more than a trend. It’s sticking. And that’s interesting.
Some of it, I think, comes down to versatility. A cake shaped like a treasure chest overflowing with chocolate coins? Works great for a pirate-themed party. A minimalist blue-and-white design with a sugar sail cresting on top? That’s perfect for an adult birthday or coastal wedding. There’s no one way to “do” a sea-themed cake. It could be mermaids and glitter or nautical and sophisticated. It could be playful or poetic.
It’s also a bit nostalgic. Think back—didn’t we all go through a phase as kids where the ocean felt magical? Whether it was trips to the beach, aquarium visits, or watching animated sea creatures on VHS, there’s a comforting familiarity to ocean imagery. When that shows up in a cake, especially in a setting like a kid’s birthday or a summer shower, it hits a very specific emotional note. You don’t consciously think, “Oh, this reminds me of childhood.” But something in your brain registers that softness. That sense of wonder.
Of course, not everyone’s sold. Some folks find the concept a bit overdone—or perhaps a little too stylized. A few bakers have even admitted, quietly, that making wave textures with buttercream can be annoyingly finicky. And yet, they keep getting orders. “I tell myself I won’t do another shell border for a while,” one baker in Mississauga told me, “and then someone emails with a request that’s just too pretty to turn down.”
Maybe that’s it. Maybe these cakes just invite creativity in a way that other themes don’t. I mean, how many different ways can you decorate a soccer ball cake? But an underwater cake? That’s a blank canvas—kelp forests, coral gardens, watercolor fish, deep-sea glow effects. And if you’ve ever watched a skilled cake artist paint a jellyfish with edible shimmer dust, you’ll understand why this niche has become its own little artform.
There’s also something undeniably Canadian about embracing a nature-based theme—even one we don't all live next to. In a country where people regularly drive hours just to reach a lake or a shoreline, where our summers are short and our winters long, celebrating water—even symbolically—feels oddly right. Sea-themed cakes might be the closest thing we have to edible escapism. You can’t book a vacation every week, but you can eat a cupcake shaped like a scuba diver. Close enough?
Oh, and speaking of cupcakes—this isn’t just a layer cake thing. The sea theme has trickled down to cupcakes, cookies, and cake pops. Picture a little bite-sized octopus sitting on a swirl of ocean-blue frosting. Or cookies shaped like sea horses, hand-painted in pastels. Even macarons are getting in on the action, with some bakeries offering “oyster” versions that open to reveal a tiny sugar pearl inside. It’s whimsical. It’s a bit silly. But it’s fun.
Not to mention, sea-themed desserts make great talking points at events. People will come over, compliment the cake, and then—without fail—share their last beach trip or mention how much their niece loves dolphins. It’s oddly social, for a dessert. It creates a moment. Not every cake does that.
Of course, not every sea-themed cake is created equal. There are some that look more like a melting swamp than the deep blue sea. But even the imperfect ones usually get a smile. There’s a warmth in the attempt. And really, what more can you ask from a cake?
Some bakers are pushing the concept further. Incorporating Canadian marine life—salmon, belugas, even puffins for east-coast clients. Others are combining the sea theme with seasonal touches, like a beachy winter cake with snowflake-shaped coral and sugar icebergs. It doesn’t always make logical sense, but visually? It works.
It’s hard to say how long this sea obsession will last. Trends come and go. Maybe in a year or two, we’ll all be obsessed with desert-themed cakes or something weird like galaxy-sushi hybrids (don’t laugh, it’s already a thing in Japan). But for now, sea-themed cakes are having their moment in the Canadian spotlight. And I think they’ve earned it.
Because at the end of the day, we don’t just want a dessert—we want a story. Something to point at. Something to remember. And whether it’s a whale-shaped smash cake or a two-tier under-the-sea fantasy tower, these cakes deliver that. Not just sugar, but atmosphere. A little dream of salt air, even if the closest body of water is a bathtub.
