DIY: Back-to-School Pencil Cake

pencil cake

Make a Back-To-School Cake

This cake is made of all those school supplies every one is running around stocking up on before school starts.

I made a few adjustments based on what supplies I had around the house.  For instance the original “recipe” I found called for a Styrofoam center, but since I didn’t have one I used an old cookie tin from last Christmas.  Once I made that little change I had to come up with different “candles” since I couldn’t stick pencils in the foam – glue sticks to the rescue.

Supplies

  • Old cookie tin – any size
  • 4-5 dozen pencils that are all the same length
  • One large rubber band
  • 3-5 Elmer’s glue sticks – any size – for the candles
  • 3-5 erasers that you stick on the end of pencils – for the candle flames
  • Large assortment of rubber bands or paper clips for the frosting
  • Some old newspaper

Instructions

  1. Take the lid off the tin then put the large rubber around the cookie tin – somewhere around the middle.  Choose a rubber band that has just a little give when it’s around the tin.
  2. Start placing the pencils between the rubber band and the tin. Try to keep the pencils straight as you go around the tin.
  3. Once you have the tin completely covered in pencils, crumple up some of the newspaper and gently fill the tin – try to keep it level on top.  I had to overfill the tin by about six inches.  This will become sort of like a spacer so that the lid sits higher and closer to the top of the pencils. Once you have the newspaper level sit the lid on top of the newspaper.
  4. Place your glue sticks (candles) on top.  Once the candles are where you want them you can sprinkle the rubber bands or paper clips all around the candles for the frosting.
  5. Lastly, gently place the erasers on the glue sticks to light up the cake.

Voila! Do you have any back-to-school crafts you make each year? Please share them with us on Facebook and Twitter @DetroitMommies and give us a mention.  We’ll be sure to share and retweet!

Disclosure – This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking and shopping, you help support Detroit Mommies and allow us to keep reporting on all things families love.
Detroit Mommies Expert Contributor
0 0 votes
Article Rating
6 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Bree | The Mom with Moxie

How cute! I love it.

Amy
Amy
12 years ago

Super cute!

Brandi
12 years ago

This is super cute! What a great gift for my friend who is a new teacher this year!

Cariann
12 years ago

This would make a wonderful gift for a new teacher or as a classroom decoration maybe have a holder to put a child’s name on for their birthday..

Whitney
12 years ago

That turned out awesome. This would make a unique teacher’s gift too. Not only would you be donating supplies, but it would be in a cute way!

Nicole Brady (SAHM Reviews)

That is an AWESOME cake! I absolutely love it!