A Narnia Cake – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

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Whether you’re a Narnia fan celebrating a birthday or your book club has just finished reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, this Narnia cake is super simple, yet so fun to make.

Fans of Reepicheep, Lucy, Edmund, Eustace and Caspian will love the whimsy of this Narnia cake featuring Reepicheep at the very end of the world in his little coracle.

overhead shot of narnia book with lion figure next to a cake on a platter with a mouse and boat atop it.

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I love the Narnia books. I read them for the first time as an adult and was immediately enraptured with the saga of Aslan, the Christ-figure that CS Lewis created and the adventures of the Pevensie children whose lives are transformed by the Great Lion. We’ve read them many times as a family read aloud.

Young and old alike have enjoyed reading CS Lewis’ Narnia books. The seven fantasy novels have sparked the imagination for generations.

The messages about life and death one gains from reading the books are invaluable, and honestly, the descriptions of feasts, teas, and cake are pretty inviting, too. It’s no surprise that the Narnia books have been popular for personal reading, school studies, family read-alouds, and book clubs.

Wrap up a reading of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader with this fun Narnia Cake, featuring the intrepid Reepicheep.

narnia cake on white platter next to open book with lion statue.

Why Make This

It’s easy! Buy or bake a layer cake and top it with blue sea frosting, floating flowers, and a mouse and boat Playmobil.

It’s fun! If you’ve read the Narnia book or watched the movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, then you may remember one of the most poignant scenes, when Reepicheep reaches Eternity.

While it may not be as swashbucklingly exciting as a pirate ship or as moving as a boy being transformed into a dragon and back again, Reepicheep’s final scene on a cake.

All his life, Reepicheep the mouse, has pined for Aslan’s country (heaven) and that is the reason he sets foot aboard the Dawn Treader. At the end of the adventure, upon the Silver Sea, the mouse sets off on an adventure of his own in a little coracle.

So, while this cake may not be as awe-inspiring as other adventurer cakes, it is true to the book, and true Narnia fans will understand the details involved. Plus, if you have a heart for Reepicheep and his love for the Great Lion, you’ll enjoy it.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this Narnia cake:

clearance baking ingredients on kitchen counter.
Check your grocery store’s clearance section after a holiday and snatch up the marked down items. You can repurpose them in lots of ways — for different occasions!
  • boxed cake mix and necessary ingredients to bake it – You can also buy your cake or bake from a favorite recipe.
  • blue or green frosting – This can be canned frosting or you can make your own vanilla buttercream.
  • gel food coloring in the opposite blue/green of your frosting – If you have blue frosting, add some swirls of green; if you have green frosting, add some swirls of blue.
  • silver sprinkles – In Narnia, it’s called the Silver Sea. Using silver sprinkles makes the frosting look more whimsical and shimmery. You can also use silver pearl dust, if you like.
  • flower or snowflake sprinkles – There are lilies on the sea when Reepicheep reaches the end. Use white flower sprinkles if you have them. If not, snowflakes look a lot like flowers, depending on the style. This is a great way to repurpose Christmas cookie decorations.
  • a small mouse figurine and a small plastic boat – I’ve found that it works really well to use Playmobil to decorate cakes. You can use other toys as well.

Pro tip: Check your grocery store’s clearance section after a holiday and snatch up the marked down items. You can repurpose them in lots of ways — for different occasions!

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how to assemble your Narnia cake:

Bake the cake. I like to use a boxed cake mix, but you can use your favorite recipe. I used a single layer round since I wasn’t feeding a large crowd. You can make this whatever size you’d like. If you use a larger sheet cake, you could make larger waves and even place a toy ship in the distance.

Make the frosting. I used a can of green frosting (available at the holidays) that I swirled with some blue gel food coloring. I wanted ocean. And the swirls turned out really pretty. You can also use blue frosting (available in summer) and add some green dye. Or make white frosting to dye however you like.

frosted blue sea layer cake on plate.

Frost a crumb coat. First I laid strips of waxed paper around the edges of the cake to keep frosting drips off my serving plate. Then I spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. By placing the cake in the freezer for a few minutes, I solidified the frosting and trapped the crumbs, preventing them from marring the surface of the cake.

Create an ocean of frosting. I love ocean cakes because they are so forgiving with the frosting. Don’t worry about making it smooth. You want waves. In addition to the frosting, I sprinkled silver sprinkles across the top. This adds texture, sparkle, and a nod to Lewis’ Silver Sea.

close-up of reepicheep on boat on cake with white flower sprinkles.

Add the lilies, the coracle, and Reepicheep. The novel depicts that the Sea is covered with lilies. I used snowflake sprinkles for lilies. As I love to do, I also used Playmobil to embellish the cake. A Playmobil mouse and the top of a catapult served as Reepicheep and his little boat.

As you can see, creating a themed birthday cake does not need to be complicated. Normal people can make cool cakes.

More Cool Cakes to Make

Visit our Cake Archive for more creative ways to decorate your cakes.

What do you think?

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overhead shot of narnia cake with boat and mouse.
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5 from 1 vote

Narnia Cake

Decorate a fun and whimsical cake featuring Reepicheep from the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: narnia cake
Servings: 6
Calories: 300kcal
Author: Jessica Fisher
Cost: $5

Ingredients

  • boxed cake mix and necessary ingredients to bake it
  • 1 tub blue or green frosting
  • gel food coloring in the opposite blue/green of your frosting
  • silver sprinkles
  • flower or snowflake sprinkles
  • a small mouse figurine and a small plastic boat such as Playmobil

Instructions

  • Bake the cake. I like to use a boxed cake mix, but you can use your favorite recipe. I used a single layer round since I wasn't feeding a large crowd. You can make this whatever size you'd like. If you use a larger sheet cake, you could make larger waves and even place a toy ship in the distance.
  • Make the frosting. I used a can of green frosting (available at the holidays) that I swirled with some blue gel food coloring. I wanted ocean. And the swirls turned out really pretty. You can also use blue frosting (available in summer) and add some green dye. Or make white frosting to dye however you like.
  • Frost a crumb coat. First I laid strips of waxed paper around the edges of the cake to keep frosting drips off my serving plate. Then I spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. By placing the cake in the freezer for a few minutes, I solidified the frosting and trapped the crumbs, preventing them from marring the surface of the cake.
  • Create an ocean of frosting. I love ocean cakes because they are so forgiving with the frosting. Don't worry about making it smooth. You want waves. In addition to the frosting, I sprinkled silver sprinkles across the top. This adds texture, sparkle, and a nod to Lewis' Silver Sea.
  • Add the lilies, the coracle, and Reepicheep. The novel depicts that the Sea is covered with lilies. I used snowflake sprinkles for lilies. As I love to do, I also used Playmobil to embellish the cake. A Playmobil mouse and the top of a catapult served as Reepicheep and his little boat.

Notes

Pro tip: Check your grocery store’s clearance section after a holiday and snatch up the marked down items. You can repurpose them in lots of ways — for different occasions!
Nutritional values are approximate and will vary widely depending on the cake, frosting, and candy elements used.
Be sure to remove all toys and plastic bits prior to serving the cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

This post was originally published on January 26, 2011. It has been updated for content and clarity.

closeup of reepicheep in boat on cake with text overlay.

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5 from 1 vote

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10 Comments

  1. Yeah! You totally rock! I knew you’d do something thoughtful and creative! We even have a little Reepicheep figure. Now to sort through my son’s stuff to find and dismantle a catapult…

    I love this part of the story in both the book and the movie! We just recently saw the Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the theater and I was so overcome with emotion at this point in the movie. I wept as this devoted follower paddled his way into eternity with his Lord.
    Thanks FishMama 🙂

  2. I love the Narnia Cake… I will have to make this for my husband as he is a true Narnia fan. I love to bake cakes and I was so proud to make my son’s grooms cake and all the candies for his wedding this past June. What an awesome joy for me to be a part of such an important day in his new life! Thank you for the inspirations you share with us! Many Blessings… Tammy

  3. Great cake, our family loves the Narnia books too. I love the color and swirls of the “ocean.” Thanks for sharing it with us!

  4. OK – this is super cute! Reepicheep is my favorite literary character, and this scene from the book is so great…. Thanks for sharing! You did a great job on the cake!

  5. Awesome! I am a couple of chapters away from finishing reading this to my girls, and I would love to make this for them when we’re done. Thanks!

  6. This is great! I love how you made it “do-able” for those of us not so gifted in the cake decorating department. As always, thanks for the inspiration!