Pinterest Vs. Reality: How Hard Is It, Really, to Make a Bubble Cake?

Full-size balloons, even blown up small, will be too big or oblong. Water balloons can be hard to come by, but most party stores stock packs of 5-inch balloons, which are basically the same thing.

You’ll also need:

• Balloon pump (optional; those tiny balloons are a pain to blow up though!)
• 1 box unflavored gelatin (1 ounce)
• 2 ounces water
• Gel food coloring
• Shortening (at least a tablespoon)
• Paper towels
• A wide mug or small bowl, for dipping balloons in gelatin
• A cooling rack
• Parchment paper
• A baked, frosted cake (obvi—your call whether it’s boxed or from scratch)

Mix gently, then let the gelatin mixture sit and “bloom” for about 5 minutes. (I used 2 ounces of water to 4 ounces of gelatin.) It’ll look like a super thick, grainy slime—kinda like a body scrub mixed with Elmer’s Glue. That happens almost immediately, but it’s still worth giving it time; I didn’t the first time around and wound up with a watery, clumpy mess.

After that, pop it in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. Stir in a few drops of gel food coloring, adding more until you achieve the color you’d like. (Pro Tip: Use Fancy Sprinkles Jelly Hues food coloring for really vibrant colors. We used traditional gel for the blue bubbles, Jelly Hues for the purple, and you can see there's a huge difference in how saturated the color is.) Break up any clumps or large bubbles.

NOTE: Hot gelatin smells awful. Like a wet-dog-threw-up-on-your-carpet awful. Have your diffuser on standby.

The first time you dip a balloon, it’ll likely look streaky. That’s what a second (or, occasionally, third) dip is for. Just like painting your nails, these require an extra coat for a streak-free finish.

Place the balloons on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath. They’ll need at least 10 to 12 hours to firm up. You may hear crinkling noises as the gelatin hardens; that’s fine. Your orb babies will be OK, promise.

One caveat: If you have a grid-style cooling rack, threading the balloon closure through the grid can help hold the balloons in place, so they don’t wobble around. If you don’t—I didn’t—you may get grid lines on one side of your balloon. C’est la vie.

Grab scissors and pierce each one. It’s kind of mesmerizing to watch them shrink away from the gelatin. You can use tweezers or your fingers to peel away the balloon remnants.

If you didn’t use shortening, you’ll still have an orb shape, albeit one that’s opaquer due to its balloon liner. You can use it as-is—just warn people not to eat ‘em—or give it a few more hours to rest. I found that over time, the balloon guts would peel away from the gelatin on their own. It just required more patience.

Stack those orbs! Show them off! There are no rules! Just be sure to ‘gram, post and pin your creation, because you sure as hell aren’t making those gelatin bubbles for their flavor. (Psst: Don’t eat them. While the gelatin bubbles are edible, they don’t taste that great. This is totally an aesthetic play.)