How To Make A Beer Can Cake (24 Can Version)

We've previously written about creating a beer can cake (with our popular Beer-thday Dozen brews) but this version is for a supersized version using 24 beer cans!

This guide to making a 3 tiered 24 can beer cake uses our Birthday 24 Beer Gift Pack as a base. You can have these beers delivered straight to your door, add a few festive birthday additions and bingo you have a unique beer gift cake to present to someone on their special day. 

First Of All, What Is A Beer Can Cake?

A Beer Can Cake (or Beer Can Tower Cake) is a selection of beers stacked in such a way to look like a tiered birthday cake.

It's not a cake you can eat as such (but you can add edible elements, more on that below) but this is a cake the lucky recipient can drink!

The cake is made in a location where the lucky recipient will be celebrating their birthday, e.g. at home or your venue of choice if they are celebrating at a function centre for example.

It can be the only gift given to the lucky beer lover or it can be surrounded by other gifts to make a unique gifting table. 

What's Needed To Make The 24 Beer Can Cake

The list of things you'll need are as follows:

- 24 beers in cans (you can purchase one of our popular Birthday 24 Beer Gift Pack delivered straight to your door)

- Some birthday signage. Our Birthday 24 Beer gift pack comes in a birthday themed box which can be used as a backdrop but you can add to this with additional signage.

- Cupcakes (mini and one large)

- Candle

- Confetti

- Cardboard

- Wrapping paper or plain coloured paper (we used black paper)

- Balloons

- Scissors

- String and pens or compass to create circles. You could also use bowls placed upside down to draw circles.

- Beer glass

Step By Step Instructions: How To Make A 24 Can Beer Cake

Step 1: Buy 24 Different Beers

Either go to your local bottleshop and purchase 24 different beers or have one of our 24 can birthday beer packs delivered.

Step 2: Take All The Beers Out Of The Box

The easiest of steps! Simply take the beers out of the box and set them to the side in preparation for making the beer can cake. Then ensure the lid of the box can easily remain open, e.g. use some tape to stick it to a wall.

Step 3: Sprinkle The Base Of The Box With Confetti

We used star confetti sprinkled in the bottom of the box for an extra little touch but you can use a normal hole punch to create some coloured confetti using coloured paper.

Step 4: Create The Bottom Layer

Place 12 beer cans in a circle to create the bottom layer. You won't need any in the centre as the following steps will create a base for each subsequent layer to sit on.

Step 5: Make The 3 Circle Bases For The Layers

Using a piece of cardboard draw 3 circles with a diameter of 25cm, 16cm and 9cm.

We used 2 pens and a piece of string to make the circles but you could use a compass or trace out some bowls placed upside down.

Once you have made the circles cut them out with a pair of scissors.

Step 6: Wrap The Cardboard Circles In Paper

Using some birthday gift wrapping paper or coloured paper wrap the circles, using tape to stick the paper to the underside. You could use paper in the birthday recipients favourite colour to add a personal touch to the can cake.  

Step 7: Building The Second & Third Layer

Place the largest circle (25cm) on top of the bottom layer of cans.

Then using 8 cans create the next layer of the cake.

Add the second largest circle (16cm) on top of those 8 cans. 

Then place 3 cans on top of that and finish by placing the smallest circle (9cm) on top of the 3 cans. 

You should now have a 3 layers beer can cake with 12 cans on the bottom, 8 cans on the middle layer and 3 cans on the top layer. This leaves you with 1 can which you will be able to pour for the lucky recipient to have when you reveal the beer can cake.

Step 8: Add Mini Cupcakes

This is optional but a fun way to add something edible as part of the cake. 

These were pre-bought mini cupcakes purchased from the supermarket in a pack of 24. We use about 18 of these placed around the tiers of the cake and in the base of the box. 

Step 9: Add Some Birthday Signage

We used the gift card message that comes with our 24 Birthday beer gift pack taped it to the end of a chopstick and used some blu tack to wedge it between the cans on the bottom layer. 

We also aded a "Cheers" sign on the other side in the same way. 

Step 10: Large Cupcake & Candle

Put a candle in the large cupcake and place the cupcake on the very top of the can cake (on the smallest black circle).

Step 11: Fill The Beer Glass

After creating all the layers of the beer cake you will be left with 1 can of beer. We suggest having this chilled down and either fill it with a beer just before revealing the beer can cake or have it placed to the side ready for it to be poured. You can place the beer glass (filled or unfilled) in one of the front corners of the box.

And that's it, congratulations on creating a 3 tiered beer can cake tower!

We'd love to see your creating, simply tag @brewquets and use hashtag #beercancake when sharing to social media.

Some Other Quick Tips

If the lucky recipient wants a nice cold beer as soon as the cake is revealed (that isn't the 24th can mentioned above) there are 2 options:

1. Consider having some other beers chilled in the fridge

2. Purchase a Drill Chill attachment and the lucky recipient can chill any of the beers in the beer can cake in just 2 minutes! 

3. The majority of beer cans are 375ml in size, however, there are some that are 330ml or 355ml meaning the height on these slightly smaller cans are a bit lower (by about 1cm). When creating the beer can cake it's best to put all similar sized cans together in the layers. We recommend using the smaller cans for the top layers, but if you need to 1 or 2 cans in a layer can be smaller if necessary. You can also make small cardboard discs to fit under the smaller cans so they sit at the same height as the 375ml can.

Quick Links To Our Two Birthday Gift Packs

Beer-thday Dozen

24 Beer Gift Pack

Also in Brewquets Australia Beer Gifting Blog