Host a Family Nailed It! Baking Challenge
A little frosting and a lot of imagination are all you need to kick off your family’s own "Nailed It" decorating showdown.
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A family Nailed It–style challenge is a great way to spend some extra time with your family and have some fun in the kitchen. To be clear, this isn’t a baking challenge; it’s a decorating challenge. That means there’s no need to worry about the oven, who gets to stir, or how long it takes for brownies to cool before you eat them.
With some store-bought or pre-made baked goods, some frosting, toppings, and a lot of creativity, you can have a decorating challenge that makes everyone smile. Here are some ideas you can use to host your own Nailed It decorating challenge, whether you’re fans of the show or are watching it for the first time.
What Is a “Nailed It” Decorating Challenge?
A Nailed It cake decorating challenge is a playful competition inspired by the Netflix show, where participants attempt to recreate (or just do their best at recreating) a design using a limited set of decorating supplies.
For a family version:
everyone starts with the same base item
everyone gets the same decorating materials
the goal is creativity, not perfection
The fun comes from seeing how differently each person interprets the same challenge.
Why a Decorating-Only Challenge Works Better Than Baking
Baking with kids is a fun way to spend time together, but you generally need at least a couple of hours to see a baking project through to the end. This challenge means no waiting, no measuring, and no turning the oven on. It’s quick and easy to set up, making it a great after-dinner activity for the family.
A cake/cupcake decorating challenge is perfect for weeknights when you want to spend some quality time together, but it needs to be squeezed in between dinner and the kids’ bedtime routine.
Step 1: Choose the Decorating Base
Pick one item that everyone decorates. They should be plain and free from any decorations (although cakes and cupcakes with white frosting can work too).
Good options:
plain cupcakes
mini round cakes
sheet cake squares (or a full sheet cake you slice yourself)
store-bought donuts (plain cake works best for this, but any donut that isn’t decorated will do)
Tip: Smaller items = faster rounds and less cleanup. If you do go for a sheetcake, slice it into smaller pieces before you start and use them as the base for decorating in each round.
Step 2: Set the Decorating Rules
Nailed It challenges work best when there are a couple of ruls to follow. They don’t need to be strict, but they give everyone a couple of guidelines to follow. Decide ahead of time:
how much time everyone gets (10–20 minutes works well; give younger kids a head start by a few minutes if needed)
whether decorations are shared or pre-portioned for each person
if designs must match a reference or are free-form
Optional twist: Create a mystery box of decorating items that you reveal just before the timer starts! This adds an extra element of fun and surprise.
Setting up a simple kit with pre-filled piping bags and a variety of colorful candies makes the decorating process easy for kids of all ages.
Step 3: Build the Decorating Supply Kit
Start with the basics (like frosting), and then get creative with the rest of the toppings. A full spread of fun candies and frostings, along with some essential cake decorating tools make it easy for everyone to let their creativity run free. Nothing is too silly! Fruity Pebbles on a brownie? Sure! Kit-Kats wrapped in Red Vines on top of a cupcake? Absolutely!
Must-haves
frosting (store-bought is perfect)
sprinkles
small candies (chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, gummies)
Fun Cake Decorating Extras
crushed cookies
cereal
candy melts
edible glitter or pearls
Food coloring (for frosting)
Tools for a Nailed It Challenge
piping bags or zip-top bags
plastic knives or spatulas
toothpicks for detail work
Timer or stopwatch
Pro tip: If you have very young children who will be playing, look for utensils with larger grips to fit more securely in their hands.
Step 4: Pick a Difficulty Level
The level of difficulty you choose should be based on the youngest player. If everyone is around age 9 and up, consider intermediate or advanced levels. For families with younger kids, stick to the beginner level to prevent frustration.
Beginner
cupcakes
5–7 decorating items
no reference photo
Intermediate
small cakes or cookies
piping bags included
simple theme (animals, emojis, hearts)
Advanced
mystery box ingredients
restriction rules (no frosting knives!)
abstract theme revealed at the last minute
This makes the challenge easy to reuse for birthdays, sleepovers, or rainy days.
Step 5: Add a Theme (Optional but Fun)
Themes give direction without requiring skill. This is really helpful for young kids who just aren’t sure where to start, plus it’s fun to see which direction everyone takes the theme!
Easy theme ideas:
rainbows and unicorns
farm animals
things you see at the zoo
favorite colors
Themes work especially well for mixed-age groups. For families with older kids, consider more advanced themes/categories, like superheroes or cities from around the world.
Step 6: Judging the Cake Decorating (or Not Judging!)
You don’t have to judge the creations at all, but adding a judging round makes the challenge feel a little more like the show. If you do choose to judge to determine a winner, here are some options to consider:
Options:
let one person judge
vote anonymously
give everyone a “win”
Come up with fun categories, like best use of sprinkles or most colors used. Avoid best and worst categories (this is really all about having fun, not necessarily choosing a winner or loser).
Easy Nailed It! Challenge Cleanup Tips
This is where a decorating-only baking challenge really pays off; there’s way less cleanup involved! Here are a couple of quick cleaning tips to follow.
Use disposable tablecloths and paper plates. Once all non-disposable items have been removed from the table, you can just wrap everything in the tablecloth and throw it all away in one step.
Keep a trash can next to the table for quicker cleanup.
Keep a few dish rags or wet wipes ready to clean up any spills (super important if you decide to use any food coloring)
Use paper muffin cups to hold sprinkles and other decorations so there are fewer dishes to wash later.
Cleanup is faster than baking, guaranteed, so you can have more time eating your decorated treats.
Make Nailed It! Challenge Nights a Tradition
If your family loves this idea, consider making it a regular tradition! Replace game night once a month with a cake decorating challenge. You can increase the difficulty level for challenges every time or try to find more unique (and unexpected) toppings to try out!
More Fun Family Activities to Try
If your family enjoys creative challenges and hands-on activities like a decorating-only Nailed It challenge, there are plenty of other ways to build fun, low-stress moments at home without turning it into a big production.
For imaginative play that works well with mixed ages, try creating a family restaurant night for dramatic play. It’s a great option for kids who love pretending, designing menus, and taking on different roles.
If you’re looking for a playful activity with a seasonal twist, this polar plunge pop idea adds a little novelty without requiring complicated prep — perfect for breaking up long winter days.
And for a simple baking-adjacent activity that still keeps expectations realistic, these easy St. Patrick’s Day cake mix cookies are another good example of how store-bought shortcuts can still lead to something fun and memorable.
Spending time in the kitchen is always a win, and these activities give kids a chance to really be hands-on (which is great for when they’re old enough to start learning to cook!).
