birthday cakes
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Fabulous birthday cake ideas
Sand pail birthday cake
Great cake decorating books from Amazon
best books on cake decorating
I have included a few other highly rated cake decorating books you can use for the best birthday party cake ideas and inspiration! Check out the options from master cake chef Colette Peters!
Little Green Men (from Toy Story) birthday cake
The Igloo Cake with penguins
For C's birthday, we got the igloo pan from Williams-Sonoma and made a rich chocolate cake. Unfortunately, the cake recipe was very, very moist so while it tasted amazing, the igloo flattened out a bit. But, since the chocolate penguins we had residing in the igloo were short, they didn't mind.
Cake - looks or taste?
Everyone knows that fondant doesn't taste all that good, but it makes for beautiful cakes. On the other hand, buttercream, while delicious, does not make for that professional smooth finish that allows for intricate designs, shapes and figures like fondant.
Tiered rainforest birthday cake!
The rainforest birthday cake unveiled
Frogs, lizards, a parrot, a monkey and turtles - happy birthday!
I constructed 2 frogs, 2 lizards, 1 parrot, a monkey and some branches and leaves out of fondant. Also, a small pond. Then, I used white chocolate to mold the leaves that ringed the cake layers and the turtles. I painted them all with gel food coloring and set them into thick buttercream icing. The top tier was chocolate pound cake filled with chocolate ganache and the bottom tier was vanilla pound cake, also filled with ganache...
Yum.
Turkey cake for Thanksgiving birthday
Seahorse cake
Well, it was really all part of testing the cake recipe, to find a good, moist pound cake that would work well for a tiered cake. But, who am I to leave a cake naked? I mean, you need the frosting to know how the flavors will work and once you ice it, you might as well decorate it, right?In our house, all things undersea are revered, so I had to try a seahorse cake, complete with seaweed and bubbles. What do you think?
Funniest cakes ever.
But, today, someone sent me to the CakeWrecks Cake Blog which I assure you will have you laughing outloud. Really. These are cakes with errors, gaffes and... dread diseases. A big kudos to them. Check it out. And, thanks to MB for sharing!
I've also started a new squidoo lens with funny, ugly and scary cakes. Check them out at Cakes Gone Wrong
Slumber Party Cakes
When the slumber party is the theme
Sometimes a slumber party has a separate theme, but really, just the sleepover concept is enough for a great birthday party. If your idea of a dream birthday is donning your pajamas and hanging out with your girls with a pizza and some pedicure kits... you'll want a cake that is baked to match. Whether you go with a bed, sleeping bags, jammie clad girls, pizza and popcorn or a spa motif on your cake, it is sure to be the focal point of your sleepover.
Homemade or Bakery?
Do you prefer your birthday cake to be a labor of love or a deluxe professional offering? Which is more impressive - the personal from the heart approach, or the style and polish a bakery can offer?
Penguin Cake
Easy and cute penguin cake
This penguin cake did not use a special mold or cake pan. I made my own pattern for this birthday cake. To make the penguin cake template, I cut waxed paper into the shape of my cake pan and experimented with the proportions of the cake pieces. Essentially, I took a 13 x 9 cake and used the pieces I cut off his "body" to make his wings and feet. I used a simple star tip with white, brown and orange frosting and my penguin-loving niece adored him.Of course, there are other ways to do penguin cake decorations. You can do fondant penguin decorations on your cake, make a penguin out of icing on a round or sheet cake or use penguin cake topper decorations.
* Happy Feet Penguin cake decorations
* Surfs Up penguin cake toppers
* Elegant penguin cake decoration -- suitable for adults.
* Pictures and instructions for making a cake with fondant penguins
Penguin birthday cake pictures
If you're planning a penguin birthday party, of course you'll need a special cake to fit your theme. What's not to love about penguins -- they're cute, they are charming and they're all ready for any formal event! Of course, the popularity of the Happy Feet and Surf's Up movies have put penguins even more on the forefront of the birthday theme scene in recent years.
Penguins are appropriate for winter sports themed parties, penguin parties, black tie birthdays and for Linux operating system fans. This is one of those cake themes that is just as good for an adult (maybe for a 40th birthday party?) as a kid... You'll find these penguins topping icebergs, igloos and even a pirate ship.
Looking at these penguin birthday cake photos makes me want to make a penguin cake right now - maybe that's what I'll make for MY birthday this year!
Princess Castle Cake
Homemade princess castle cake
There are molds available to do castle cakes as well as kits with tiers and turrets. I did this one entirely from scratch, using a double layer round cake on the bottom, a smaller double layer round cake on the top and then covered ice cream cones with frosting and turned them upside down for turrets. We used "hello kitty" princess figurines on this cake, but you could use any princess cake topper or just let the castle stand on its own. We topped the whole thing with very shimmery sugar "glitter." Hawaiian birthday cake photos
Looking for ideas for a creative Hawaiian birthday cake? Hawaiian themed birthday parties are popular for sweet sixteens, teen boys and adults, since Hawaii is truly ageless.
Hawaiian birthday cakes are especially popular for 40th birthdays!
Design a cake that captures the serenity of a Hawaiian sunset under the palm trees, or the excitement of a big surf on white sand beaches. Fete someone with hula girls, or cover your cake with tiki heads and torches. Recreate dad's favorite Hawaiian shirt on a cake, or put a hibiscus flower motif on any shape cake. Or, pick a classic Hawaiian dessert and serve pineapple upside-down cake!
Whichever direction you go, your hawaiian birthday cake is sure to please all your guests with a little piece of paradise!
Princess and Castle Birthday Cake Pans from Amazon
Check out these fabulous pans to help you make your perfect cake
Cinderella birthday cakes
Some day your prince will come...
... but until then, eat cake?
Whether you are celebrating finding your true prince or celebrating a fantasy princess birthday, a Cinderella birthday cake can be the perfect centerpiece for your celebration. There are options that pipe cinderella straight onto the cake with frosting, make a cinderella "doll" cake, use princess cake toppers and even fondant Cinderellas. Also look for her glass slippers, castle, fairy godmother and Cinderella's magical pumpkin carriage. The only limit is your imagination.
Chocolate Octopus Cake
Williams Sonoma Cake Pan Mold
Last summer, Williams Sonoma had this adorable octopus cake. In this version, I covered his body with chocolate ganache. Once it set, I created the details and the water from royal icing. The seashells are molded white and dark chocolate (using a wilton candy mold) and then set into the icing. For the cake, I used a heavy poundcake recipe and it held its shape beautifully. Monkey birthday cakes
What better way to celebrate your little primate's birthday than to go bananas with a monkey birthday cake? Whether you love gorillas, chimps or rhesus monkeys, they are charming decorations for any treat, whether you party is purely a monkey themed birthday or something broader like a jungle party or a zoo themed party.
Monkey cakes are popular for baby's 1st birthday parties as well as mischievous kids of all ages.
Check out these monkey birthday cakes for a barrel full of fun!
Monkey birthday party supplies
from Amazon - get 'em now!
Monkey Cake Supplies
A fondant monkey for a birthday cake
Butterfly cake
pastel butterfly birthday cake
I used a Wilton cake pan for this butterfly cake, but you could easily cut a butterfly shape from a sheet cake or a homemade cake made in a 13 x 9 baking pan. I chose pastels based on the birthday girl's favorites, but you could also do this as a realistic butterfly, or using primary colors. Beautiful butterfly cake designs
Butterflies are lovely and are the perfect cake design for a garden party, tea party, or a butterfly themed birthday. They are suitable for little girls and mature women alike, so butterfly cakes are one of the most versatile designs you can use for your celebration. Combine them with flowers, plants, bugs or just let them stand on their own. Here are some stunning cake designs that make use of butterflies.
Uncooked Fluffy White Frosting Recipe
If you want a lovely, basic uncooked frosting that is light fluffy and tasty, try this simple buttercream recipe on your birthday cakes.Ingredients
* 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (or replace with more vegetable shortening if you desire a pure white color to your frosting)
* 1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract (regular vanilla is fine if you don't care about an off-white color)
* 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
* 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Use an electric mixer to cream the shortening and butter together. Add vanilla and continue to blend. Gradually add the powdered sugar, alternating it with the milk and continuing to whip the frosting until it is fluffy and of a nice spreading consistency. You may use more milk to make it a little thinner or less for thicker white frosting.
Birthday Cake Clipart
It's about more than birthday cakes to make -- cakes can be used to decorate invitations, thank you notes and other decorations when you use birthday cake clipart. You don't have to be an artist to create a custom invitation with great birthday themed clipart. Try some of these sources for free birthday cake graphics:* Birthday Cakes from Snogirl
* Huggy Bee Birthday themed clip art graphics
* i band birthday cakes and cupcakes
Cake decorating technique videos
How to make icing roses
Cow Birthday Cake
Moooove over, it is time to look at cow birthday cakes
Whether you are celebrating the birthday of a bovine fan or creating a treat for a farm animal themed birthday, a cow birthday cake may be just what you need.
Train Cakes
Make a train cake for your favorite engineer
If you want to make a train cake, there are myriad options available. Williams Sonoma offers a train cake mold (with multiple train cars) if you are feeling ambitious. However, you can also easily decorate a sheet cake with an icing train, or with icing tracks and place a train figurine on top. Or, get creative with the train theme and decorate with an elaborate landscape with a track running through it, or create a picture of your favorite engineer on your birthday treat. Train cake pans from eBay
Motorcycle birthday cakes
A motorcycle birthday cake is a great way to fete someone who really loves bikes. Whether your biker is a Harley fan, a sports bike nut, a dirt biker, an Easy Rider, or just an aspiring (or underage) motorcycle rider, these motorcycle cakes are sure to give you great decorating ideas for an upcoming birthday celebration.
Luau Birthday Cake Pictures
Aloha!
A luau birthday cake is perfect for an adult, a sweet sixteen or for children. Tropical luaus are one of the most versatile themes for parties, since there are great variations that work for nearly every age and interest - got a toddler who wants a luau? Go with cheeky monkeys and palm trees. A sweet sixteen? Think hibiscus, palm trees and tiki torches to top your cake. A teen surfer is celebrating a birthday? Top your birthday cake with a surfboard, palms and seashells, maybe even a hula girl. Party for a ten year old girl? Dolphins frolicking in the waves are sure to please. Ten year old boy birthday? How about a chocolate volcano!
Check out some of these great luau birthday cakes for creative decorating ideas.
Hello Kitty Birthday Cake
Made without a special pan
Hello Kitty, that simple Sanrio character continues to be a favorite of toddlers and teens alike. If your favorite Hello Kitty fan is yearning for a cake in her image, don't worry -- it is crazy easy to make.To do this one, I simply baked a 13 x 9 sheet cake. Then, I cut the shape of Hello Kitty's head (with bow) out of a piece of parchment paper onto which I had sketched her (she's an oval with triangle ears -- that's really all there is to it). I laid the parchment over the cake, cut with a serrated knife and voila - she was ready for icing. Meow!
Bears Swimming Pool Cake
Summer fun with this swimming pool cake
These teddy grahams are having a day of summer fun with this swimming pool cake. We made a two layer cake and cut the center out of the top layer to make the sides of the "pool". Then, with some blue buttercream icing, gummy fish, teddy grahams and cocktail palm trees for some sunshades, we were ready for our day at the beach. My daughter liked the fact that she could "decorate" it by arranging the palms, teddy bears and gummy fish. 
American Girl Cafe Birthday Gift Cake
Girls Birthday Cake Ideas
Cakes for girls are fun!!
Of course, the most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a design for your birthday cake or a theme for your party is what are the birthday girls' interests? Does she love a sport or a hobby? Is she a dancing diva, a gymnast, an animal lover, a gardener or a voracious reader? What does she play with? Is she passionate about her dolls, her tea set, her chemistry set, craft kits or toy kitchen?
And, even more importantly, what are her ideas for her cake and party? If she is like my daughter, she starts planning her birthday fete about 364 days ahead. (By the way, it is really dangerous to let your kids watch the cake competitions on the Food Network since they get delusions of cake grandeur.) Anyway, it is her special day, so make sure you get her input on whether she wants a Hannah Montana bash or a Teddy Bears' picnic.
Some of my favorite girls birthday cake ideas follow:
* Mermaid birthday cakes
* Princess birthday cakes
* Dance theme birthday cakes
* Dog cakes
* Cat cakes
* Horse cakes
* Makeover cake
* Tea party cake
* Pizza party cake
* Garden cakes
* Pool party or beach cake
* Fairy cakes
Licensed character and TV show theme cakes:
* American Idol cakes
* Hannah Montana cake
* Jonas Brothers
* Littlest Pet Shop cakes
Little Girls' Birthday Cake Ideas
Need ideas for your baby or toddler girls' birthday?
* Teddy Bear
* Zoo animal cakes
* Farm animal cakes
* Nursery rhyme birthday cakes (mother goose, jack and jill, cow jumping over moon or any other favorites)
* Bunny cakes
* Princess cakes
* Fairy cakes
Licensed character and TV show theme cakes:
* Sesame Street: Specifically Elmo, Zoe or Abby Cadabby cakes
* Hello Kitty cakes
* Strawberry Shortcake
* Dora the Explorer cakes
* Barbie themed cakes
* Backyardigans
* Doll cakes (where the doll is stuck in the center and the cake is the "skirt")
Girls Birthday Cake Idea Photos
creative inspiration from flickr
A picture is worth a thousand words and we're sure these hand selected girls birthday cake photos will inspire you with ideas for big and little girls themed confections.
Fairy and Pixie birthday cake ideas
If you are throwing a birthday party for a pixie, you need to have a magical cake. What makes a cake fit for a fairy? It can be a woodland wonderland, filled with toadstools and flowers and fit for a forest pixie, or an icy cavern, home to an arctic sprite, or a home for a group of water fairies. What else goes well with fairies and pixies? Butterflies, ladybugs and other charming insects, small birds and reptiles, flowers, berries, and lots and lots of sparkles. We recommend the edible glitter. The only limits are your imagination and a sprinkling of magic pixie dust on your birthday cake, to get a treat that will thrill everyone.
Abby Cadabby Birthday Cake
And, other Sesame Street favorites on cakes
If your little one is a fan of Sesame Street, consider one of these sweet and quirky characters for a birthday cake decoration or as a whole party theme? Little girls love the newest addition to the block: Abby Cadabby, the sweet sesame street fairy muppet. And, of course, who isn't fond of Cookie Monster, Elmo, Grover, Big Bird, Ernie and Bert?
Cakes are more than cute characters
Beautiful, sophisticated birthday cake designs can be easy
When we think of birthday cakes, it is common to think of the cute ones with animals and children's characters. However, most adults love birthday cake too, so consider these methods for simple, yet sophisticated cake designs:Decorate Cakes with Flowers
While everyone associates icing flowers with birthday cakes, it is even easier to decorate a cake with real flowers. Find beautiful, edible flowers (even if people aren't going to eat them, you don't want any potentially toxic plants to come in contact with your cake) and trim off any thorns and extra leaves or excess stem length.
Some great flowers to use on cakes include:
Other edible flowers to consider are:
Fruit as Cake Decoration
Another beautiful way to decorate a cake for an adult is with fresh or sugared fruit. Summer berries are especially beautiful and sumptuous; consider strawberry halves, blueberries and fresh raspberries. One truly elegant way to use berries is to alternate plain and chocolate dipped strawberries to garnish your cake top.
You can also use other types of fresh fruit to decorate your cake. Since most cut fruits brown when exposed to air for any duration, consider dipping cut fruit in a sugar glaze before using it to adorn your cake top.
Top layer of rainforest birthday cake - lizards and frogs!
Dora the Explorer Birthday Cakes
Hola! Having a Dora themed birthday party?
If you have a toddler, there's a good chance you've considered a Dora the Explorer birthday cake. Whether you want just Dora or to include Boots or Swiper the Fox, or need Dora and Diego cakes for a twins' birthday, we have assembled the best Flickr photos of Dora cakes and cupcakes for your reference.
Go Diego Go Birthday Cake!
Scooby Doo Birthday Cake Decorations
Cake for your Scooby Snack?
Quick Dolphin Cake -- just for fun
So, I've never made my favorite pound cake recipe in classic round cake pans -- I always use a bundt. Since my daughter wants round tiers, using this cake for the upcoming rain forest birthday, I needed to give it a test run, and also try out the ganache filling with buttercream outside.I lowered the temp by 25 degrees for the experiment and the cake came out great - rich and moist. The ganache was too dark -- I used chocolate that verged on bittersweet, so I'll use a milder chocolate for the real thing -- and the buttercream was perfect. Of course, I needed to ice it to ensure the buttercream would cover any ganache filling that stuck out and also to get the whole effect.
So, then I decided it needed a simple decoration - I wanted something that would amuse my daughter so I did a simple dolphin (out of the same buttercream, but colored blue) frolicking in the waves. Voila. A dolphin cake. Not exactly a masterpiece, but quick, easy and made my daughter happy -- "ooh, mommy, a dolphin cake!"
Cake Pan Obsession
An amateur baker is sucked in by NordicWare
It is all Williams-Sonoma's fault. They have drawn me in and I am obsessed with their cake pans. It started innocently enough with the sandcastle pan. Then, someone gave me the pumpkin cake pan and the Hansel and Gretel house. The santa was on sale. Of course, we had to have the octopus. The easter bunny just hopped into our bag. And, then, the floral petit fours, the mini pumpkins, the vegetable mini cakes and finally the backyard bugs. Can it be stopped? Fabulous Cake Pans for boys' birthdays
Trains, planes and automobiles
Pirate Birthday Cake - ice cream
For a friend's son's birthday, they wanted something in a pirate theme, and wanted an ice cream cake. They purchased a beautiful ice cream pirate ship, with pirates roaming the fudge planked deck. And, of course it was delicious. Threadcakes cake design contest
Either way, check out the galleries or enter your own at Threadcakes!
The contest is over, but you can view the winners.
Clay birthday cake... favors, decorations...
Lego Birthday Cake
Hoppy Birthday Bunny
For a Hoppy Easter or a Hoppy Birthday
This bunny cake is sure to make everyone smile. This was made using a two piece mold from Williams-Sonoma. You hold the two halves together with icing, so make sure your royal icing is thick. You can decorate the outside with frosting (as shown here) or leave it plain. Of course, we had to put jelly beans in this bunny's basket. Pretty in Pink
A girly cake for your little princess.
This cake is a simple, classic design for a little girl's birthday cake. It can be adapted to suit your baby girl's first birthday, or used for an older girl. Allow the color and your daughter's favorite things to guide the decorations. Fish Birthday Cake
Something fishy?
Whether you are hosting a party for a future fisherman or a tropical fish collector, a fish shaped cake is sure to please. You can cut the fish shape out of any size sheet cake and decorate it in any color scheme or breed you desire. Cute and Easy Dog Cake
Frosting dog on a simple sheet cake
You don't have to be a great artist to thrill the canine lovers in your house. I did this outline of a dog on a 13 x 9 cake and you could feel the puppy love! Dog Park Cake
this dog cake is a walk in the park
Use cake toppers creatively with your icing to make fun scenes on your birthday cakes without much fuss.This dog talking a walk in the tree-lined park is simply cake topper figurines on a vanilla iced cake.
Great Cake Galleries
Inspiration for creative and fun birthday cakes
* Stellar Cake Company
* Black Market Bakery in Irvine, CA
* Charm City Cakes (This is the bakery featured on the Food Network's "Ace of Cakes")
Great Birthday Cake Toppers for Boys
Cake Toppers
It doesn't have to be about the icing
A visit to classic cake decorations
Wow. It was a teeny tiny store, crammed floor to ceiling with cake pans, cake toppers, picks, candy molds, sprinkles, edible glitter, molding chocolate, beautiful books on cake decorating... Really, anything you can imagine and if you don't see it you should ask, because they probably know where it is hidden. So, we bought columns to the tier support, as well as a tier support platform, 2 6-inch cake pans for the top tier, a bucket of fondant, a set of fondant tools, a lot of edible glitter, some chocolate molds and some chocolate. Here we go...
Over the hill birthday cake ideas
Looking for great over the hill birthday cake ideas for a fortieth, fiftieth or sixtieth birthday party? Visit our new lens, devoted to Over the Hill birthday parties for free, fun and easy cake ideas and pictures. Free Birthday Cake Patterns
Remember, you can make your own patterns and templates (blow up any image -- from clip art or your invitations -- on a copier and trace it with waxed paper or parchment, then cut it out, set it atop your cake and go around it with a serrated knife) easily enough, if you are not confident, it can help to use a free cake pattern someone else has created.
Here are some options to try for free birthday cake patterns:
*Free robot cake pattern
* Free butterfly birthday cake pattern
* Mickey Mouse cake pattern to print
* Templates to make a Hello Kitty cake
Crocheted slice of birthday cake pattern - free
* Free slice of birthday cake pattern
* Free birthday cake crossstitch patterns
Reader Feedback
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ggherardi May 5, 2012 @ 4:39 pm | delete
- Great lens, I enjoy it and I love theme cakes. They are fun!
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ismeedee
Mar 14, 2012 @ 3:29 pm | delete
- Wow there is so much here! Finally I know how to make WHITE frosting instead of the cream-colour I always get from using pure butter. Now, another question: do you know how to get that store-made birthday cake frosting taste? I live in England now and the cakes are different so I miss that American frosting!!!
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transfatfree Mar 20, 2012 @ 12:50 am | delete
- Hi ismeedee, thanks for stopping by! That recipe will get you fairly close to a store-bought flavor, but you may want to try this. Increase the shortening a little and leave out the milk entirely (you may need to experiment to get the icing to the right consistency). This higher shortening version is very similar to what a lot of store bakeries use.
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rangiiria
Aug 10, 2011 @ 7:31 pm | delete
- I especially like the igloo and penguin cake :) thanks for this lens
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Blessedmombygrace Nov 30, 2010 @ 7:45 am | delete
- You have some awesome cakes here. Love the Igloo cake! Thumbs up and lensrolled this to my birthday cakes for kids lens.
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by transfatfree
I am a writer and editor with a passion for gourmet cooking and a desire to eat a healthy, trans fat free diet. Oh ya, did I mention I'm obsessed with... more »
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