Birthday Cake Ideas for Kids

Buy Birthday Cakes

Not everyone has the time or the inclination to create a birthday cake that is a veritable masterpiece. For some parents, the thought of whipping up a decorative cake is just too daunting a task. Luckily for these parents, there are countless bakeries and groceries stores willing to step in and supply fantastic cakes that will make your child's birthday extra special.

Try taking your child to a bakery long before his or her birthday and casually flipping through the various picture books which contain birthday cake ideas for kids. Take notice of which cakes grab your child's attention so that when the time does come to order the cake you know exactly which cake to buy. Even bakeries in discount grocery stores can turn out impressive cakes, some featuring characters near and dear to kids:

• Elmo
• Spiderman
• Barbie
• Dora the Explorer
• Mickey Mouse

If your local bakery doesn't feature a certain character whom your kid loves then bring some figurines of the character in and ask the bakers to fashion something around that theme. You may be amazed at what they can come up with.

Bake a Birthday Cake

Unless you are already a wiz when it comes to cake baking and decorating, you may want to think about taking a cake decorating course in preparation for your child's next birthday. Community centers and other learning annexes offer these classes periodically, and they can be a great way to learn the art of birthday cake decorating.

Find Inspiration

There are plenty of websites available which feature a vast array of birthday cake ideas for kids, and most of them feature instructions which are relatively easy to follow.

• Better Homes and Gardens features a delightful collection of clever birthday cake ideas showcased in a colorful slideshow format. The site features ways to integrate ice cream into cakes and how to supplement sheet cakes with cupcakes to make innovative designs.
• The Betty Crocker website features both simple and intricate designs for birthday cakes along with user reviews of the difficulty level associated with each recipe.
• The Caboose Family Network website features links to lots of amazing birthday cakes, some of which you would probably never think to do such as a birthday cake decorated like a pizza.

With a little research you can find the perfect cake for your child's birthday party. You may need to order specific baking supplies in order to pull off the cake of your child's dreams, but websites like Celebrate Express make it easy.

Enlist the Child's Help

Having an impressively decorated birthday cake is all well and good, but sometimes a cake can be made amazing by allowing your child to help in the baking process. At a certain age most kids want to help out whenever they can, so being allowed to do the brunt of the work when it comes to baking and decorating will be much more magical than having a beautiful cake that they didn't help prepare plopped in front of them. Consider allowing your child to be highly involved in creating a birthday cake, and be sure to take plenty of pictures of the inevitable mess that will ensue.

Personalized Birthday Cake Ideas for Kids

You already know to make sure that your child's birthday cake should reflect his or her interests, but be sure to remember to leave room somewhere for personalization. Even if your daughter adores everything related to princesses you'll want to make sure her cake has her name on it amidst the pink frosting and tiaras. No matter how elaborate the cake, parents need to make sure that the birthday boy or girl is the center of attention and not the intricate cake.