It really has to be easy. any ideas?
First you wlak into a bake shop...look at the catalog then place an order...LOL
Seriously, what about a cupcake cake?
Here's a REALLY cute Hungry Caterpillar cupcake cake:
http://www.swiss-miss.com/2009/03/the-hungry-caterpillar-...
Go to the Family Fun magazine website. They have adorable cakes that are SO easy. They look like they are complicated but they are not at all!
Make a pyramid out of donuts. Place a few donut holes here and there. Shake some sprinkles on it. Easy peasy...and cute!
I did this for my kid's last bday and EVERYONE ranted and raved over it. I didn't need forks or a knife and it was so easy to serve...obviously. Everyone just grabbed a donut and ran off (it was an outdoor party).
They sell pre rolled and pre colored fondant at micheals craft store. Then you can just buy something to do cut outs; circles, flowers, dinosaurs etc. finish it with ribbon at the bottom and you don't have to worry about your finish work. Also look into cake pops at bakerilla.com. there's a learning curve but if you keep it simple it could be easy enough. its just cake and frosting rolled into a ball and dipped in candy melts (thinned with veg. oil), and served on a stick. You can get elaborate but a cute color with sprinkles is simple and cute too.
A carousel cake. Use bundt pan. After cooked and flipped right side up Drizzle frosting on the top so it goes half way down edges. Buy the already frosted (pink and white) animal crackers and put around top in a circle. Cut straws to the same length and put them around, in between the animals (for the pillars). For the top cut a big circle out of constr.paper. Then cut one slit towards the center (the radius). Then you're able to over lap the cut edges to form a sort if peaked dome for the top. Add sprinkles and you're done. My daughters requested that cake a total of 3 times! If you have a boy you can buy plain animal crackers and decorate them yourself (it's just more work). Have fun picking and making a cake!!
Okay, well there are easy ways. What about just making a cake, frosting it and then buying a bunch of sprinkles and candies and letting them decorate it themselves. I made a really cute motorcyle cake for my son last month and it was soooo easy! I actually ordered a cake from Costco and just asked them to leave it blank on top and I decorated it. That way I didn't have to worry about it, the frosting was neat, it was cheap and it tasted awesome! I will send you a picture of it if you are interested and tell you what I used.
You can also make barbie cakes really easy too...they actually sell legless Barbies...you just make the cake according the directions but put it in a round glass or metal bowl so it looks like a big skirt, then put the doll in the top and decorate the cake to look like a skirt.
You can make an easy train cake by splitting up cake batter into different mini loaf pans, frosting each one to look like a train car and lining them up. If you have any Fisher Price Little People (or any really) animals you can wash them and put them on top of the cake to look like a zoo train.
Those are my best and easiest ideas, but Google is amazing...maybe it will inspire you!
A cupcake cake. You make the cupcakes, arrange and frost them in the shape you want. I have done Winnie the Pooh for 1st birthday and Elmo (more elaborate) for his 2nd. I make different colored frostings to make a picture of sorts, but you can frost them all one color and use small decorations you've purchased to top it, very easy.
Google cupcake cakes and you will find oodles of them, some very easy, in a style you like ; )
I promise these are easy!
Teddy bear one round cake pan and two cupcakes, cut the cupcakes in half horizontally and use the tops for ears, one bottom for a snout. frost in chocolate and sprinkle w/ choc jimmies
inchworm, one bundt cake cut in half then cut one half again stand up the pieces with largest piece in the middle, frost w/ green and decorate with candy and pretzels (find a video online -very easy)
Check out Hello Cupcake and What's New Cupcake. They are books that show you how to make adorable cupcakes. They use canned frosting and candy to decorate. They also use ziplock bags instead of fancy tips and equipment. Some of their stuff is really cute! My SIL used to have me make all the cakes for her daughters (I do cake decorating) and now she makes her own. They always turn out great!
If it needs to feed a large group then I get a Costco 1/2 sheet and request no decorations...just the piping around the edges and "Happy Birthday_____" Then I add the decor to the top on my own. One year it was a lady bug theme and I made a few cupcakes and decorated them like lady bugs and put them on top. One year it was a Sea Creature theme and I found a ton of plastic sea creatures for CHEAP at a store then put them all over the cake. One year it was Veggie Tale theme and we put plastic Veggie Tale characters all over it.
For me it is an easy and delicious way to feed the masses at a party. Go to familyfun.com for birthday cake ideas...you can find recipes and easy decorating ideas.
Good luck and best wishes at making a "simply" cute birthday cake!!
My mom is a cake decorator (on the side) and one way she has made cakes that I find simple enough is....by making a sheet cake. Frosting it, maybe even add a border if you can find the icing that comes with the tips. Then going to the store and finding whatever type of toy/interest they are into and putting it on top of the cake. Very easy and quick.
What I did for my son's I think 2nd or 3rd birthday was really cute and easy I went and got some dalmation figures that where maybe two inches tall and put them on the cake white icing and then put chocolate chips around the ecges about every inch. Really cute and easy. I also did a care bear easy white icing make clowes with blue and blue border and care bear figures. I always try to buy my cake topers in the toy section that way they can play with them too. Those I think where the two easiest. Oh I take that back my sons last one was the easiest. He wanted a dogie birthday so I iced it and sprincked colord sugar on it and then got one of those for real friends and then put plastic wrap on one area and set in on it. Then when he was blowing out the candle the dog wagged it's tail. It was cute.
Good luck and God Bless!!!
I found the cutest cake toppers online - Morgan & Company - they are letters where you can spell your child's name on top of a cake or individual cupcakes - they are not disposable, so you can use them year after year with different "themed" cakes. If a full name is too much - monograms and then you can reuse the last name letter since kids share the same one:)
Did I mention they are SO cute!!!
For girls, I am assuming? I participate in an online 'alice in wonderland tea party', and these are the cakes I made for two years:
I used the simple funfetti cake mix and then, I added food coloring to already made cream cheese frosting.
Yellow Cake:
I used 2 circle pans frosted the middle and stacked them.
I decorated with star shaped marshmallows and clear sugar sprinkles and clock gears.
Pink Cake:
I used a large rectangle cake pan, and I cut the cake in half and stacked them for a stacked square. I decorated it with chocolate chips, strawberries, red glitter sprinkles and a really pretty rhinestone brooch.
They are obviously homemade, but so yummy and cute! You can use any kind of topper the girls like that is small and cute and goes with the party theme/colors.
Pink cake pictures:
http://littlelovables.blogspot.com/2011/06/sweet-treats-m...
Yellow cake pictures:
http://littlelovables.blogspot.com/2011/06/sweet-treats-m...
Boy or girl? Google "cut cake into shapes" for ideas. I made DD a butterfly when she was 2.
make a batch of brownies, use the 'cake' directions.
Let it cool
Frost with can frosting
Sprinkle with chocolate chips
Box cake
Butter cream frosting
Oreo crumbs
Gummy worms
It's fool proof, because you don't have to be careful with the frosting.
HINT: When you bake a cake it "mounds". You cut that part off (and eat part of it warm in secret;), which makes the cake STACK nicely. I use TWO boxes instead of one, so that the cake is as thick as "it should be". A lot of people leave the mounds, because it seems like it should be thicker than it is, but then it'll all domed up and awkward looking. Just mix up 2 boxes together, fill the pans to 1cm below the edge, and bake. The mound comes up above the edge, and then you just slice it off. Put the cut sides DOWN (facing the board, or the other cake) for ease of frosting later.
For a more girly cake, instead of oreo crumbs and gummy worms(which does the worms and dirt)... just change the colors. White frosting and oreo dusting, or purple frosting and red velvet crumbs , or white frosting and pink wafer crumbs.
Use candy to decorate! Frost the cake with whatever color of frsting you want and then stick on store bought candies or cookies (M&M's are a good choice) in a pattern or just higgldy-piggldy (my grandma's term) all over the cake. You can get lots of ideas from parent's magazine or family fun magazine, although sometimes their stuff only SEEMS easy! Anotehr idea is to buy some of those pre-made cake decorations like hard frosting roses etc. You can find them at a party store or even a grocery store. Just be creative and put candles on top and your kids will think it is perfect!
Get a copy of the cookbook BAKING AT HIGH AlTITUDE===there are lots ofeasy B-cake type recipes and they are formatted for higher elevations.
Bake the cake, use on of the easy icing recipes, and then depending on if the cake is for boys, girls or both--most grocery stores have little shaped candies to add for decoration on top. OR if there will be little ones at a party, you may want to go out and purchase tiny little cartoonish figurines at a resale or thift store (plastic type characters or toys (mini baseballs, footballs, flowers, characters) and wash them well before placing on teh cake.
Then depending on how many children attend the party--each will have a toy with their piece of cake to take home--hence teaching little ones how to SHARE, in the b-day celebration!
I always order a cute cake topper from ebay. It is sugar-based and melts into the frosting, so the whole cake is decorated. You can find one for any theme you are doing. It's always under $10. Here are some examples:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DISNEY-PRINCESS-Edible-CAKE-Icing...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Disneys-CARS-Edible-Cake-Toppers-...
There are tons available. Just search for "edible cake topper" or, if you know your theme, search for "princess edible cake topper" or whatever it is. You can even get them to custom make them, which is what I did this year for my daughter.
K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - need bday gifts? I've got great toys for kids of all ages!
