Kiddipedia
Birthdays are a big deal when you’re a kid, and the highlight of the day is so often the cake.
Sure, presents are exciting, but long after they’ve been unwrapped and forgotten, the story your kid will be telling is that of their cake. The cake will be photographed, documented and celebrated for years to come.
The cake is important, but that doesn’t mean you have to shell out the big bucks on a professional number. Making your own cake can be hugely rewarding, and a chance to pour love into something homemade and from the heart.
So, how can we put the fun into birthday baking without succumbing to the pressure of party perfection?
Here are my top birthday baking tips to take the hassle out of cake creation for your child’s special day.
-
Let your kid choose (within reason)
Once they reach a certain age, it’s great to let kids have a say in what kind of cake they’d love for their birthday each year – but remember to limit their options.
Google ‘unicorn cake’ and you’ll be met with endless pages of perfect images, impossible to achieve for an amateur baker. Instead, present a few options you know are realistic, and see which one they’d like to try. That way they’ll feel like it’s their choice, without having unrealistic expectations of what the final cake will look like.
-
Kids don’t see the crumbs in the icing
Let go of any Instagram perfect ideas you might have about what a birthday cake should look like, and instead focus on why you’re making the cake. Is it about impressing random people online, or making your little one feel loved and special?
Kids don’t see the crumbs in the icing, they just see you as their hero – making their cake dreams come true. So embrace the imperfect icing, wonky decorations and off-centre presentation, and focus on the look on your child’s face when they see their cake arrive.
-
Be prepared
Late night, last-minute cake decorating fuelled by adrenaline and/or wine? I’ve been there, and it isn’t pretty.
Preparation is key to stress-free party success. Most decorated cakes are built on a simple vanilla or chocolate cake as the base, so if possible try and bake this in advance and freeze it until you’re ready to decorate and assemble. Not only will it save you time on the day, it will also make it easier to ice – a cold cake is much easier to work with than a warm, soft cake, straight from the oven.
Make sure you have everything you need well ahead of time, especially if your cake design calls for special decorative elements or food colourings for the icing. Most cake decorating elements can sit in the cupboard for weeks until they’re needed, so get everything ready ahead of time, and you’ll actually be able to enjoy the decorating when it comes to time to bring your creation to life.
-
Get the whole family involved
Cake making and decorating can be a family affair! Whether it’s helping add the eggs, milk and butter to the cake mix, or rolling out fondant, there are plenty of tasks which are kid-friendly. Get the birthday child involved, or if they’ve got siblings, it’s a great way for them to be part of the fun.
Kids will also love any opportunity to be official taste testers when it comes to making the cake, mixing the icing and adding the finishing touches!
-
Make it a moment to remember
When it comes time to present your cake, make it a moment to treasure. Whether you’ve organised a huge gathering or an intimate celebration with your immediate family, make sure someone is taking photos of the cake and a video of the birthday boy or girl as they are presented with the cake.
Try and get a good photo of the birthday child blowing out the candles – they’ll love looking back and remembering just how special they felt.
Most of all, remember to focus on the fun. Birthday cakes were never meant to be stressful!
About the author:
Lou Duggan is the founder of Cake 2 The Rescue, an award-winning DIY cake kit company which has helped more than 40,000 Australian families pour their love into a homemade cake.
Originally from Scotland, Lou is mum to three gorgeous teenage girls, and lives on the Gold Coast with her hubby Craig.
https://www.cake2therescue.com.au
