Traditional Birthday Cakes and Their Alternatives

!±8± Traditional Birthday Cakes and Their Alternatives

One of the first things that comes to mind when you think of a birthday celebration is the cake. It is often the focal point of the table. When planning a celebration, you have more cake design options than you would ever imagine. It would be easy to feel overwhelmed when choosing a cake. You can simplify the process by following a few simple suggestions.

First, you need to decide the theme of your party. If you are buying the cake from a bakery or ordering it from a professional baker, you need to know how large you want the cake to be, how many people you plan to serve, and the price range you want to stay within. Ask them what designs are available related to the party theme you chose. You definitely need to plan ahead and order your cake in an appropriate time frame.

If you plan to bake the cake yourself, you can find recipes and decorating ideas online and in almost any cookbook. Some designs will require special pans while others can be made in the standard round, square, or 9 X 13 cake pan. If decorating a cake is a new experience for you, staying with a simple design will make the process less stressful. As an alternative to decorating a large or multi-layer cake, you might opt for decorating cupcakes instead.

Some children do not actually like cake and would prefer some other option. An ice cream cake is a popular alternative to the traditional decorated cake with lots of icing and candles. You can special order ice cream cakes just as you would a standard cake. Or, you can mold the ice cream yourself into various shapes that match the theme of the party.

A large sugar cookie can be decorated to take the place of a standard cake. You can add candy pieces, icing, sprinkles, or numerous other toppings to create a uniquely personal cookie. You can also make smaller cookies to serve the guests. You could decorate the small cookies in a more simple manner, but in a design that matches the large cookie.

Some children prefer pies such as strawberry, chocolate, or lemon to cake. Their favorite pie decorated with candles would surely make them smile. Brownies, ice cream sundaes, pudding cups, a cheesecake, or decorated rice Krispie treats are all possible cake alternatives to consider. Another uniquely creative birthday cake alternative would be a popcorn cake as the centerpiece for the table with smaller popcorn balls for individual guests.