Dd1 would like a surprise cake for her birthday...

Maybe a rainbow cake (one made of different coloured layers)?

Unicorn one?

She definitely doesn't mean a lol surprise cake does she?

You could make a 'treasure chest' shaped cake with chocolate coins in (assuming they're available still after Xmas), and maybe some 'jewellery'?

How old is she and what is she into?

I forgot I'd posted this

AngelofDeath definitely not LOL Surprise.

She'll be 12 & is into Taylor Swift and Harry Potter. I've been scrolling ebay and Pinterest looking for something but nothing's jumping out as very surprising!

Ordinary sponge cake. When cold, cut some of the bottom middle bit out and put a small box in it with a present inside? (Maybe wrap in foil for hygiene) E.g. Earrings or a ring?

As a joke you could just write surprise on the top and say that's what you thought she meant...

How about a cake that looks like something else? Jane Asher did an amazing cake book in the late 80s that had one cake that looked like a plate of spaghetti bolognaise.

I guess with a bit of thinking and some icing skills, you could make a cake look like a pizza (deep pan, of course) or even a burger.

Depends on how good a baker you are, and how patient you are with icing and decorating!

Here's an idea - burger and fries. Most kids are 50% burger and 50% fries at 12 (in their dreams, at least).

howtocakeit.com/products/burger-and-fries-cake-recipe

I found this on yoiutube. Harry potter Hogwarts house reveal cake. Actually can be simplified if you are not experienced in decorating. Its technically just a cake with the house colours as sweets in the middle. Does she know her Hogwarts house?

Harry potter reveal cake

Trying googling piñata chocolate shell cake or chocolate shell smash cake.

You make a cake, decorate it with lots of sweeties and cover it with a chocolate shell, which you then smash with a hammer.

There are many very cool Harry Potter cakes online, monster book of monsters might be doable if you have some level of cake making. Also I’ve seen a house reveal one where they chop up the sections and put back together so each slice is different I’ll see if I can find it

Rainbow cake with Harry Potter/Hogwarts colours?

Drip cake

Tell her it's chocolate and make it coffee. That gives anyone a surprise.

She might not like you afterwards though.

@Witchend, she'd eat it anyway, she's the least fussy with food person I know!

I like the Hogwarts house reveal idea...I'll have to drop it into conversation somehow because I have no idea! She's no doubt told me at some point but it's not stuck in my brain.

Or *TchoupiEtDoudou I do have a ring I was going to wrap for her. It's a snake one similar to one Taylor Swift has, apparently. Dd kept shoving pictures under my nose so I bought one. She might appreciate the giggle at a cake that says "Surprise!"

Something like this? goo.gl/images/HBsSmY

Do an anti-gravity cake. We did one last week and it was brilliant.

Voldemort cake topper . No one expects to see Voldemort on their cake.

Or chocolate icing and a really garish bright colour inside.

this scuba cake is incredible but also gives a fairly easy but effective way to do the "hidden inside" effect. Much much easier than doing the cut-through designs.

How about a cake like the one that Hagrid gives Harry Potter on his birthday?

Chocolate sponge, clashing pink icing with bad green twirly writing which says "Happee Birthdae Harry" or put your dd's name in instead.

Loads of images around.

rosebakes.com/bright-bold-stripes-polka-dots-1st-birthday-cake/
just seen this done and it was fab.not too hard once you got all the bit together
something like this design and then you could do the surprise middle of sweets.
www.goodtoknow.co.uk/food/how-to/birthday-present-cake-293026
a guitar shape for t.s

Polka dot surprise cake (google it)

How about a harry potter themed pinata cake (sorting hat?). You could put Bertie botts Every Flavour Beans inside. Nothing more surprising (and potentially disgusting) than the fear of a dog food or barf flavoured jelly bean speaks from experience

Blow up a balloon and dip in choc, let it dry and then do it again and cover in sprinkles.
Then pop the balloon and put the chocolate on a cake with sweets under it so you can smash it like a piñata .

Like this

Thank you so much for all the ideas!

The Sorting Hat with Every Flavour Beans inside sounds fun but I have no idea how I'd construct that so will make myself a note for next year & give myself more time to organise it.

I did Happee Birthdae dd a couple of years ago lumpsofitroundtheback, she liked it but I try & do something different every year (some years I have more time/inspiration than others).

I'll google and see if I can find simple instructions to make a guitar cake but think it might be too late for icing/colours since the cake supplies stall on the market shut down.

If you want to follow the HP idea you can make golden snitches out of Ferrero rocher

Blow up a balloon, ice it and then let her 'cut' it outside lol.

Then have another cake for the real cake.

If you are looking for some helpful caking advice check out cakecentral.com , it's a bit quiet on there nowadays but still a few people around usually to give yo a hand, especially when newbies ask for help with things for their kids.

I’m into HP and would want a house reveal cake - shaped like the Sorting Hat! There are very cool ones online

I'm 39 and I love Harry Potter and Taylor Swift too. Your dd is obviously a bright and determined young lady with excellent taste.

Some ideas;
Niffler cake with gold coins inside
Snake cake (could be HP or TS related)

Let us know what you end up doing OP.

BrieAndChilli I love that idea.i want to use it! so do you just cover half the balloon and then place it over the top of the cake?

A geode cake!

Giant rainbow cupcake with glitter icing and sparklers would scream Taylor Swift-ish to me.

@FlyingMonkeys why would it?

@StoppinBy thank you, I'll have a look.

@NeverTalksToStrangers I do like the sorting hat suggestion but think I'd end up stressed at it trying to make it work so close without any time to research it.

@kateandme
Yes just to a couple of layers of chocolate and I put it chocolate end up in a bowl while it dried
I would keep the chocolate in the fridge until the last possible moment so it’s nice and hard for smashing!!

I didn't suggest the sorting hat.

Agree that sparklers with glitter etc sounds lovely and very suitable but isn't particularly Taylor swiftish.

www.f-sport.lt/play/4543013/heart-cake-taylor-swift-how-to-cook-that-ann-reardon-blank-space-official.html

Just letting you know that most glitters that are actually really glittery are not designed to be eaten, they are sold in cake shops labelled as non toxic and suitable for decoration purposes only.

You can buy some edible glitters made from gum arabic but they don't have the same glitter as plastic non toxic but not edible glitters.

This website is good for Harry Potter cakes- www.lorchidee.co.uk/en/product/209/harry-potter-cake/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsoviBRAoEiwATm8OYCwDqR9YhJy_xSnAANfyzgZPCX77PuVRT6FJaoXb1vkeqFAlCvd8nRoCuD8QAvD_BwE

For my niece’s tenth birthday party 2 months ago I ordered a cake from their site.

How about a 'hidden heart' cake or a zebra cake? Nothing unusual until you cut into the cake for the big reveal.

I made a hedwig cake recently but it didn't really have a surprise element. Trying to think how you could add that as hedwig herself was pretty easy and DD (also 12) LOVED it.

Does she like Fantastic Beasts? You could do niffler and the surprise element inside could be gold choc coins?

Sorry - here's hedwig

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156456596701727&id=20534666726&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F&_rdr

I made this very gratefully recurved by the HP fan also the element of surprise is covered!

Received not recurved

to make a sorting hate cake id make a big tray bake sponge(or several.) then cut several getting smaller circles out.then top them ontop of eachoter going up to the tip of the hat in between layers would be buttercream and jam obv...then cover in a sheet of coloured brown fondant.ightt take soe planning but I think it could be done quite simply if you've go tur head on it.

ooo look www.facebook.com/pg/ThatCakeGirlUK/photos/?tab=album&album_id=362637540476130

lots on hear but scroll down.there is a reall smart harry potter one which has a mini sorting on it but is really cool design for the rest of the cake.
broadiebakes.co.uk/birthday-cakes/#bwg1/597

MissWimpy she's not as fussed about Fantastic Beasts.

I do like Hedwig though & she'd be easy enough I think.

I'm going to bake tomorrow...still not sure what yet though but decorating needs to be done on Weds afternoon/Thursday after work so I'd better decide tonight!

I'm going to find out her House and do a sorting hat next year though, they're very impressive (might need a trial run or two!).

www.google.com/search?rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-ContextMenu&q=hedwig+cake&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjX_qaFn_3fAhU7RxUIHVx5Cu4QsAR6BAgEEAE&biw=1223&bih=670#imgrc=guCYl7Jy_m9XaM:&spf=1548017638437
this looks good.

@kateandme I like that one very much! I wonder if Home Bargains have mini-marshmallows in the baking stuff still, I haven't been in a while. They'd be easy to do wings from I think.

I'll have a look in the morning and see.

i don't no what store your near but they sell them in most shops. or get something like the end of a glue stick to use to cut out bits of fondant?obviously washing the lid and coating it in icing sugar before you start to cut

Or white chocolate buttons maybe

I've done the chocolate bomb balloon cake before. It looks great and DC loved it. Very easy. Just cover the balloon with clingfilm before you dip it in chocolate, so the chocolate doesn't taste rubbery!