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Original poster

To decorate a pre iced cake for dds 16th and refuse to pay £80 for a themed cake?!

130 replies

Dewdrops1 · 17/06/2024 19:59

So it’s dd’s 16th birthday and quotes on birthday cakes coming in at £80 or there about 😳 completely appreciate time and cost involved but it’s just out of my price range (and I’ve left it too late!)

So…..do you think I’d be able to decorate a pre iced shop cake and make it look acceptable (I’m not very good at baking so unable to make own!)?

any ideas on how I’d go about doing this in 2 days and pass it off as a ‘professional’ looking cake😂 was thinking black/gold decoration and possibly getting two different size cakes to put on top of each other, no idea how I’d go about doing that mind!

Honest opinions greatly appreciated.

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BringItOnxxx · 18/06/2024 11:52

JobMatch3000 · 17/06/2024 22:27

It was mainly my DD - she was very particular about what she wanted and she loves cats!
The base cake was Morrisons but all (most?) supermarkets do a standard sprinkle cake.
my.morrisons.com/foodtoorder/product/morrisons-rainbow-celebration-cake/111865306

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Thank you 😊

Smittenkitchen · 18/06/2024 11:46

I agree that if you're not good at baking it's very unlikely you'll be good at cake decorating unless you're very artistic and practical in other ways. I vote a simple higher end supermarket cake(s) topped with edible flowers.

curious79 · 18/06/2024 11:39

Buy single layer cake, big as you can afford / find, chocolate fudge or vanilla cake and layer with chocs for brown cake, or colourful jelly sweets and candy canes for vanilla.

No-one gives a toss about cake, even if they go oooh aaah when they see a good looking one.

Leidenschaft24 · 18/06/2024 10:21

HcbSS · 18/06/2024 10:04

Your daughter should appreciate it whatever it is because YOU cared enough to get it and decorate it for her.
I would have been mortified knowing my mum had spent 80 on something that would just be eaten!

Agree.
@Dewdrops1 is being a lovely mum doing her best. I hope it works out.

HcbSS · 18/06/2024 10:04

Your daughter should appreciate it whatever it is because YOU cared enough to get it and decorate it for her.
I would have been mortified knowing my mum had spent 80 on something that would just be eaten!

deluxe · 18/06/2024 09:07

Where are you? I am a bakery owner and can help you out. If you can't bake a cake then I'm afraid your DD might be disappointed with your attempt at a professional style cake I'm sorry to say ☹️

DrJump · 18/06/2024 09:05

Whipped cream and berries is good dust with gold or freeze dried raspberries.
Or buy a plain iced cake and decorate with smarties,/Maltesers/ favourite biscuit.
Personal I hate the massively decorative cakes. I want to be able to slice and eat it.

SammyScrounge · 18/06/2024 09:05

Procrastinates · 17/06/2024 20:03

Honestly if you can't bake a cake you're unlikely to be competent at decorating one.

I appreciate it's a large cost but sometimes it's worth paying for someone else to do it so it's done properly.

Some beautiful.birthday.cakes in Tesco
and M&S. What's wrong with.getting one of those?

Excited Nba Finals GIF by NBA
YorkNew · 18/06/2024 08:58

I’m liking the Ferrero Rocher idea.

Auburngal · 18/06/2024 08:54

Do you have a cake/desert shop near you? There’s one near me where can get a decent cake with loads of decorations for the mid £20s. It’s part of a chain of about ten shops in a 40 mile radius

Original poster
Dewdrops1 · 18/06/2024 08:53

ItsNotInMyMind · 18/06/2024 08:21

Just had a look online at the Dr Oetker products in Asda. They have large gold number candles, or small star gold candles. Also these gold pearls.

https://groceries.asda.com/product/sprinkles-placements-decorations/dr-oetker-12-milk-chocolate-gold-pearls-cake-decorations/1000354397406

These might work for a bit of extra choc-ness:

https://groceries.asda.com/product/chocolate-bags-cartons/cadbury-crunchie-rocks-milk-chocolate-bag/1000238377539

These to add to the Ferrero Rochers:

https://groceries.asda.com/product/boxes-of-chocolates/lindt-lindor-white-chocolate-truffles-box-200-g/910000341819

I think as long as you stick to just gold, chocolate and strawberries, it will look great!

Do you think a gold or silver board would look better? I’m going to change it to anyway to make more room for the Ferreros and lindt etc.

OP posts:
Jacopo · 18/06/2024 08:46

Your plan looks great! Post a pic when it’s finished. I’m sure it will be a success.

Original poster
Dewdrops1 · 18/06/2024 08:46

ItsNotInMyMind · 18/06/2024 08:21

Just had a look online at the Dr Oetker products in Asda. They have large gold number candles, or small star gold candles. Also these gold pearls.

https://groceries.asda.com/product/sprinkles-placements-decorations/dr-oetker-12-milk-chocolate-gold-pearls-cake-decorations/1000354397406

These might work for a bit of extra choc-ness:

https://groceries.asda.com/product/chocolate-bags-cartons/cadbury-crunchie-rocks-milk-chocolate-bag/1000238377539

These to add to the Ferrero Rochers:

https://groceries.asda.com/product/boxes-of-chocolates/lindt-lindor-white-chocolate-truffles-box-200-g/910000341819

I think as long as you stick to just gold, chocolate and strawberries, it will look great!

Amazing ideas! Just what I needed to finish it off. Thanks @ItsNotInMyMind

OP posts:
SpringerFall · 18/06/2024 08:34

A immediate family only will see sure no issue, a wider group no

But whatever the birthday chidl thinks if they are happy anyway then whatever they want

Worknstuff · 18/06/2024 08:26

Sorry,itsnotmykind I’m saying the same as you!

Worknstuff · 18/06/2024 08:25

Definitely buy…a chic birthday cake from lidl. Better than m and s , I think.
slice off the less nice top, spread with chocolate butter cream stuff or whipped cream, cover with strawberries and gold leaf, cake toppers etc etc.

we did this, and the cake MIL paid a fortune for from a baker was dry and not as nice, or as nicely decorated!

ItsNotInMyMind · 18/06/2024 08:21

Just had a look online at the Dr Oetker products in Asda. They have large gold number candles, or small star gold candles. Also these gold pearls.

https://groceries.asda.com/product/sprinkles-placements-decorations/dr-oetker-12-milk-chocolate-gold-pearls-cake-decorations/1000354397406

These might work for a bit of extra choc-ness:

https://groceries.asda.com/product/chocolate-bags-cartons/cadbury-crunchie-rocks-milk-chocolate-bag/1000238377539

These to add to the Ferrero Rochers:

https://groceries.asda.com/product/boxes-of-chocolates/lindt-lindor-white-chocolate-truffles-box-200-g/910000341819

I think as long as you stick to just gold, chocolate and strawberries, it will look great!

https://groceries.asda.com/product/sprinkles-placements-decorations/dr-oetker-12-milk-chocolate-gold-pearls-cake-decorations/1000354397406

Panjandrum123 · 18/06/2024 08:18

Shrimpshapednuggets · 17/06/2024 20:06

Can you get a naked cake or a plain cake from M&S etc and then add as others have said fresh flowers/a nice cake topper etc to jazz it up a bit, will look pretty and doesn’t require any actual decorating skill?

@Dewdrops1 if you’re going to put fresh flowers on a cake, please check what you can use, wrap the stems and use flower pics from Hobbycraft or Amazon to place them.
https://sugarandsparrow.com/fresh-flowers-cake-decorating/

Alternatively buy a pre-decorated cake and add some decorations to it, plenty in the supermarkets these days.

How To Make Fresh Flowers Safe For Cakes - Sugar & Sparrow

Working with fresh flowers in cake decorating is so much fun! Before you add fresh flowers to a cake, it's best to know which are safe and which are toxic, plus how to prep them to make flowers food safe.

https://sugarandsparrow.com/fresh-flowers-cake-decorating/

ViciousCurrentBun · 18/06/2024 07:56

I would half dip the strawberries in chocolate and buy some small edible gold stars to sprinkle on. Just poor stuff up, maybe some maltesers piled in to the strawberries for contrast.

SendNoodles · 18/06/2024 07:55

Please share a pic when it's done. Good luck!

Ineffable23 · 18/06/2024 07:22

Sounds good OP! Best of luck with it :)

Original poster
Dewdrops1 · 18/06/2024 07:16

Dewdrops1 · 18/06/2024 07:15

Right…..on my way out this morning full of inspiration to buy said cake. Am thinking this chocolate cake from Asda that feeds 20 (so assuming it looks big enough), putting it on a bigger gold cake board and adding Ferraro Rochers to the board and top of cake, maybe some strawberries? And I’m going to add a gold ‘happy 16th birthday’ topper from Amazon? Will cost around £25 in total.

what do you think? 😬

This cake!

To decorate a pre iced cake for dds 16th and refuse to pay £80 for a themed cake?!
OP posts:
Original poster
Dewdrops1 · 18/06/2024 07:15

Right…..on my way out this morning full of inspiration to buy said cake. Am thinking this chocolate cake from Asda that feeds 20 (so assuming it looks big enough), putting it on a bigger gold cake board and adding Ferraro Rochers to the board and top of cake, maybe some strawberries? And I’m going to add a gold ‘happy 16th birthday’ topper from Amazon? Will cost around £25 in total.

what do you think? 😬

OP posts:
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