To make a birthday cake and not cut it

It looks the quality difference is the issue, and it really depends on how elaborate the cake is!
OP YABVVU to make it clear that the guys aren't getting any of the party cake.
Either make a pared down version to cut and give away in party bags, or go 100% cheap supermarket for all of it.

It's weird, rude and tight - very poor hosting. If you want to keep it for yourselves just bring a different cake / cupcakes to share at the party and save fawning over your wonderful cake for the privacy of your own home.

Kids at my DC's party would be pretty cheesed off about this. I made a beautiful cake last party with lots of fondant work - cars and flames and race-tracks, that sort of thing. I had lots of requests from kids I knew during the party for what they wanted on 'their' piece of cake and tried my best to accommodate them. My DC was thrilled to cut the cake with a humongous knife 'like a sword' 😂. Besides which, lots of little fingers had already been at the cake before it was cut so I'm not sure I would have wanted to take it home afterwards!

My children never ate the cake, it got squashed and binned. I would have preferred to be given slice at party.

Cultural differences are so interesting. I will never understand not eating cake at a birthday party. Surely that’s the point of holding a party! Why would anyone want to go home with a piece of cake…

@BarbaraHoward oh Babs. I just meant I'd never thought of putting them in a party bag before. I'm sure you knew what I meant.

Same we’ve had this and even the kids were disappointed and noticed the crap little supermarket cheap cupcake went in the bin

only had this a couple of times and thought it was strange

usually the home made cake is in the party bag and is definitely appreciated, squashed or not

or sometimes the host cut it and hand it out at the party to be eaten at the time by those who want it (even parents are lucky sometimes)

i would not do what you are thinking
if you really don’t want to cut it but want to show it then I’d make a separate second one to cut because imo people do notice (although perhaps not everyone judging by your thread)

Usually because there's already been tons of other sweet stuff around as part of the meal. So the candles are lit and blown out and everyone sings Happy Birthday pretty near the end of the party and cake cut and put into party bags for a treat later.

Usually they've all eaten loads and got bored of eating by that point so wouldn't eat it if it was given out right away

individual cake slice boxes

I pre-sliced & boxed up a cake to put it in the party bag beforehand and then had one smaller cake to cut at the dc's party.

I think it’s absolutely fine but will there be enough people at home to eat an entire cake amongst themselves?

If the cake isn’t too lavish then you could just do 2 instead of the cupcakes.
I can imagine cupcakes are more difficult than putting a slice of cake in a party bag.

But as long as I got cake then it wouldn’t bother me if it was a square cake or cupcakes 😁

I am confused, in England the birthday cake is NOT eaten at the party? 😳 and is sent home in party bags?? Why??

I find it a bit weird to be honest but I’m sure no one would care really. Just seems pointless taking it.

Keep it for at home celebration OP, and take a tray bake to the party. Otherwise, looks a bit odd.

Sure as a treat, but you can't gather everyone round to sing happy birthday and admire the beautiful cake and then send them home with a mini roll while you carry the intact cake out of the party venue! So rude!

Why do you want to take it home? Are you having a second party/gathering or do you just hate the idea of it going to waste in a party bag? Surely if you can't eat it all yourselves it'll just go to waste in the bin anyway

@5128gap & MaybeImbad,
Our old Mum thought it was so funny, she could remember the little madam being so adamant that it shouldn't be cut! I was glad to do it for her, she is an amazing sister.
@Catlord, this time she didn't have a choice😄

Show cakes are silly. Keep it for home. I posted recently about if it is ok to have an overspill cake that isn’t the same as the main cake. But carting a cake no-one is having is madness and just showing off.

If you want to make a cake for friends and family only the kids don’t need to see it at the party.

We had 3 cakes last year, a party cake, a family cake and a small cake for actual birthday which was mid week and some time after the other events. This year we only need 1 so it will be at the party.

I would and have done. As an ex cake maker it wasn’t too much of an issues though.

And my kids have never once questioned if it's the 'real cake ' from any party they've ever been to

I've seen that done loads of times. It's absolutely fine to do

I did this, made a mermaid cake. Brought it to the part venue, sang, blew out the candles and then put ready made cupcakes with mermaid toppers in all the party bags. No one cared and it wasn’t an issue

Definitely an odd thing to do! I went to a birthday where the parents did this. Made a lovely looking cake to sing Happy Birthday to and then dished out horrid dry cup cakes. Don't be that person as you could see the other parents looking at each other and that's what I took away from the party and tarnished it a bit. Don't be that person.

Either cut the cake you made or don't bother making it and just get a ready made one from a shop you would be happy to get squashed.

Your 4 year old won't care but might wonder why you can't actually cut the nice cake! It's like your daughters friends are not good enough for the naice cake!

Cutting up cake during the party is a pain. And my kids love cake but as you are worried about, it often ends up squashed and stuck to a serviette so it becomes inedible.

Aldi do an excellent large cake for about £4. We get one of those most years. In fact they also work a treat with a printed icing sheet to customise for those if us who fail at home baking!

Mini rolls in party bag?! GAME CHANGER!