Birthday cake for two year old

Why did you ask her if she wanted chocolate or vanilla if you didnt want to make chocolate? Now she's told you what she wants so yes, you have to make it chocolate. Either make extra cupcakes for the others or they can just make do.

Sorry Op but it sounds like you just want to do a ‘showy offy’ cake and ignore the birthday kids wishes? There are multiple fantastic chocolate cake recipes and if they’ve all turned out ‘vile’ then I’d be questioning how you’re baking them?
Two great ones are the Brooklyn blackout from hummingbird bakery and as already mentioned, Nigellas chocolate Guinness with cream cheese frosting.

This was my nephews chocolate cake with a spider theme (marshmallow webbing). There are loads of fun designs you can do!

Do a small sized child’s birthday cake and then lots of cupcakes to go around it for the adults?

Just make cupcakes ? Cupcake cake and put them in a shape of a two. Then you can do both vanilla and chocolate.

You asked, it would be pretty selfish to not do it as it’s not your favourite 🙄.

Make the cake vanilla for adults put sweets and chocolate on too for 2 year old buy toy characters to stick on top

1 cup sr flour
2 tbs cocoa
1 cup caster sugar

6 oz butter melted
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk
vanilla

Sift the dry ingredients. Fold in eggs and milk.
Add butter and vanilla.

Whisk either by hand or in a Kenwood for five minutes.

Moderate oven 25-30 minutes.

I’ve been eating this for sixty years and it’s always lovely.

Use a different recipe, they’re not supposed to be dry and crumbly. I think you’re idea of one chocolate cake and one lemon cake is a good idea.

Nigella’s chocolate Guinness cake is always a winner, with all ages, and perfect for a BBQ. A friend has always made this cake for her daughter’s birthday.

I follow a very simple cake recipe and it always turns out lovely and moist. Maybe try Betty Crocker Devils Food cake mix? That’s what I use if ever I’m short on time and need a super moist chocolate sponge with little effort.

You are very kind, thank you ❤️

Nigella's old fashioned chocolate cake is always amazing and stable enough to ice. The garden decorations idea sounds lovely.

Multiple recipes? If so you are either bad at baking, or I suspect the case is that you just don’t like chocolate cake, plenty of other people do though, including the birthday kid, so chocolate cake is will be fine. Use a supermarket box mix if you are that unsure

God that looks delicious

Old school swimming pool cake!
Chocolate sponge + buttercream, choc fingers round the sides, blue jelly on the top

I was wondering this! Happy to share a recipe if it helps.

Anyone who doesn't like chocolate cake is just wrong 😉

Sounds like you have a terrible recipe. Good chocolate cakes are delicious, moist, and not remotely boring. You can also cover a chocolate cake with fondant and make the decorations anything you like, it's easy enough to do.

Agree with pp that it's not a question of what to do: the birthday person has asked for a chocolate cake, so make a chocolate cake. The preferences of the adults present are irrelevant.

Split it and spread with raspberry jam and put it back together.

And change your recipe. There are plenty that won’t give you a dry cake.

What kind of pissy immature adults do you hang out with that wouldn't a) recognise that a 2yo gets to choose their cake, b) decide whether or not they want some cake and deal with it if they don't want some?

Make some additional cake in whatever flavour you like, but this is a no brainer.

Back in the day for toddler birthdays I would make a round cake - cut the top off - cut that in half and then stick the pieces on top of the cake to look like cat ears - simpler times!

What about a marble cake? I did my son’s at the weekend and used a ganache filling and crumb coat which was much more stable in the heat than buttercream. The cake wasn’t overpoweringly chocolatey so was a nice balance.

What kind of recipe are you using for a chocolate cake to always be dry? I asked chocolate cake all the time and it is never dry. Maybe look at some new recipes? You dont need to have chocolate icing. I have done normal vanilla butter cream, fudge, Italian meringue, caramel and peanut butter flavoured icing over the years.

Make the cake the kids will enjoy! In my family it's a tradition; it's a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream and the number e.g 2 spelt out in maltersers or chocolate buttons . It's simple. I am not a massive chocolate fan but my kids are so they always get chocolate cake

Do a two tier cake. Easy peasy as all you need are some dowels you can cut to size. I make the support base for the top tier out of cardboard wrapped in tinfoil.

Ice with a white chocolate ganache as that will also go with loads of other flavours you can use for the non choc cake.

If it's going to be a boiling hot day, do an Italian meringue buttercream as its much more stable and won't melt.