Did you have a birthday cake every year as a child? How old are you now? Was it homemade or bought?

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I was reading the thread about Dermot not eating the caterpillar cake and it’s got me thinking. I don’t like chocolate roll type cakes and never have. They taste like chemicals and disappointment. However, I think I might be holding a grudge against them because I never had one as a child. I can remember 2 birthday cakes in my lifetime and I’m 49. One my mum had someone make for my birthday when I appear to have had a party at around age 4 or 5. It was a chocolate cake basket filled with Dolly mixtures. The second one was for my 21st birthday and made by the local cake shop. I think my grandparents might have paid for it.

I didn’t have parties as a child. I can remember only one where I hid from my friends at first. I was diagnosed autistic last year which explains that one. My parents struggled financially but I just don’t think we were a party family. Perhaps that’s why there was a lack of birthday cakes even though my mum baked cakes for cake sales and her cakes were always lovely.

My own children have had a homemade cake every year. Decorated in the theme of whatever they are most into at the time. Some rather ambitious like a three-tiered Disney Fairies cake for DD’s birthday. For her first birthday she had one made by the same shop that made my 21st cake and it was dry and didn’t go very far whilst costing a fortune so I vowed to always make one each year.

Did you have a birthday cake every year? Do you remember them? Were they homemade? Do you dc have a birthday cake each year?

I think I might be hungry and a bit obsessed with cake this morning! I’m making a chocolate fudge cake later for Easter and having given up chocolate for lent I’m quite looking forward to a slice tomorrow.

I don’t feel deprived by the way, because I didn’t have birthday cakes as a child. Our family just didn’t really do them. My sister had a fancy one for her 21st made by my lovely Nana who was an amazing baker. Lots of royal icing which was the only bit I’d eat because it was fruit cake. That was back in the 80s.

Have things changed now and children have more birthday parties so therefore more cakes?

So many cake questions but the final one: what was your favourite birthday cake?

Thank you for indulging my Saturday morning cake musings.

I don’t have any memory of having a birthday cake. However I know I had a party when I was about 5 and mum had made butterfly cakes, so there must have been a cake.

I think I remember almost all of my birthday cakes. My mum cooked her way through the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake book for me and my sibling. She was amazing!!!
I joke years later she repurposed my 10th birthday panda cake for my 11th when she did a koala cake (I didn’t realize till I saw photos as an adult it was the same cake just different colours).

Yes a cake every year, was home made when we were kids then moved onto Sara Lee type frozen ones (like Black Forest) when a bit older.

I think it’s important today too - I wouldn’t be keen on a Colin the caterpillar cake (not a fan of industrial cakes sorry) but a nice homemade Victoria sandwich or lemon drizzle would be lovely.

I would be shocked actually at the idea of a kid NOT having a birthday cake every year, but it doesn’t have to be fancy or some elaborate creation (like the Death Star made out of fondant).

I always had a cake, same as my children.
Kids always had parties in primary school, but not in secondary school,
I think i had one party as a child (didn’t really miss them though!)

I’m mid 50s and always had a home made birthday cake, always a coffee sponge cake because it was my favourite 😊

Mid-40s. Homemade cake every year. The one I remember best was my 7th. Mum made a house with chocolate button rooftiles and a garden bench made out of Matchmakers.

I’m 65 , and always had a homemade birthday cake , my DMum was a very good cook and liked baking
I like baking too , but my DC sometimes chose homemade , and other times M & S cakes , Colin is still a favourite

Mid-forties. Yes my mum made a homemade cake every year, decorated as I requested, same for my sisters. She was a fantastic baker.

My kids get a birthday cake from the supermarket. 👍🏻

I always had a birthday cake when I was growing up. It was always baked by my DM. I remember several years when it was black forest gateau as that was my favourite but as long as it didn't have nuts or marzipan I was a happy boy.

Even though my DCs are now adults they still ask me to bake a cake for their birthdays and I'm happy to oblige. Having a cake with candles for the birthday girl or boy to blow out is as an intrinsic part of birthday celebrations as chocolate eggs at Easter.

I’m pretty sure I had a birthday cake every year. My mum liked baking so it was usually homemade. She had a friend who was a professional novelty cake maker who also made me a cake a couple of times.

My son is now obsessed with healthy eating and doesn’t eat cake so last year I did him a ‘birthday apple’ (apple with a candle in).

I am mid 40’s and have always had a birthday cake - a mix of from the local bakers, shop bought or for special birthdays a cake shop growing up. When DC were younger DH would take them to choose a cake for me but DD often makes one now which is lovely and DH ordered them for 30th and 40th etc.

I have always baked my DC birthday cakes or ordered for a cake maker for larger celebrations.

I had homemade cakes and parties as a child in the early 80’s. Basic ones, my favourite was hedgehog cakes (had that often). Once I was 9+ it was a birthday activity rather than a party (eg 3 friends to the cinema) but there would’ve been cake. I think they became shop cakes at some point- probably 11+

I made DD’s first birthday cake as it was lockdown. But I am shit at decorating it and she has had bought ones since, and she has had parties from age 3 so far. DD will only eat chocolate cake, doesn’t like plain or vanilla sponge so that’s difficult sometimes.

Edited to add - DD has 2 cakes now. One for the party and another for actual birthday as the parties have always been Saturdays but her birthday has been weekdays.

I'm 59 and don't remember having a birthday cake, and don't remember my DM ever talking about one. My parents weren't really poor, but I do know my Mum had to regularly think about what she was buying each week.

Late fifties and a homemade cake every time, as we all had. The mum of one girl in the street was an amazing cake maker- I remember one year she had the most beautiful old fashioned gypsy caravan on wheels, it was a work of art. Another year it was a maypole with intricate woven ribbons and a doll at the end of each ribbon with dresses made put of hard icing (don't know what it's called) we all got to keep. Funny how some things stick in your mind. Probably because everyone else's cakes were lopsided affairs with buttercream and smarties for decorations.

Forties, my Nan baked my birthday cake every year, and my mum decorated it to a different theme to suit a party theme.
I baked and theme-decorated my DCs a cake every year, now they’re adults they aren’t that into cake. One year I baked DD a massive cheese scone as a cake, and put sparklers in it.

Homemade every year chosen from the Women’s Weekly book which was ace. The pool, the duck, piano etc

Here I always make their choice but just a cake with decorations for the younger dc.

Yes I had a birthday cake every year growing up. Am hazy as to what all of them were but do recall a layered sponge cake with passionfruit icing, my grandmother used to make all the cakes, they were delicious!

I grew up near Crouch End in London and I can remember on a couple of childhood birthdays, a relative bought me a birthday cake from Dunns.
More often, I'd have a cake my mum made.
But there was a cake every year, usually a "jam sponge" - a sturdy madeira type cake, sandwiched together like a Victoria sponge and decorated with thick icing.
One year, my cake had a clock face on, with the numbers iced into chocolate buttons. Another year, it was a skating rink with coconut shavings on (coloured blue).

The reason I mentioned Dunns was that it was still there last time I went through Crouch End in October. I'm in my late 50s and would've had their cakes when I was maybe 6 or 7.

I grew up in the 80s/early 90s. Yes, in fact, I probably had several because birthday party, party with grandparents, party at home on actual birthday, etc.

I was NEVER homemade. 🤣 My mum could not have baked a cake if my life depended on it. She is 76. I don’t think she’s ever baked a cake in her life. Also has never made a roast or cooked Christmas dinner for us. She literally cannot cook. At all. Cakes were all store bought or made by cake maker. She had money, but zero basic skills or willingness to learn.

Like you in a way, I think that has had a real impact on our family life. I don’t bake birthday cakes necessarily anymore (I do buy them). But I bake for other special occasions. I make cookies and brownies and cupcakes with my dc. I always make something homemade for the cake sale. We host Christmas every year. I could big roasts and we have family BBQs with nice homemade food. I want my kids to have different memories of traditions than I did. Once my grandparents died, we just got a Chinese takeaway for Christmas, which sort was its own tradition (we have Chinese for Christmas Eve now), but I want them to remember having a proper Christmas lunch with their family.

Bless her yes. My mum made a cake every year.

My children have a cake every year but it’s a Cake Box job.

Blimey @mindutopia i hope my children aren’t quite so scathing about my lack of cake baking skills

Yes, id have had a hone made birthday cake every year.
And my kids also have a home made birthday cake for family celebrations every year. Parties get supermarket cakes - as they look at million times better, and are what most kids expect cake to taste like. Homemade tastes different (and better, imo)

I’m mid 40s and pretty sure I did, can’t really remember the specific cakes and whether home made or bought - probably a mixture my mum certainly used to bake at times but it wasn’t her favourite. There’s a picture of me on my second birthday blowing out candles on a cake, we were in Spain though and it looks like it’s come from a bakery.

What she did do pretty much every year even when I was an adult was make me some butterfly cakes - I remember at some point in my teens pulling a face like ‘no butterfly cakes anymore?’ and it became a running joke after that that I would always get them on my birthday (or whenever I was seeing her closest to the day once I’d left home).

My daughter always has a cake - I home made quite elaborate ones for a few years, but for the last couple of years she’s had a whole class party so I’ve bought one for that. She’s not actually that keen on cake herself so I do a pancake and fruit stack with candles in for her birthday breakfast, that’s our tradition. Then I’ll either make a smaller cake for immediate family, or stick more candles in her desert of choice.

I am late 30s. We would normally have a birthday tea with a few friends as children, always a cake (not elaborately decorated but made by my mum with love), but a Victoria sponge, old school sprinkle cake or walnut cake...
My daughter i also make her cake- Victoria sponge (1st birthday), 2nd birthday a Thomas cake, 3rd birthday paw patrol rainbow cake, 4th birthday bluey cake- 5th birthday a Colin the caterpillar (due to family circumstances)....
I tend to use plastic figures as decoration- and an extra present for her to keep.

Yes, a home made cake every year.

I can remember some: a cake fairground with a Victoria sponge as a roundabout and an upended Swiss roll (home made) as a heater skelter. Later, chocolate cakes or coffee cakes.

I have done the same for my Dc. Into adulthood.