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’m in my 40’s we always had birthday cakes, usually homemade in the 80’s but then supermarket bought ones in the 90’s when they became more available. Our nan would always turn up on birthday mornings with home made butterfly cakes and a fruit flan. We always had big birthday parties so if that was a different day we would have another cake then as well.

I only ever had two birthday cakes as a child, my mum used to say how we didn’t want all that icing as it would make us sick 🙁 but really I think it was because they couldn’t afford it. My mum wasn’t a home bake kind of mum. My kids have had a birthday cake every year since turning three.

I'm in my '50s. I'm pretty sure I had a birthday cake every year, but it was always from a shop. My Mam wasn't much of a baker. They weren't themed birthday cakes. Just a sponge cake with icing on top saying, "Happy Birthday Tayto".

Had a cake every birthday, wasn’t home made though but that never bothered me! My kids have one every year too, also not home made.

My mum used to make beautiful birthday cakes for me and my sister.
I remember a treasure chest, a hot air balloon , a butterfly, my favourite was a fairy castle when I was 6.

Ive always made birthday cakes for my kids but I feel like she set the bar very high to make amazing ones, and mine are nowhere near as good. But ive made some good ones and I enjoy making and decorating them. DS is not keen on icing or decorations, so recently he has had a toffee apple cake as a birthday cake.

I think home made cakes are infinitely nicer than shop bought and I think Colin the caterpillar is overrated. But I like baking, and I admit its quite expensive to make cakes as well

Well- inspired by this thread** I have decided to make a cake this weekend. Tossing up between a coffee and walnut (my all time favourite) and an apple tea loaf. So thank you OP! TBH I am not a confident baker but clearly it all comes with practice!

**I'd hate for my DCs to grow up never having a homemade cake which was the way I grew up.

I am 63 and as a child i had a birthday cake every year, always homemade. Usually Victoria sponge or chocolate cake. Loads of edible decorations, and always candles in little plastic flower shaped holders. My own DD's always got a birthday cake, sometimes home made and sometimes bought. Colin the caterpillar was a strong favourite.

Every year! Homemade. Usually a chocolate hedgehog (broken up flake for the prickles) but I do remember one year of a castle cake, using sugar cubes for the battlements and doilies made into cones for turrets.

Usually two or three friends round for tea, not a party as such.

For my 13th we had a bought cake from the local bakery, decorated with sugar flowers which I kept for a few years.

This would have been mid-70s to mid-80s.

I'm in my early 40's and yes, always had a cake and always homemade. Anything from a train to a swimming pool! I remember making my DF a calculator cake with DM too.

I'm not a good baker though so DD's are generally bought (from local excellent independent bakers) although both my DM and a friend have made her ones too. In fact DD usually gets 2 cakes - one at her party and one on her actual birthday! She did have a Colin the Caterpillar at her 4th birthday party and she was delighted!

Probably had a cake. Highly unlikely it was homemade.

I only ever had one birthday cake as a child - my godmother made it. It was a multi-layer chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, and was the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted. We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, and neither I nor my brother ever had a birthday party.

I'd have a birthday cake when I had a party, which was probably every other year through primary and never during secondary school. I had a birthday cake for my 21st. It didn't really feature as a child. I never felt deprived by this.

Similarly to my parents we don't always bother with cake. My parents were well off but we're always cash strapped.

I’m 50 and have had a cake made for me every year. Mum made them herself and this has now been taken over by my children. Me or my mum have always made each of my children a birthday cake, the only time they may have had a shop one is if we’ve been away over their birthday (eldest child is 28 this year). It seems more odd to not have a birthday cake, bought or home made.

I'm pretty sure we always had cake for birthdays, reusing the candles until they were too short to be safe, though I don't remember most of the cakes themselves specifically.

The one I do remember was for my first party, in my first year at school so I was 6. There were 8-10 children due to come over. My mother asked what I would like for my cake (so there must have been some sort of tradition of unusual ones) and I said A House.

I was kind of obsessed with houses. If the lego was out I would be building a house. I played with my sister's dolls house as much as I could and was delighted to get my own a bit later on. Many of my childhood notebooks have house plans and drawings. I would always try to find a living space in a tree or group of trees. When I read the LHotP series it was the descriptions of the houses and the building of them that I remember most.

Anyway, come birthday tea and there in the centre of the table was A Cake In The Shape Of A House! I was well impressed.

So when I was a mother I made sure to make interesting birthday cakes for my own children. Tweenie clock, Thomas, Oliver, Lady, Thunderbird 4, a Robot Wars robot, Tardis, Dalek, R2D2...

and I realised that my mother must have thought RESULT! a house! and a generic one at that! 😁

I must’ve had a cake. We had everything else. Ds2 will be 29 this year. I still get him a Colin cake

I have always had a cake, it was important to my DM as she hardly ever had a cake - my Grandparents were very frugal, and said cakes were unnecessary and a waste of money. DM always vowed that if she ever had a child, she would ensure the child always had a birthday cake. When my DD was born, she also insisted on buying DD’s cakes, and since she passed away we have continued the tradition.

Both mine and DD’s cakes have always been shop bought; my DM was the first to admit that her baking/cake decorating skills weren’t brilliant, and I’m the same.

Yes, I always got homemade and we still do homemade birthday cakes for birthdays now and my DC are grown up. I used to make fancy ones when they were little, one I remember was Thomas the Tank Engine!

Yes and my mother made them. One year in particular she made a sort of house for me with a snowman and my sister a ship. I think she made them pretty much until we reached early teens. Then we might have made it ourselves or on occasion shop bought which would have been a real treat (but not taste as nice). I had a birthday this week and as I’m abroad it was a candle in the dessert at a restaurant rather than a cake (I’m 64). My favourite cake is chocolate with white frosting though my kids make an amazing carrot cake which I had last year for my birthday.

Yes homemade and I am in my 50s

Yes always. Usually from a local bakery, or a supermarket. The one that sticks in my mind was when I was about 7 or 8 and got a Sainsbury’s cake which was totally covered in sweets 😊 This was in the 1990s.

I am almost 50 had always had a homemade cake. But all I wanted was a shop bought one, as they were considered way cooler.

I'm in my forties and always had a delicious and stunning homemade birthday cake. My mum was fabulous! She'd make cakes shaped like castles or animals. She still makes birthday cakes for her grandchildren, though she limits herself to simpler ones now.
I also always had a party, which usually meant having 6 or 7 friends round for tea and party games like pass the parcel, and another delicious cake.

My mum was not a baker, but my birthday is in the middle of the summer holidays so I got to choose a treat. My favourite was a knickerbocker glory at the Wimpy. Am in my 60s. Still favour an ice cream sundae over cake.

I had a cake every year, many baked by my amazing Nan but the rest shop bought.

I make a homemade hand decorated cake for my kids every year, including a 3D fondant model of R2D2 one year! Now that they’re older though, it’s more likely to be a chocolate cake with the contents of the Cadbury factory on top.

We had that book too! It was amazing!