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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have made ds a homemade birthday cake?

105 replies

ineedsomeinspiration · 18/12/2013 00:05

Its chocolate with chocolate butter cream icing, chocolate fingers round the edge and a smartie number 2 on the top.
Everyone else I know seems to purchase elaborate creations for thier lo birthdays. I'm too scared to post a picture anywhere in case I win bad mum of the year award. Pretty sure it will taste lovely.
Will ds be scared for life at not having a three tier fireman ssm cake?

OP posts:
pictish · 18/12/2013 07:34

For parties, I do a load of individual fairy cakes, with icing, hundreds and thousands and a cherry on top. I pop it into a little cellophane bag and tie it with a ribbon.
We keep the big cakes for ourselves. Wink

Hooleywhipper · 18/12/2013 08:13

I've made several cakes over the years for my kids, they've always loved them Cake!

PointyChristmasFairyWand · 18/12/2013 08:27

I've always made home made cakes - this year I'm having one done by a friend of mine who is an expert. So I know it will be both amazing (the theme is pigs and penguins as it's a joint cake for my DDs whose birthdays are 2 weeks apart) and it will also taste wonderful because she is a great baker.

I'm not prepared to pay £megabucks for supermarket fondant covered rubbish.

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 18/12/2013 08:29

I have always made birthday cakes rather than buying mass manufactured ones from a supermarket. The taste is far superior and no need to pack them full of preservatives.

Bunbaker · 18/12/2013 08:33

When DD was little I used to make cakes in the shape of the number of whatever age she was. I then covered the cake with buttercream and lots of little sweets. I served the cake at the party rather than put it into the party bags and it would get eaten there and then. Very few children left theirs uneaten.

My cakes didn't look professional, but tasted good. As pictish pointed out cakes are for eating not to be looked at.

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 18/12/2013 08:33

Home made cakes are the best! My mum always made us our birthday cakes. I made DS his 1st birthday cake and will do the same on his 2nd birthday. I've made cakes for DH too.

Topaz25 · 18/12/2013 12:10

You don't need to prove anything or post it anywhere, it's not a competition.

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 18/12/2013 12:18

I must say that children don't seem to care. I once made a fabulous zebra face cake for DS1 when he was 2. I asked him what it was and he said "chocolate cake!"

Theodorous · 18/12/2013 12:18

It's a chocolate cake, it sounds great, if it was a sugar free no fun cake it would be different but chocolate fingers? I can almost taste them now! I never eat child cake though because of the snot and spit that covers the cake in the blowing out of candles.

liquidstate · 18/12/2013 12:25

My mum always made my cakes, I will try and make my own for DC (on way!) but suspect MIL and mum will be fighting for the honours. Grin

JollySantersSelectionBox · 18/12/2013 12:28

Home made always better IMO.

Fakebook · 18/12/2013 12:29

I bought dd a fancy cake this year for her birthday from Waitrose. But that was only because I had a baby two days before her birthday so wasn't really in any position to make a cake.

Home made cakes are the best. Don't be silly about not posting pics.

I'm now craving some fingers Grin

5Foot5 · 18/12/2013 13:46

When DD was 5 I made her a fairy tale castle cake. (Easier than it sounds actually just a square madeira with swiss rolls on the corners and ice cream cones on top of each tower, the whole lot swathed in pink icing and covered in sweeties)

She is now 18 and the other day noticed I had a cake decorating book out as I was desperately looking for tips and ideas for what to do with my Christmas Cake. She immediately said "Oh I remember the castle cake you made, that was LOVELY!"

So no I don't think that your 2yo son will give a damn and anyway since when is it compulsory to post pictures of every detail of your life somwehere and invite judgement and comment.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 18/12/2013 13:57

Nothing wrong with homemade cake but why the need for posters to bang on about 'commercial' cakes? You DO realise that some people make homemade ones and some people buy cakes from shops, don't you? Confused

IceBeing · 18/12/2013 14:11

I just want to shamelessly promote the gruffalo cake I made for DD's 2nd birthday.

I defy a shop bought gruffalo cake to be better.

pictish · 18/12/2013 14:21

Wooowwww! Is excellent!! Grin

formerbabe · 18/12/2013 14:23

Sounds lovely...I made something very similar for my lo... with the choc fingers round the edge...they loved it! Better than the crappy supermarket jobs IMO.

Bunbaker · 18/12/2013 14:57

"When DD was 5 I made her a fairy tale castle cake. (Easier than it sounds actually just a square madeira with swiss rolls on the corners and ice cream cones on top of each tower, the whole lot swathed in pink icing and covered in sweeties)"

I did that for DD when she was 5 as well Grin

"Nothing wrong with homemade cake but why the need for posters to bang on about 'commercial' cakes? You DO realise that some people make homemade ones and some people buy cakes from shops, don't you?"

Because most shop bought cakes simply don't taste as good, that's all.

formerbabe · 18/12/2013 14:58

I hate the shop bought cakes that are just a plain, 9inch round sponge with white icing and an edible sticker on it of some kids cartoon.

stealthsquiggle · 18/12/2013 15:01

In what part of the country is it the norm for DC to have commissioned cakes? There are only 2 options round here - home made (often by Granny, it seems) or supermarket (ok, I exaggerate. I have seen one or two custom-made ones, but it's certainly not the norm)

Ephiny · 18/12/2013 15:11

Homemade cakes are almost always nicer than supermarket ones, unless you have a complete baking disaster, and even then they usually taste OK (it's flour/sugar/butter/chocolate, how bad can it possibly be?)

A custom-made one is a bit different, but even then you're usually paying for the professional 'finish', i.e. the fancy decoration, more than the taste of the actual cake. Which I can understand for an elaborate wedding cake or something, though it seems a bit overkill for a 2 year old's birthday party!

LittleTulip · 18/12/2013 15:14

I always bake birthday cakes for all my nieces and nephews. I'm crap at decorating them but they taste far far nicer than the shitty shop bought ones.

pictish · 18/12/2013 16:33

I can't ever understand a cake for looks alone.
If it's not absolutely delicious, it's a shit cake, no matter how brilliantly it is decorated!
I can't get on board with fancy decorated cakes as a thing to be impressed by anyway - there is a lot of oohing and aahing over expertly decorated cakes, but I can't see the point is spending hours and hours perfecting the looks of something that's just going to be carved up in two minutes flat and scoffed.

fatlazymummy · 18/12/2013 16:40

I agree with pictish .A cake is a cake as far as I'm concerned, not a sculpture or a work of art.
Your son's cake sounds delish, OP. I want some.
Hope he has a lovely day!

RichPetunia · 18/12/2013 17:46

We usually have a homemade cake - chocolate sponge with chocolate buttons on top. We recently decided to buy a shop bought birthday cake and were so disappointed - it was too dry and not tasty. We'll not make this mistake again. Everyone loves the home made cakes and they are a family tradition - not perfect, but definitely looked forward to!