To ask what to make as a ‘birthday cake’ for DH who doesn’t like cake?

[chillybeans]

I’d like to make DH a ‘birthday cake’ but he doesn’t like cake, so I suppose what I mean is a big baked treat we can sing happy birthday with before eating (and maybe stick a candle in!)

He likes all other baked goods - brownies, cookies, biscuits, pastries etc but I do normal batches of those all the time so would like to jazz it up a bit. He just doesn’t really rate cake. So I’m looking for a bit of a showstopper baking recipe that will impress him ... without being a cake

Any ideas?!

Pork Pie
DH has a pork pie with a candle every year.

Lemon Meringue Pie or a french tart? or bannoffee pie with pastry bottom.

@HelloThereMeHearties

BANOFFIE PIE BANOFFIE PIE BANOFFIE PIE

I quite like banoffie pie

I thought about it straight away as well. I would sell my soul right now to have Banoffee Pie

@Stompythedinosaur

My dp has Crohns Disease and can't have sugar in his diet. I normally make a meat pie for him with candles in!

That sounds like my kind of birthday cake!

Brownie stack!

Fish cake!

Tiffin.
Make two batches of brownies in a round tin and sandwich with fudge icing.

Like this..

LEMON TART

It's actually even nicer with limes.

I made Dh kiwi style cream and jam doughnuts one year and last year was a Paris-brest (topped with icing made from cocoa not chocolate because that’s his favourite and filled with pastry cream)

kiwikitchensoverseas.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/kiwi-style-doughnuts/#comments

www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/paris-brest

DH has a birthday in that period after Christmas when everyone's sick of the sight of cake and has started their resolutions.

This year I made him a Brie cake. A circle (what's the actual word?) of brie decorated with curled antipasti slices and olives and a candle.

I pinched the idea from a business near here doing them professionally. Theirs look better but mine was quite effective.

Does he like chocolate mousse? This has a shallow chocolate cake layer as the base but most of it is egg-free chocolate mousse (essentially a whipped chocolate ganache). It's been a hit every time I've made it
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/celebration_chocolate_26103

Pork pie?

Swedish "sandwich cake" = smörgåstårta

DON'T bake your own bread necessarily, just use white bread

www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Smorgastarta-Sandwich-Layer-Cake/

www.scandikitchen.co.uk/how-to-make-a-swedish-smorgastarta-sandwich-cake/

www.curiouscuisiniere.com/smorgastarta-swedish-sandwich-cake/

Depends on whether he likes other sweet things (I second the brookie option if so) or savoury in which case a cake of cheeses (what we did for our wedding cake) or a giant pork pie sounds awesome.

It's well beyond my culinary capabilities but could you do something like this?

www.perfectpie.co.uk/onlineshop/celebration-pie

If it doesn’t have to be sweet, definitely pork pie!

Done some fab big pork pies for birthdays in the past - could do two of different flavours like a tiered cake if it’s a big birthday. Yum 😋

I made my husband a 'jenga' stack of caramel shortbreads for his birthday one year! Went down well!

DS1 doesnt like cake, but he loves pancakes, so I sometimes make him a cake out of stacked pancakes, layered with nutella and crushed maltesers and covered with buttercream.

Does he like marzipan? If so, then kransekake is amazing...(Haven't tried this recipe, just putting it as an example).

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pauls_kransekake_83354

My DH has a candle stuck in an apple pie. He loves it

Pork pie or cheese "cake"? My OH has had both and they were amazing

Brownies are the most requested Birthday Bake here.

DS1 has requested Biscoff brownies this year.

Stuffed brookies for an extra something? Basically just top the cookie layer with something delicious (Oreos, salted caramel, chocolate bars work well) then decorate the top of the brownie layer.

Cheeses?

Fridge cake

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simply-stunning-chocolate-fridge-cake

A Brownie stack