To make a birthday cake and not cut it

[Miaowm]

I want to make my daughter’s birthday cake as I do every year. This is the first year she will
be having a party with friends and family at a venue. I wanted to take the cake for singing and then hand out matching cupcakes. Is this out of order?
A couple of reasons for this, not really anywhere suitable to cut the cake at the venue and I really don’t want a cake I’ve spent ages on to be crushed in a party bag then thrown away

I've been making themed celebration cakes for DGD for many years now,and I have to agree that it's sad to see a lot of workmanship get squished and beaten about,especially when the party takes place away from the home.My DD agrees,so for the children's party,a supermarket cake is served with some added decor and the custom-made cake is served at the separate family get-together.

Yep we used to do this! Take the nice one home... go for it!

I've done that before as we've had a family party the next day when I've then cut it. I hand out mini rolls to the kids!

What a lovely 60th surprise!! Glad she shared it this time!!

Who wants to see a lovely cake and then given a cupcake instead? Not me. Just give them cupcakes.

I'm not against a second cake, cut up in advance, but IMO it needs to basically be indistinguishable when cut up from the 'real' cake, do no one knows. And because it's easier to cut up, not because you want to serve second rate cake to them.

I never really understand why parents insist on showing off the fancy cake, getting all them kids excited and then handing out some cheapo version. Ultimately the cake is going to go down the hatch anyway, why wouldn’t you want it shared with your child’s actual friends?

Mini rolls in party bag?! GAME CHANGER!

Cutting up cake during the party is a pain. And my kids love cake but as you are worried about, it often ends up squashed and stuck to a serviette so it becomes inedible.

Aldi do an excellent large cake for about £4. We get one of those most years. In fact they also work a treat with a printed icing sheet to customise for those if us who fail at home baking!

Definitely an odd thing to do! I went to a birthday where the parents did this. Made a lovely looking cake to sing Happy Birthday to and then dished out horrid dry cup cakes. Don't be that person as you could see the other parents looking at each other and that's what I took away from the party and tarnished it a bit. Don't be that person.

Either cut the cake you made or don't bother making it and just get a ready made one from a shop you would be happy to get squashed.

Your 4 year old won't care but might wonder why you can't actually cut the nice cake! It's like your daughters friends are not good enough for the naice cake!

I did this, made a mermaid cake. Brought it to the part venue, sang, blew out the candles and then put ready made cupcakes with mermaid toppers in all the party bags. No one cared and it wasn’t an issue

I've seen that done loads of times. It's absolutely fine to do

And my kids have never once questioned if it's the 'real cake ' from any party they've ever been to

I would and have done. As an ex cake maker it wasn’t too much of an issues though.

Show cakes are silly. Keep it for home. I posted recently about if it is ok to have an overspill cake that isn’t the same as the main cake. But carting a cake no-one is having is madness and just showing off.

If you want to make a cake for friends and family only the kids don’t need to see it at the party.

We had 3 cakes last year, a party cake, a family cake and a small cake for actual birthday which was mid week and some time after the other events. This year we only need 1 so it will be at the party.

@5128gap & MaybeImbad,
Our old Mum thought it was so funny, she could remember the little madam being so adamant that it shouldn't be cut! I was glad to do it for her, she is an amazing sister.
@Catlord, this time she didn't have a choice😄

Why do you want to take it home? Are you having a second party/gathering or do you just hate the idea of it going to waste in a party bag? Surely if you can't eat it all yourselves it'll just go to waste in the bin anyway

Sure as a treat, but you can't gather everyone round to sing happy birthday and admire the beautiful cake and then send them home with a mini roll while you carry the intact cake out of the party venue! So rude!

Keep it for at home celebration OP, and take a tray bake to the party. Otherwise, looks a bit odd.

I find it a bit weird to be honest but I’m sure no one would care really. Just seems pointless taking it.

I am confused, in England the birthday cake is NOT eaten at the party? 😳 and is sent home in party bags?? Why??

I think it’s absolutely fine but will there be enough people at home to eat an entire cake amongst themselves?

If the cake isn’t too lavish then you could just do 2 instead of the cupcakes.
I can imagine cupcakes are more difficult than putting a slice of cake in a party bag.

But as long as I got cake then it wouldn’t bother me if it was a square cake or cupcakes 😁

individual cake slice boxes

I pre-sliced & boxed up a cake to put it in the party bag beforehand and then had one smaller cake to cut at the dc's party.

Usually because there's already been tons of other sweet stuff around as part of the meal. So the candles are lit and blown out and everyone sings Happy Birthday pretty near the end of the party and cake cut and put into party bags for a treat later.

Usually they've all eaten loads and got bored of eating by that point so wouldn't eat it if it was given out right away