Birthday cake for two year old

[imnotgoinghomeyet]

I’m the family baker, I love it and love making cakes so it’s not a problem.

I’ve been asked to make a birthday cake for the baby of the family for this weekend. It’s meant to be a nice day and we’re having a BBQ. The problem is I just don’t know what to do? There will be more adults than children there who want the cake, so I’d like to try and balance it between a children’s cake and one adults can enjoy too.

She has asked for chocolate cake along with her sibling (well, I asked her if she wanted chocolate or vanilla and it sounded like she said chocolate 😂) but some of the adults going don’t like chocolate.

What do I make?! AIBU to want the adults to enjoy it too and I should just make it a kid’s cake?!

I follow a very simple cake recipe and it always turns out lovely and moist. Maybe try Betty Crocker Devils Food cake mix? That’s what I use if ever I’m short on time and need a super moist chocolate sponge with little effort.

Nigella’s chocolate Guinness cake is always a winner, with all ages, and perfect for a BBQ. A friend has always made this cake for her daughter’s birthday.

Use a different recipe, they’re not supposed to be dry and crumbly. I think you’re idea of one chocolate cake and one lemon cake is a good idea.

1 cup sr flour
2 tbs cocoa
1 cup caster sugar

6 oz butter melted
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk
vanilla

Sift the dry ingredients. Fold in eggs and milk.
Add butter and vanilla.

Whisk either by hand or in a Kenwood for five minutes.

Moderate oven 25-30 minutes.

I’ve been eating this for sixty years and it’s always lovely.

Make the cake vanilla for adults put sweets and chocolate on too for 2 year old buy toy characters to stick on top

You asked, it would be pretty selfish to not do it as it’s not your favourite 🙄.

Just make cupcakes ? Cupcake cake and put them in a shape of a two. Then you can do both vanilla and chocolate.

Do a small sized child’s birthday cake and then lots of cupcakes to go around it for the adults?

Sorry Op but it sounds like you just want to do a ‘showy offy’ cake and ignore the birthday kids wishes? There are multiple fantastic chocolate cake recipes and if they’ve all turned out ‘vile’ then I’d be questioning how you’re baking them?
Two great ones are the Brooklyn blackout from hummingbird bakery and as already mentioned, Nigellas chocolate Guinness with cream cheese frosting.

This was my nephews chocolate cake with a spider theme (marshmallow webbing). There are loads of fun designs you can do!

Why did you ask her if she wanted chocolate or vanilla if you didnt want to make chocolate? Now she's told you what she wants so yes, you have to make it chocolate. Either make extra cupcakes for the others or they can just make do.

To be fair she won’t remember but her sister probably will 😩

I’m not spending £££ on it 😂

Chocolate cake slab with a bit of buttercream and fresh raspberries in between the layers with chocolate fingers around the edges, buttercream covered in green coloured coconut as grass with little decorations, maybe fairies, butterflies and flowers. I did similar for my sons 2nd with tractors and farm animals on the top. Kids loved it.

Chocolate buttercream, some smarties round the top and bottom edge, throw some glittery sprinkles over it and cut her name and age out in fondant to stick on. She’s 2, it doesn’t need to be a work of art!

My message is still under approval! It's an innocent and delicious chocolate cake recipe, honest!

I'm the baker in the family too. I would make the birthday cake for the kids, adults will eat it too but also do a victoria sponge or cupcakes for those who don't like chocolate cake

She's 2, you asked her what cake she wanted and she said chocolate. Make the chocolate cake.

Don't ask a child to choose something if you aren't prepared to honour their answer.

Definitely chocolate! It’s her special day so she decides! If you need help with ideas you can buy cute cake toppers in her favourite animals and decorate with favourite sweetie? I did sea creatures and with jelly sweet fish for my two year olds cake and he still plays with the cake toppers like toys. Dinosaurs on the next birthday cake ☺️

Use a good moist chocolate cake recipe - there is a lovely one on Glorious Treats. I use vanilla buttercream with it and it’s always a big hit.

By all means OP can make as many cakes as she likes, but it would be nonsense if a child expected a different extra cake made to their taste, let alone an adult.

https://www.recipetineats.com/chocolate-cake/#recipe

This is a really easy, delicious chocolate cake recipe I have recently discovered. Beautifully moist and sp easy to make.

If you do some green coloured buttercream and fork it, and some little mounds of crushed Oreo’s on top, then buy some cheap plastic animals from Amazon and make tiny party hats for them out of coloured card and topped with mini Pom poms (sounds a faff but actually 10 mins work in front of the tv in the eve and randomly therapeutic) it looks very cute, and they have the bonus of little toys to play with.

The birthday child always gets to pick as far as I'm concerned. No one else has ever expected an extra cake to their own taste when I've hosted but if you are the "family baker" it normally means seeing others appreciate your baking makes you happy and people generally do appreciate a choice.

Totally unkind not to do a chocolate cake for the birthday girl. Agree with looking at Nigella recipes.

One easy charming cake for small children is a cat. Use matchstick chocolates or fingers as whiskers, and use two square After Eights in half for the ears (or any other way of doing the ears). Buttercream icing with a fork through it to look like fur, etc etc. really super easy and so cute.

If the chocolate cake is dry, it's likely the recipe. I use pretty much the same recipe for chocolate cake as vanilla, just substitute about a fifth of flour for cocoa and add a splash of hot water from kettle bake at 160