Is doing a themed birthday cake for a young child really worth it?

[thereistheball]

They look so hard to do: are they really appreciated?

(Considering leading a backlash in favour of cakes that look like cakes.)

How young?

Until the child is old enough to realize, it is mostly for the other mums to go "ohh, ahh, arent you clever (biatch)"

And when your child is old enough to realize, he has come to expect it, and there is NO WAY OUT.

Stay away from themed birthday cakes, that is my advice.

(coming from somebody who had a farm cake made to order, a power rangers cake made to order, and who made a nintendo cake, a Descent gaming cake, and not to mention a dinosaur shaped dinosaur cake - I know what I am talking about)

I made ds1 a birthday cake up until he was 7 and then he begged me for a shop one!. Still make cakes and biscuits for everyday but not birthday cakes even for the other dcs, although i always make dh a coffee and walnut one.

My DD is 3 next birthday, and one of her favourite toys is the ELC wooden cake with candles and knife held together with velcro. I think she'd be delighted with a cake-shaped cake, and possibly a bit disturbed if I did one in the shape of Dora the Explorer then decapitated her when serving it.

Also, I am lazy.

But I'm asking because a friend of mine just decided to make a complicated fire-engine cake for her 3 year old son, despite having zero experience in cake-baking. In fact she has decided to buy the cake and concentrate on the icing, but she still had to ask he how you get the colour into it. I think this is a bit crazy - unless she turns out to be unexpectedly artisitic or lucky isn't she more likely to create a big red mess? Who wouldn't prefer a big sticky chocolate cake?

ask me obviously

and artistic

How young?

What type of theme?

I have done theme cakes for mine and they love it though ive always gone for easy ones. Last year i did a dinosaur cake for ds1, was just a slab sponge with green and blue icing to look like a grass and a river then made a cone shape stuck on top out of more sponge, also covered in green. Had orange icing running down to lok like a volcano, stuck some plastic dinosaurs on top and VOILA...one happy boy!

I think it depends if you as the the maker like doing it....if not then just buy one and if you do have a go i reckon.

Ds got an ordinary vicotria sponge for his 1st brithay.

Birthdays 2-5 were various of the Thomas the Tnak Engines trains, birthdays 6 and 7 were Dalek cakes and 8 was a Tardis. There are pictures on my profile.

He does apprecaite them - but I don't think he knows how much effort they are.

Thanks for the answers. I admire people with the creativity and patience to do this, but I think thehairybabysmummy is right, you have to enjoy it and I know I wouldn't. DD is going to be getting a pretty cake-shaped cake next time.

I did a pirate one for ds, he loved it. I do fear Ive made a rod for my own back though!

is it worth it ? yes because it is so easy. i can make a good basic sponge. thus a good coffee and walnut. thus a basic childs cake is no problem. i'm not talking tyrannosaurus rex here. just something home made. i bought a buzz table cloth cover. and some chocolate moulds from e-bay that i made into lollipops. so easy. i have cake making skills of a numpty. come on. there's themed and then theres ott themed. its not that hard.
i think my buzz cake is on my profile.

ds birthday in winter, so we make christmas cookies or gingerbread men together and decorate.

YOU ASK OLIVIA MUMSNET
the best cake ever is a plain sponge wiht bog standard icing on it and COVERED with smarties
they go wild for it.
then make it a tradition

i do 6 /6 /6 and 3 eggs
take out ONE oz of flour and replace with cocoa

OK, I didn't make it, but I spent £25 on DD's 1st birthday cake.
She couldn't have cared less but I'm glad I did it, as I love the photos, I had Brewster Bear (I know, I know) bring it out too.
It was just a small family meal, but it was important to me as her Dad left when she was 6 weeks old and the first year was tough.

I've never bothered since, I just get one from the supermarket, though since I've recently got into baking, I will be making this years..

I try to make themed for mine, i have such nice memories of some of the cakes my mum made for me especially a riding helmet one

When dd was 1 we had a cream cake and a choc cake, when she was 2 i made asn exact copy of her plastic teaset cake, 3 a yellow sponge with a sunshine on top and 4 an iced cake with fairy toppers on

When ds was 1 he had a train cake and when he was 2 a thomas the tank engine cake

Noooooooooooooooo!!!! Don't do it!! Step away from the sugarcraft!

I am deeply crap at anything artistic but love baking. With DS I tried choclate train cakes ( looked like leaning tower of pisa ), chocolate Dalek cakes ( did actually look like a Dalek but took forever and Oh! the amount of choclate - maltesers, choc fingers, choc squares etc etc ).

The best one I did was for DD's 3rd birthday last year, I bought pink ready made icing from the shop down the road, covered a standard homemade Viccy sponge with buttercream and jam in, and then covered it in every different shade of pink jellybean you can buy. It was ridiculously easy and she loved it.

She has said she wants a Shaun the Sheep one this year. I think its time to leave out a few photos of last year's cake in spots she will see it and remember its gorgeousness.

I do the dds and love it ...DD1 does ours she helps to make the sponge then chooses the sweets to go on the top . Makes the icing / spreads ( of sorts) and then we get the biggest combination of decoration ...We love it and so does she !

choc o late

bizarre absent o

yah
sweets nad job done
or go to cake shop and buy mini footballers, oversized b pirates or those trains that hold candles
ram on cake

DONT do a train

My DCs love themed cakes. I do not make them myself though so it's easy for me!

I have a friend who makes some unbelievably amazing cakes, but it takes absolutely ages (and she does really enjoy doing it).

I'm all for baking your own cake (though difficult for me at the moment as no oven) - it's the thought of creating a cartoon character using icing and licorice allsorts that I can't be bothered with. Anyway cakey cakes are lovely.

I do it as I have a sado masochistic core! I have to make 50 fairy cakes and a Diego cake for Saturday!

Last year I made Peppa Pig (just the face) and the first year a number 1.

I like it, I like the challenge and to try and impress people. Plus I had such fab cakes as a child, my best friend's mum made them and many of them came from the Cadbury's cake book. I'll never forget the swiss roll rocket ship with cadbury's flakes.

When my son was about 4 we made a big old chocolate sponge cake together, sandwiched the two halves with jam, covered it in butter cream and then spent a very happy half hour decorating it with chocolate buttons, smarties, jelly tots etc. More decorations got eaten than went on the cake & it wouldn't worry Jane Asher but his face when he could tell gran that 'I made this!' was a keeper.

Oooh taffetacat, think I'm going to steal the pink jelly bean cake idea for DD's 4th birthday coming up if that's ok, she'd love that much better than trying to make a cake look like Dora the Explorer which I'd considered in desperation!

I just made one for my little girl's 2 1/2th birthday (see name!). We looked through a boko of cakes together with me cunningly flicking past anything that looked too difficult. Made a ladybird cake in the end which was pretty easy and looked fab.

Why I recommend doing it? This was our conversation on way back from her birthday party at a local farm -

Me - Did you enjoy your party?
DD - Yes, it was fun
Me - What was your best bit? (expecting duck races etc)
DD - Erm... ladybird cake!

Me - (internally) hurrraaaaayyyyyyy!!

no just buy any old one - they can choose - my ds always goes for the Doctor Who and then stick a number sparkler on it.

Bloody hell they love them - for a few very sparkly intense moments they think you're the best mum in the world (and it scares other more pfb/safety minded mums in the room - double result).