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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

Original poster

Serving cake and cake jars to take home?

94 replies

Zoomom · 16/10/2023 15:51

Planning my DC’s birthday party and have the most ridiculous conundrum. Is it acceptable to have a cake on display for him to blow out candles on and then little jars with cake inside for guests to take home (or eat at the party if they have time)? The plan would be to not slice or eat the cake at the party. We would then eat the cake with close family the next day (his actual birthday).

Wondering if people will expect to get the cake we had on display. I have been to parties where cake is put in napkins in party bags and I didn’t care which cake it was from.

I just find the cake jars so cute and a nice way for guests to transport cake home. But also want a real cake for his candles.

OP posts:
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SheilaFentiman · 23/10/2023 07:06

Put the central cake on a plate, surround it with cupcakes, hand out the cupcakes in the party bags

AfterWeights · 23/10/2023 07:07

I think having a posh cake you want to show off to everyone but then keep for family only is stupid. Its like you think it's too good for your guests but you want them to appreciate it. Fucking hell.

Cake jar = stupid.

happylittlesloth · 23/10/2023 07:10

Just buy another cake. No need to have fancy cake on show at the first party

dressedforcomfort · 23/10/2023 07:14

Jars are a pain in the arse. Just put the cake in napkins.

happylittlesloth · 23/10/2023 07:15

AfterWeights · 23/10/2023 07:07

I think having a posh cake you want to show off to everyone but then keep for family only is stupid. Its like you think it's too good for your guests but you want them to appreciate it. Fucking hell.

Cake jar = stupid.

It's also poor food hygiene

Doingmybest12 · 23/10/2023 07:16

Cake jars look like all kind of wrong to me , especially for a children's party. I used to make cupcakes and display them together , stick candles in as many as needed and hand them out in a napkin.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 23/10/2023 07:46

This reads as super chintzy... Children's party means a birthday cake that gets cut and served at the party to the children.

spitefulandbadgrammar · 23/10/2023 08:09

AfterWeights · 23/10/2023 07:07

I think having a posh cake you want to show off to everyone but then keep for family only is stupid. Its like you think it's too good for your guests but you want them to appreciate it. Fucking hell.

Cake jar = stupid.

yes! Just buy a cake for each party. If there’s budget for cake jars there’s budget for two cakes.

happylittlesloth · 23/10/2023 08:09

Is the point of shoving the cake in the jar to try and disguise it isn't the posh cake? If so I wouldn't bother with that. Kids aren't stupid.

evtheria · 23/10/2023 08:16

I'd much prefer a 'cake in a jar' than a piece wrapped in a tissue napkin, all stuck to it and ruining the slice... Even kitchen foil is better.

Though, OP, I do have to say I kind of recall a post where the kids saw a beautiful and excitingly decorated cake wheeled out, but then were disappointed not to get a piece of it, icing and all, later so be warned!
If the jars look cute (depending on guest numbers, maybe decorate the lids with stickers or their name?) with attached colorful spoon I think a lot of children will enjoy the mere novelty of it.

evtheria · 23/10/2023 08:17

Fitrix29 · 23/10/2023 06:46

I did similar, I spent soooooo much time on making his cake and I wanted to have it for his home family gathering as well as for his party which was friends only at an inflatable arena (so not suitable to have all the family without kids come there). I baked separate cupcakes that went in the party bags and the main cake came back home with us for round 2.

Amazing!

APocketOfGooseFood · 23/10/2023 08:22

Do a pile of cupcakes (easy to just hand out rather than have to do messy cutting and wrapping) with candles in for the party, and keep the ‘family’ cake at home to have with family on the actual birthday.

Unless this is more about wanting people to admire your cake baking skills than small kids having a good time.

edgeware · 23/10/2023 08:28

I’m making my sons cake myself (this week) and after all that work I want to bloody see people enjoy it!!!! I’m going to serve cake at the party and in two minds whether to spend 15 minutes there wrapping up cake for party bags, or whether I might pre-prepare some cupcakes in those plastic cupcake pods for in the party bags.

VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia · 23/10/2023 08:45

APocketOfGooseFood · 23/10/2023 08:22

Do a pile of cupcakes (easy to just hand out rather than have to do messy cutting and wrapping) with candles in for the party, and keep the ‘family’ cake at home to have with family on the actual birthday.

Unless this is more about wanting people to admire your cake baking skills than small kids having a good time.

I came to this thread to suggest just this, with the additional modifier that a number candle be placed on one cupcake for the birthday child to hold and blow out, and that's the birthday child's cupcake.

In 2023, with the events of the last three years, I cannot fathom how anyone can see it as acceptable for any human to blow over food that will be eaten by others.

YoungOnTheInside · 23/10/2023 08:54

We kept our cake and sent home cupcakes. The only person who looked as though they might care was a dad hoping for spare slice of birthday cake.

wellthatwentwelldinnit · 23/10/2023 08:58

Is there no end to the completely ridiculous ideas that companies come up with to fleece people out of their hard earned money? And is there no end of people thinking that their child's party will be deemed a failure by other parents if they don't have said items? Cake jars???? Absolutely ridiculous. And they'll probably end up in the recycling.

Funkyslippers · 23/10/2023 09:00

I know most kids won't care but I went to a party once and they brought out a lovely cake but sadly all we got to do was look at it. My DD was a bit miffed that she got a little cupcake out of a pack from Poundland to take home!

I think if you have a decent cake already pre-sliced that's fine for kids to take home

Mochudubh · 23/10/2023 09:10

I had to Google cake jar as I thought the OP meant a normal wedge of cake in a jar. They look disgusting and if my kid had been given that, I'd have thought WTF?

Either buy 2 cakes the same or, if the cake is commissioned just get a plain sponge and ice it in the same colour as the "special" one.

@Fitrix29 Love the Solar System cake.

bettynutkins · 23/10/2023 09:13

My sister did cake jars for niece's birthday. They ended up being quite expensive. (Not as expensive as a baker though who wanted £5 a jar).

I'd get a cheap supermarket one to slice up and give out at the party.

mondaytosunday · 23/10/2023 09:24

Personally I hate my kid coming home with a piece of mushed up cake in a napkin. But couldn't care less where the cake was from. I'd have him blow out the candies, take it to another room, then bring out cut cake on paper plates for the kids to have. Match the icing colour if you can. Kids do get excited by the cake, and they sometimes did complain if they didn't get any or it put on a bag or wasn't the actual fancy looking cake, but most probably wouldn't really notice. No idea what you mean by jars.

Busybeemumm · 23/10/2023 09:32

I went to a birthday where the host did this. Felt like we not good enough for the 'real cake' which had the candles and got a substitute slice of the cheap cake. It felt all fake and showy for the nice cake to be there for the candles etc. Some of the kids noticed this and said that they wanted the other cake! I would just get another cake then cut that one and save the other one for his birthday the next day.

SoupDragon · 23/10/2023 09:37

I've just had to google cake jars x they look awful! And a PITA as the child can't just eat it like they can with a slice. At least one of my children would have had that lid off and started scooping it out with their fingers in the car.

FlatWhiteExtraHot · 23/10/2023 09:39

Hermione101 · 22/10/2023 16:02

I think bringing the cake out and not cutting it at the party is really tacky.

One of the best things at a birthday party is seeing them all circled around and waiting in anticipation for the cake to be cut. Just get two.

On what planet does anyone care or even notice? 😂

”Tacky” is such a bizarre way to describe someone not wanting to waste a nice cake on a load of kids who won’t even eat it.

SleepingStandingUp · 23/10/2023 09:44

How much are the filled cake jars going to cost you? It seems ridiculously ott for a kids birthday party.

I'd get cupcakes and get him to blow out a candle on top and just leave the fancy cake for home.

SoupDragon · 23/10/2023 09:46

not wanting to waste a nice cake on a load of kids who won’t even eat it.

So don't have the "nice" cake at the party 🤷🏻‍♀️ Most kids are happy with Colin the caterpillar anyway. Parties are for the kids, not Instagram and adults.