Easy Birthday Cake Hack
I’m sharing my birthday cake hack I have been using for years that makes me look like I know what I’m doing. I have tried baking cakes and cupcakes and they just never turn out very great. I have also ordered from the professionals and while they definitely deserve the price they are asking for a custom cake it hurts my soul a little bit to pay that much for a kiddo party.
I ordered the little puppy figurines on Amazon and the party hats I got on Etsy.
When my kids were little I was overwhelmed with birthday parties. There were so many details and I just didn’t have the time to do what I wanted with three babies to take care of. I could never find someone that made the cakes I had envisioned so I decided to try ordering a plain cake from Hy-Vee and decorating it myself. I have since gotten pretty bossy but know I know what to ask for to get what I want.
This is a double layer cake that I asked them to stick marshmallows to to make it look like a cloud.
Here are my best tips for ordering a plain cake to decorate yourself:
Go to your favorite bakery (I personally use Hy-Vee) and ask for a plain cake with frosting. I request no borders, edges or anything fancy, just smooth frosting. If I plan on adding sprinkles to the sides I request whipped frosting (so it doesn’t harden) if not I get buttercream frosting (I personally like the taste better).
Pro-tip: I worked at Hy-Vee during my HS and college days and I know the full time bakery employees work weekday mornings usually 6am-2pm. I usually run in before or after I drop off my kids at school to make sure I get someone who knows what I want and can help take down the order. They usually resist the no decorating haha, but I feel like it’s better to have their experience and knowledge when knowing what kind of frosting to order etc.
You can order whatever shape you want (round or square etc), I just prefer the round and I like them to be a double layer for height. This helps when sticking in cake toppers too! Most of the cakes I have gotten are the 7” round double layer cakes.
My kids usually want chocolate so I order matching cupcakes in vanilla. I ask for them to be the same frosting and then I can add my own sprinkles or cupcake picks later.
I usually find my cake toppers I want to use online - various small party shops, Hobby Lobby has some good options, I have even ordered little figurines or have used small toys. Whatever you can find that is cute and fits your theme! My current favorites are Meri Meri brand, Ellie and Piper Co. and Shop Sweet Lu Lu.
I schedule a pickup for the cake the morning of the party - head there, pick it up and now all I have to do is add my cake toppers.
If you want to add sprinkles to the sides it is much easier than you think! I use a strip of wax paper, spray it lightly with cooking spray, spread out my sprinkles on the strip, and then curve it around the side of the cake pressing gently. Keep doing this until you have the amount of sprinkles you want! So easy.
That’s it! My cake was $20 at Hy-Vee and my cupcakes were about $11 for an extra dozen.
I ordered cupcakes from Hy-Vee and then my own cupcake picks to match their themes - Harry Potter and Star Wars.
I personally think this is just a fun way to make you feel like you “made” the cake for your kiddo but you don’t have to stress about the baking part and definitely don’t have the mess of that either. If you try this be sure to tag me on Instagram - I want to see your creations!
HERE IS A BONUS HACK: The boys don’t LOVE cake so I ordered donuts one year with the colored sprinkles to match their themes and just put some of their toys around the cake. This was SUPER easy and looked really cute too.
