How to choose a Birthday cake
How to Choose a Birthday Cake – Style and Flavour
A birthday cake is a great gift, no matter what age you are, and it’s the perfect centrepiece for any birthday party. If you’re planning a birthday celebration for a family member or friend, you could make a cake yourself, but for a truly special creation, it’s worth going to a professional cake designer.
When visiting a cake designer, it’s good to have an idea of the style of birthday cake that you are looking for in mind. There are a wide range of styles available, including traditional birthday cakes and novelty birthday cakes, so you should be able to find something that your friend or family member will love. In order to help you choose the right cake for the celebration that you’re organising, here are some questions to ask yourself and some examples of the sort of cakes that you can buy.
Choosing a Birthday Cake - Styles
The first thing to consider when choosing a birthday cake is the age of the birthday boy or girl. If you are buying a birthday cake for a young child, does he or she have a favourite cartoon, film or television programme, or enjoy a particular series of books? If so, you may want to choose a contemporary 3D cake which features models of one or more of the characters that he or she likes. Alternatively, you could have the character sprayed or drawn onto the cake, or buy a shaped cake featuring them.
3D cakes, shaped cakes and sprayed or drawn cakes are also perfect for older children and adults who enjoy a particular hobby. For example, music lover may appreciate a cake in the shape of a guitar or other instrument, whilst someone who enjoys a particular sport will love a cake based on this theme.
If it’s a special birthday, such as an 18th, 21st or even a 100th, you may want to consider reflecting this by choosing a cake shaped into the relevant number. Number cakes can be decorated in many different ways, so you can still be creative and give it a unique feel.
Traditional birthday cakes are still very popular, and may be a good choice for an older person. As with number cakes, they can be personalised using different colours and decorations, and you could have a personalised message iced on as well.
For something that’s a real novelty, why not choose a photo cake? Choose a photo of the person celebrating their birthday, their favourite celebrity, or a place that they love, for example, and take it to your cake designer. They will then be able to scan the picture onto edible paper and use it as the main decoration.
Choosing a Birthday Cake – Flavour
Whatever style of birthday cake you choose, it’s important to make sure that it tastes great, and there are many different flavours that you can choose from. The first decision to make when thinking about flavour is whether you want a fruit cake or a sponge cake. If you decide that a sponge cake would be most suitable, you can then choose the flavour that you want – you might want a traditional sponge cake, a chocolate cake or something more unusual, such as a coffee and walnut cake.
If you are ordering a birthday cake for someone, it’s worth checking to see whether or not they have any food allergies or other special dietary requirements before deciding upon a flavour. If they have, talk to your cake designer, as you can now buy vegan, wheat-free and gluten-free birthday cakes.