Any ideas for a birthday cake for my daughters 1st birthday next week?

Question

I'd love to make her cake, something a little more than an iced sponge cake would be good, but I have no idea where to start!!

Although I am reasonably proficient in the kitchen, I am by no means an experienced cake decorator. Does anyone have any good ideas (with instructions please!) for a simple but effective cake? I was wondering about perhaps the hedgehog cake that was so impressive when we were younger... or a duck, or a ladybird would go down well with my daughter. Or a flower, seeing as her name is Daisy!

Pennies are limited at the moment, so buying fancy cake tins is out.

Many thanks for your ideas!

Answer 1

If you look in local directory you will find cake makers/decorators.Most will rent out cake tins so you could rent a teddy-shaped tin etc.

Answer 2

This may not work for her first birthday and if you're on a budget at the moment, but it's a good idea to keep in mind for future birthday ideas. When I was a little girl, my mom was famous for her cakes and she would make us a cake that showed whatever we were really into at the time....My Little Pony, Donald Duck (when I turned 2), Mickey Mouse, whatever. But she also made us little girls. They sell cake pans that are shaped like up-side down bells and all you do is make the cake itself in that shape and buy these little half Barbie things. Picture a Barbie body with a large tootpick instead of legs (she's cut off at the waist). You can use your daughter's Barbie clothes (or buy cheap ones) to cover her top, then decorate the cake however you want. You make her look like a princess, or a bride, or just like she's wearing a pretty dress. I've even seen one that looked like a mermaid sitting on a rock. You'll need to buy cake decorator tips and either buy, or learn to make, the stiffer icing needed for that kind of project.

Go to your local arts & crafts store to find all of the supplies and most often, the pan comes with decorating ideas. I made a bride for my best friend a few years ago for her engagement party and it was a big hit.

Good luck and Happy Birthday, Daisy!

Answer 3

At craft stores or Walmart (craft section of coarse!) You can get the top half of a barbie doll.Make a round cake, like with a bundt pan. Once the cake is done and cooled, put the doll in the middle. You can use iceing and sprinkles to make her dress (Which is the cake). It's very cute! My aunt did this for her daughter's 1st!!!
You can also find great ideas at bettycrocker.com

Answer 4

This is a great cake for a little girl. It is a daisy cake and it has a simple recipe and no special cake pan required. Here is the link...I think it would be perfect and it will impress your guests too!!!

Answer 5

my girls love strawberries and the color pink. can't go wrong with a box cake if you are new to baking. get a strawberry cake mix and you can either get a white frosting and decorate with sprinkles(always a hit) or colored sugar, or even some cut up strawberries, or you can go pink on pink(pink frosting) and do your own combination decorations. just remember it's her 1st so any cake you put in front of her will make her just as happy and isn't that what counts?, believe me,the amount of money you spend does not.

Answer 6

Make loads of rice crispy buns. Use what ever recipe you have.
Make a conical out of thick paper.
Using glaced icing, icing sugar and water spread on bottom of bun cases and starting at the bottom of the conical layer the buns until you reach the top.
Decorate which party poppers, popped away from child, and drape over buns.
Did this for my daughter's first and it had many compliments as it looked wonderful but was actually very easy to make and totally stress free.

Answer 7

How about you make cupcakes instead or there are places now that make cupcakes and place them side by side to form a shape of cake before icing. Then when they ice them , they do so in a way that it looks like a cake but it's not, it's really the cupcakes.

Answer 8

Fifi - can you cut out a paper pattern for the Daisy petals - take a round cake for the center and put the petals you cut out of another cake around it? You could frost/ice the center with yellow done with food coloring and the petals with white. I think it would be beautiful!!!

How about one of these for Daisy - one of our home cooking TV cooks here in the USA made it:

Sunshine Cake
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

6 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract, or both
1 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus pinch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Orange Butter Cream Frosting, recipe follows
Orange peel or zest, for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Separate eggs carefully, putting whites in a large mixing bowl and yolks in another large mixing bowl. Beat egg yolks until light and foamy. Slowly add the water. Gradually beat in the sugar, then vanilla and/or almond extract; beat until pale and thick in texture (total beating time can be as long as 7 minutes). Sift flour again with salt and baking powder. Return to sifter and fold flour mixture into egg yolk mixture, sifting in a little at a time.

Beat egg whites gently until foamy. Add a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar. Increase the mixer speed and beat until they form moist, glossy peaks.

Pour the egg yolk mixture in thin stream over the entire surface of the egg white mixture, gently cutting and folding with rubber spatula, making sure everything is completely folded. Pour into an ungreased 10-inch round tube pan with a removable bottom. Draw a thin spatula gently through the batter to get rid of any large air pockets.

Bake on the second rack from the bottom of the oven for 1 hour. (The cake tends to fall a small amount after 50 minutes, so do not worry.)

Invert pan onto a rack and let cool out of the pan for 1 1/2 hours. Frost when cake is completely cooled. If desired, garnish cake with orange peel or zest.


Orange Butter Cream Frosting:

2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Orange juice

Combine butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Add just enough orange juice to thin the frosting to a spreading consistency.

Answer 9

I would check on www.kraftfoods.com and use Kids Cake on the search. They have some really cute ideas for birthday cakes that are really simple and easy to make.

Answer 10

I think this rubber duckies in a bathbub cake is adorable! The bathtub is the cake. Blue jello makes the water. The directions look pretty easy, too.

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50214