20 Awesome Birthday Baking Ideas
Some will say Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, or Fourth of July when you ask them their favorite holiday. I’m telling you right now – at the risk of sounding absolutely biased – my birthday is my favorite holiday. Perhaps it’s not a national holiday (it should be) or one anyone other than myself cares about, but it’s my favorite self-imposed holiday. Birthdays are special from start to finish.
Few things bring me joy like waking up on my birthday to my husband and kids excitedly trying to be the first one to tell me happy birthday. They give me the sweetest gifts, and they make the day all about me. The kids are always on their best behavior on my birthday, and I love the calls, texts, social media messages, and cards in the mail. Call me selfish, but I love my birthday. I also love birthday baking.
Calories don’t count on your birthday (or weekends or holidays). Also, I am not a doctor, a dietician, or a professional trainer, so you absolutely do not want to take my words and live by them. Birthday baking is the best, and I’m sharing some of my favorite birthday baking recipes.
From classic cakes to nontraditional birthday ideas, I’m just going to throw this out there for you. You can bake these on your big day, on someone else’s big day, or really any day. I highly encourage celebrations at all costs, and baking is a reason to celebrate.
Traditional Birthday Cake Ideas that Bring Joy to Everyone
Traditional birthday cakes are a fan favorite for many. You can dress them up or down. Add someone’s name to the cake. Frost it in their favorite colors. Throw some fondant and a few layers on it to make it as fancy as you can. You can do anything you want to a traditional cake, but eating it is a must. Don’t forget the candles.
Here’s the thing about cakes, too. You can do the entire homemade cake batter thing. I have some favorite recipes I’m sharing with you that take you from start to finish. But you can also make them with a little help from a boxed mix from the grocery store. There’s no rule saying you have to do this without assistance, and I’m happy to share with you that most people cannot tell the difference.
1. Red Velvet Cake
My husband is a huge fan of red velvet cake, and this recipe is always one to try. Fun fact, though; the box mix is actually better, in my opinion. Thanks Betty Crocker. A red velvet cake is not complete with a rich cream cheese frosting, though.
2. Funfetti Cake
I’m not a huge fan of cake, so I’m not going to eat most of us. Funfetti is my preference. If I’m eating cake, it’s funfetti. No matter how you make it, choose the egg whites recipe and leave out the yolks. That’s how you get a yellow cake.
3. Chocolate Cake
Some people love a chocolate cake. I do not. However, this is a recipe the people in my household who do love chocolate cake like the best.
4. Yellow Cake
It’s a twist on a white cake that uses egg yolks, and it’s good. What’s unique about a yellow cake is you can dress it up or down. Do you want a yellow cake with a chocolate frosting? It’s good. Do you want to stick with white frosting? It’s also good.
5. White Cake
If there is one cake that everyone agrees on, it’s this one. It’s the simplest, and you can add things to it to make it more exciting.
Nontraditional Birthday Cake Ideas Everyone Will Drool Over
Not everyone loves a traditional birthday cake. I don’t. Cake is not my favorite. I’m more of a cake pop (I like things denser rather than fluffier) kind of gal, but I’ll eat the cake. If I had to choose my favorite birthday baking concept – like I have no choice in the matter and must give you an answer and mean it – it’s a cookie cake. Nothing is better than a cookie cake.
6. Cookie Cake
A cookie cake is one you can make from scratch, or you can buy premade dough and go from there. My tip is to be sure you have enough dough to give it a little bit of thickness, but not so much it becomes cake-like. Furthermore, don’t add too much frosting to the top. It becomes almost too sweet.
7. Cookie Dough Cake
Cookie dough is my favorite food of all time. All. Time. I could eat cookie dough day and night, but I won’t because I have a little more self-respect than that. This recipe is amazing when you make it right. Do not add too much icing to the cake. It adds more sweetness than is necessary.
8. Carrot Cake
A classic carrot cake is the best recipe you’ll make. It’s rich, dense, and it gives the right amount of sweet and savory. When it’s paired with a homemade cream cheese frosting, it’s unbeatable. My advice here is to put this cake in the fridge prior to serving. Cold carrot cake might be the best thing you’ll eat all day.
9. Strawberry Cupcakes
You know I love a strawberry cake mix (boxed, from Publix), but I also love a cupcake with fruit on top. It’s sweet without being too much, which is what I’m looking for. You can even go so far as to add as much fruit to this as you want, and the outcome is amazing.
10. Nutella Chocolate Cupcakes
My middle daughter is Nutella-obsessed. I cannot stand it. It’s not good (unpopular opinion, I know). These are right up her alley, though, and she adores it when we make them.
Non-Cake Birthday Baking Ideas
You don’t even need a cake on your birthday, you know. This is your day. This is me giving you permission to make anything you want for yourself on your birthday. Or ask someone else to make you something. Better yet, take yourself out and order it and let a professional make it for you. There is no rule that says you have to have a cake of any sort.
11. Crumble Birthday Cake Cookies
Have you ever had a Crumbl cookie? These are like that, but without the act of going to the Crumbl cookie store and shopping for them. You can make these yourself, and they’re almost as good as the real thing.
12. Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons
Not everyone loves a macaron, but I’m willing to put money on the fact that those who don’t are more likely to enjoy these than other versions of a macaron. Try it and see.
13. Birthday Cake Macarons
Like funfetti cake but in a macaron. Macarons are not the easiest thing to make. They’re finicky, and they often don’t look perfect unless you’ve mastered the art of making them. Please keep in mind that your macarons might not look perfect, but they’ll taste fantastic. The exterior perfection will come later.
14. Rainbow Cake Batter Truffles
Truffles make the world go round. Just be sure you’re leaving these dense enough not to be fluffy. No on likes a fluffy truffle.
15. Birthday Cake Dessert Cups
All right, all right. This is not a baked good. But it is dessert, and that is what matters. The different things that go into this cup make a happy birthday happier. What makes this dish a unique one is that you can make it however you want. If you want to include other items in this cup, do it. If you want to remove items, remove them. It’s a highly personal dish all the way around.
My ideal dessert cup includes brownies (I bake the triple chocolate chunk brownies in the red box from Publix…Betty Crocker? Maybe? I don’t bake them fully because I like them gooey and dense. No fluffy brownies.). I’d add cookie dough on top of the brownies, ice cream on top of that, and I’d top it with a little chocolate syrup. What would you do with yours?
Super Cool and Unexpected Birthday Baking Ideas
Cakes, non-cakes, desserts of any kind: Did we mention we were here for the dessert? Put a candle in a Starbucks cake pop, and I’m fine with it. I found some cool ideas my kids have been talking about for a few months now ahead of their own birthdays (I’m trying to get Christmas planned and executed and they’re planning their birthdays that are still four months away…get it together children).
16. Waffle Cakes
My kids saw this recipe online recently – probably on Pinterest – and asked if we can make it. Here’s what people love about these – waffles are good with just about everything. Chicken. Cake. Dessert. There is no wrong answer when it comes to waffles.
17. Hot Chocolate Cake
This might not be the best recipe if you’re birthday is in the middle of summer, but it’s a perfect winter cake mix. It’s got all the ingredients that make a cake delicious as well as all of the ingredients that make hot chocolate delicious.
18. Fruit Pizza
You can use this recipe, but I have one, too. This is one of our favorite desserts. The kids love it, and it’s actually my favorite, favorite dessert. What I do is buy the rolls of premade Pillsbury sugar cookie mix. I buy two. I line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and I spray it with a touch of Pam (the butter kind). Using my fingers, I spread the dough out on the parchment paper until it’s covering the cookie sheet, and I bake it until the top browns just a bit. Then I cover it with a half and half mixture of softened cream cheese and cool whip (1 stick of cream cheese and one container of cool whip) mixed together in the standing mixer (once the cookie has cooled).
After that, I slice strawberries and kiwi and layer the top of the cake. I add blueberries to finish it off, and then I put it in the fridge overnight. You can serve it right away, but something magical happens when you stick it in the fridge overnight. It’s so much better the next day when the sugar cookie dough is cold.
19. Cinnamon Roll Cake
I’ve never made this one, but it looks good. I love cinnamon rolls. I love cake. Let’s add those two together and find out if this is something that’s better together or on its own. Since it is a birthday you’re celebrating, one fun way to have this cake is to go for it at breakfast. It’s your birthday. You can do whatever you want. If eating cake for breakfast is your deal, go for it. After all, it’s basically breakfast, right?
20. Funfetti Sandwich Cookies
Sandwich cookies are the gift that keeps on giving. There is nothing more amazing than taking a warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven, letting it cool a bit, and then adding chocolate ice cream to the middle. This recipe also looks fascinating because it’s a funfetti cookie – you can make these right from the funfetti cake mix box, you know. You can put cream between it. if you prefer ice cream, you can add ice cream to the center. There is no right or wrong way to make these.
Birthdays are special for so many reasons, but primarily because everyone’s birthday is unique. There are no rules saying you have to do this or that. The only rule is that the birthday girl or boy gets what they want in terms of a ‘cake’ whether it’s a cake or not. More importantly, birthdays are wonderful because they celebrate an individual rather than everyone at the same time.
Fun Recipe Ideas if You’re an Avid Baker
