Birthday Cakes

Does anyone have an idea for a truly inspired birthday cake? I've made Bob the Builder before (my hand hurts just thinking about it), but I can't find anything particularly interesting w/o buying another pan I'll use once.

Right now I'm looking at doing a race track, but it seems kind of boring to me.

How about a dirt cake? You can make a sheet cake with chocolate frosting and then decorate it with stuff like gummy worms and bugs, crushed oreos for rocks or gravel, and something green for grass or make a mud puddle on it with chocolate pudding.

I've checked out cake books from the library and had some success with those and the Wilton cakes website might have something. I think I have an airplane pan if you want to borrow it. I did an airplane on a landing strip (sheet cake). Bob the Builder sounds challenging!

http://www.wilton.com/recipes/index.cfm

[PrincessFiona]

Neat...and I don't think the race track sounds boring at all. You could make it really fun....Bake a couple of cakes to cut out a track that you customize and then just smooth icing over it. You could even work a tunnel into the equation.

I'm curious to hear what you come up with. I used to love decorating cakes but I haven't done it in years. My attempts to simplify my life now include...*confession* buying bday cakes form Coborns.

kris

[Amiens]

I made a Crayola Box of Crayons for Emma's 2nd birthday. It turned out pretty neat.



http://www.parents.com/articles/family_ ... jsp?page=2

It didn't require any special pan just a regular 9 x 13 cake pan. I got the idea from Parents Magazine, plus they have ideas for the invitations and party favors- it's cheap too!

They have a bunch of fun and easy cakes-

Speed Racer Track- http://www.parents.com/articles/family_ ... jsp?page=2

Volcano cake- http://www.parents.com/articles/family_time/4070.jsp

All-Star Baseball- http://www.parents.com/articles/family_ ... jsp?page=2

Creepy Critter Cake- http://www.parents.com/articles/family_time/4195.jsp

There are a lot of ideas- Here is the list of the different themes that Parents has- http://www.parents.com/food_fun/birthdays.jsp

To add to the dirt cake theme- "You make a chocolate sheet cake and cut it up into little squares. You can add whipped cream and crushed oreos and you fill little dump trucks with it. Then each kid gets their own truck of cake and they take those home as favors. The crushed oreos make it look like dirt. "


Hope this helps!

Crystal

[Sheherezade]

I'm good for pirate ship cakes and carousel cakes. I've got those down. Let me know if you'd like to do either. No special pans required. The most inspired cake I've ever seen was made by a friend - she made a volcano cake and actually exploded whipped cream from a tube inside out of a redi whip can after lighting the tiki torch candles. Wow.

[PrincessFiona]

ummm...WOW!

[SueC]

Jenn, you really must post a photo of your cake...I was, well, inspired!