How To Decorate A Sheet Cake For A Birthday

I will acknowledge information technology: I like a decorated cake. Something beyond just frosting. Sure, a frosted but undecorated cake tastes just every bit good as an undecorated cake but the festive and fun cistron is so much better with a busy one. Just the fourth dimension, the skills, the mess, the confusion of what exactly to do? It tin can be pretty frustrating when all you lot want is a party-ready cake. A while ago, I threw together a quick cake and decorated it like a champ. The cake part came out fine (I'm a pretty adept bakery), only the frosting was a lilliputian off. Similar, too heavy, sagging downwardly the sides. Just I tell y'all what, no one noticed because the decoration stole the evidence.

This is exactly is why I've put together 41 cakes that are totally adorable and volition make you await like a altogether goddess, merely are like shooting fish in a barrel enough to fudge if you are curt on time (or short on skills). If you're not a bakery or on a fourth dimension crunch, a shop-bought cake with ane of these decorative hacks volition gustatory modality just as delicious and will win you just as much praise.

Here are my favorite easy birthday cake decorating ideas that expect hard, simply are simple enough that anyone (including you!) can practice them. Check them out in the slideshow.

Balloons Make Everything Amend

I honey that all it takes to upgrade a white block to magical and charming upgrade is a handful of pocket-sized balloons and a few wooden dowels. Make sure the frosting is thick and then the cake doesn't float away!

Observe the total details: Airship Cake at Martha Stewart
Edible Flowers!

Edible flowers are all the rage so why not use them on cake! They bring color and texture and healthiness. At least that'southward what I'one thousand telling myself.

Notice the full details: Cake with Edible Flowers at Design Love Fest
A Cereal Lovers Dream (& Less Messy Than Sprinkles)

I will finally be able to bring my child's cereal dream to life: putting it on cake! And why not? Information technology's colorful and doesn't require a whole lot of precision. Then y'all can sneak-eat the rest of the box after the children go to bed!

Observe the total details: Funfetti Buttermilk Cake at A Beautiful Mess
Make a Pattern With Candy Pieces

Not into mixing frosting, coloring information technology, putting it in bags, decorating and then cleaning information technology all upward? Me neither somedays. Use candy bits of dissimilar sizes to dress up a apparently cake. Simple as that.

Find the full details: On the Dot at Parents
Petals of Frosting

Rainbows are just the best. Rainbows on cakes are sublime. These rainbow petals looks then intimidating but in reality, they are but smooshed blobs of frosting done in the correct guild. Y'all can practise it, I only know it.

Find the full details: DIY Rainbow Petal Cake at The Cake Blog
A Splatter Cake!

My frosting doesn't always have the right consistency but I'm really certain I tin can make frosting that is splatter-paint-able. This unique cake will be the talk of the party until it's eaten all upwardly.

Observe the full details: Chocolate Chili Splatter Pigment Cake at My Name Is Yeh
It Doesn't Need to Exist Exact for Abstract

Art tin exist edible. Of grade this block art piece itself won't concluding long enough to exist in a museum but that doesn't mean it won't be memorable. Upgrade that white cake!

Discover the full details: Abstract Watercolor Block at Sugar & Material
Dust on the Ornamentation

I realize this is a bow on a brownie but imagine a cake frosted in a darker tone, including chocolate, with a powder saccharide design on top. It's like skipping all the piece of work of detailed frosting decoration. Win win! Blow your guest's minds and make a credibility cake.

Brownie Bow at Martha Stewart
Get Naked, Block Manner!

Naked cakes are appealing because they require less frosting skills. It'southward easier. And who doesn't like saying "naked cake"? Thankfully naked cakes are super pretty. Add together some sugared berries to cease them off.

Find the total details: Naked Cake with Candy-coated Sugared Berries at Ashlee Marie
Make a Shape

I can admit that I too love sprinkles. They are celebratory all on their own. Instead of roofing every final inch, use a stencil and make a sprinkle shape on a cake.

Find the total details: Sprinkle Heart Cake at DIY Network
Crush Chips Ahoy Cookies...

...and permit the dinosaurs rule the globe (or at least the cake).

Who knew all a cake needed was some crushed Chips Ahoy cookies for rocks and a little chocolate ganache for lava? Add some toy dinosaurs for a finishing touch.

Detect the full details: Chocolate Chips Ahoy Dinosaur Cake at Butterlust Blog
Plough Everyday Pancakes Into Birthday Cake

Everybody knows pancakes tin plow a regular morning into a Very Special Morning time, so imagine what a stack of cake-batter pancakes can do. Add some sprinkles and a little glaze with more sprinkles, and y'all've got yourself a altogether treat worthy of candles.

Find the full details: Birthday Block Batter Pancakes at How Sweet Eats
Add a Whole Lotta Candles

Okay, even I tin can stick a candle in a cake. So, pretty sure I could rock this super simple, over-the-top happy block that sports a whole bunch of, you lot guessed it, different styles of candles.

Find the total details: Birthday Candle Cake at Studio DIY
Embrace Every Square Inch With Processed

This is definitely one of those cakes where more is more than, so employ upwardly ALL the actress Easter candy and cover this sucker from head to toe.

Find the full details: Candy Altogether Cake at Lovely Indeed
Take It I Step Farther With Chocolate Ganache

The only matter that can make an adorable funfetti cake any better is calculation a layer of chocolate - in this example, chocolate ganache made with dark chocolate and cream.

Notice the full details: Sprinkle and Chocolate Cake at The Cake Weblog
Cut up Fruit past the Foot for a cool pull a fast one on cake.

I tend to stay away from animal cakes because in that location seems like a lot of room for error. This play a trick on-face cake keeps it super uncomplicated, though, and if you lot can cut upwardly Fruit by the Foot and draw a triangle, y'all are good to decorate it.

Find the total details: Fox Face up Birthday Cake at Betty Crocker
For Kids Who Prefer Ice Cream...

...skip the cake completely and pair ice foam sandwiches with upside down cones and sprinkles.

This block merely uses four ingredients (ice cream, ice foam sandwiches, sugar cones, and chocolate topping) and takes but minutes to put together, yet would be a hit at whatsoever birthday party and looks similar yous spent a lot more time on information technology.

Find the full details: Water ice Cream Sandwich Cake at Sprinkle Bakes
Use processed molds for the ultimate Lego cake.

The secret to this Lego cake is simple - candy molds, which you fill with colored, melted chocolate for a cake that only looks tough to construct.

Find the full details: Lego Block Block at Makoodle
Go for the Drama With Extra Long Candles

What kid wouldn't dear to blow out a fix of candles almost as tall equally they are? Plus, they have a very princess-y feel, perfect for a kid (or mom) who wants to go understated rather than animated.

Discover the full details: Extra-Long Birthday Block Toppers at Olive & Cocoa
Add Gelatin Bubbling to Cupcakes

Recollect how you lot used to brand papier-mâchépiñatas with flour, water, and newspaper? These cupcakes use the same technique with gelatin and water for a pretty balloon upshot that would be a hitting at any princess party.

Find the full details: Bubble Gum Cupcakes with Gelatin Bubble at Sprinkle Bakes
Add a Row of Dum-Dums for a Pretty Fairy Cake

My kids Love going to the barber. I mean, they will talk near it for weeks before nosotros go, for ane reason - the Dum-Dums pops. They will hold still for their haircut and chat amiably with the hairdresser, all for the promise of a lollipop. Tin can you lot imagine what I could get accomplished if we had an entire cake fancied up with those suckers?

Observe the full details: Dum-Dums Sucker Block at Julep
Add together Licorice to a Simple White Cake

At first glance, this block looks really complicated, but look closer and you'll see the flowers are made of dissimilar flavors of licorice. Brilliant, right? And it would be so pretty for a trivial girl's birthday political party.

Find the full details: Twizzler Floral Cake at Handmade Charlotte
Get For a Really Large Donut

I'grand a huge fan of oversized nutrient (in fact, I dedicated a whole breakfast party to it), mainly because kids think it's hilarious. Pair this huge donut with a bunch of extra-small items (for example, OJ in tiny cups) and you have yourself a birthday for the books.

Find the full details: Donut Cake at A Subtle Carousal
Add Toys and an Piece of cake DIY Topper

Gussy up a simple block with toy animals and this easy birthday sign made from refrigerator magnets, straws, and pipage cleaners. While Oh Happy Day went with a circus theme, it'd be just equally piece of cake to put a princess or toy truck or whatsoever toy from around the house on top and call it done.

Find the full details: Carnival Cake Topper at Oh Happy Day
Add Chilling (or Funny) Eyeballs

...to a cake for a monster- or Halloween-themed altogether party.

This cake cracks me upward, and I imagine information technology would be a pretty big hit with virtually kids, especially effectually Halloween. And information technology's so easy! Simply frost Junior Mints to Oreos and then glue/frost them onto the cake. Voila!

Observe the full details: Monster Centre Cake at The Cake Weblog
Vanquish Oreos ...

...and add together some toy vehicles from around the house to a uncomplicated cake for a construction themed cake.

I know my son is non the merely kid obsessed with construction vehicles (who e'er knew I'd exist able to tell a back-hoe loader from a snowfall plough?), and he just at present tried to jump off my lap to get through the figurer screen to get at this construction cake, so I recollect it's safe to say this is a cool one.

Find the full details: Construction Block at Fredellicious
Use a Heart-Shaped Blistering Pan and a Star Tip

... to make an ambrosial doggie cake.

Okay, then y'all exercise have to really decorate this one a picayune flake, but it's about equally piece of cake equally decorating comes. You only need two heart-shaped cakes (she used a box mix to keep information technology extra elementary), buttercream frosting with some cocoa powder for coloring, and a star tip for the frosting. Easy peasy.

Easy Dog Cake past The Experimental Home
Utilize wafers, an ice foam cone, and nougat to create a circus cake.

This birthday block is probably the near labor intensive of the agglomeration and, fine, would take some patience and tools. Simply tin you lot imagine how thrilled your two-year-onetime would be to meet the panthera leo of their dreams come to life? I'll let you lot brand the call whether that thrill is worth the pain that mane might instill on your psyche.

Find the full details: Lion Block with Mane at Wilton
Create a Fairy Princess Castle

This is another 1 where at first glance information technology looks like a really tricky cake to make, just when y'all intermission it downwards it's totally doable. The towers are ice cream cones atop crackers with candy heart flags, while the drawbridge and windows are waffle cones decorated with marshmallows. Truly fit for a princess and a mom who doesn't have a ton of time.

Find the full details: Princess Castle Altogether Cake at Bondville
Create Roses for a Magical Princess Block

And so, I haven't tried out this (allegedly) super-easy frosting technique, but I have been bodacious that it only looks hard. Like really, really difficult. Similar if you lot primary it, you probably tin graduate from this blog post and go direct into creating those Olafs who take off their own heads to the cheers of legions of >birthday party goers.

Find full details here: Rose Cake at I Am Baker
Utilise a Whole Lotta Sprinkles for Maximum Bear upon

I feel like sprinkles are one of those things where y'all tin can really never have likewise many. I hateful, take you ever heard a child say, "Really, I'll take the donut with just a couple of sprinkles because as well many will definitely ruin the fun."? Of course not. That would be CRAZY because everyone knows more is more, and if yous're going to have sprinkles you might likewise actually accept sprinkles, and if you substitute shoes for sprinkles you lot'll know how I really feel.

Observe the full details: Sprinkle Cake at Endlessly Inspired
Go Full Floral for a Perfect Tea Party Cake

This is another one that I feel like gives you excellent bang for your buck. The different color flowers keep it immature plenty for a lilliputian daughter's party, while the one frosting tip makes it easy plenty that even a frosting novice tin tackle it.

Find the full details: Floral Cake at I Am Bakery
Group cupcakes together for an adorable fish altogether cake.

I'd say cupcakes are usually easier to make than a total-on cake, which is why this fish block is so perfect - you get the ease of cupcakes but the drama of a larger cake, which goes over just swimmingly in my volume.

Find the full details: Fish Cupcake Block at My Block School
Decorate Mini Cookies With Flowers for a Delectable Garden

So y'all still don't experience comfortable making a cake? No problem. How almost these ganache filled carbohydrate cookies, busy with crushed Oreos and mini flowers from Michaels that but look hard? Delish and everyone knows cookies are a lot harder to mess upwards...

Find the total details: Flower Pot Cookies from The Gunny Sack
Use Two Cakes to Create the Number 3

The best part about this cake, I guarantee, are the Chiliad&Ms that cover a multitude of mistakes, non that I would know anything about that at all.

Find the full details: 3 Birthday Cake at Enchanted Mommy
Summon the Power of Magic

...(or the power of frosting) to brand a listen-bending, anti-gravity cake.

Can y'all imagine bringing this cake out at a party? You could ride on that coolness factor for weeks (or at to the lowest degree hours). And it'southward deceptively like shooting fish in a barrel! You lot substantially band a store-bought block with Hershey confined, use frosting to "glue" the One thousand&Ms to a stick, and expect for Penn and Teller to call.

Anti-Gravity Cake past Information technology's a Fabulous Life
Recreate a Childhood Favorite

I'm not maxim these are the easiest cakes of the bunch, just I experience similar they're totally doable, especially when you see how adorable they turn out. You merely need a couple of frosting tips, some googly eyes, and a kid who understands the attraction of a grumpy practise-gooder.

Find the full details: Oscar the Grouch cupcakes from I Am Baker
Employ the Magic of Oreos to Create Owl Cupcakes

These owls are but too adorable for words. Unless information technology's "nom, nom."

Find the full details: Owl cupcakes at Raspberri Cupcakes
Give Them a Surprise With a Piñata Cake

Cake is crawly, but cake with candy in it? Seems like we simply took your party to a whole new level. (And while it's not quite as piece of cake as filling a traditional piñata with candy, it's pretty darn shut.)

Find the full details: Piñata Cake at Design Intuition
Become Totally Pink for a Fairy or Princess Party

At that place's something so light and magical almost an angel food block (I'm one of those crazies that would accept one over a chocolate cake any mean solar day). Add a little pink food coloring and you accept a block fit for a queen (or, more likely, a princess, if it'southward anything like our house).

Find the full details: Pinkish Angel Nutrient Block at Sweetapolita
Go Straight for the Sugar With a Candy Cake

I have to imagine at that place are kids out there who just aren't into cake. For them, pick a bunch of their favorite candies and create a processed cake with a literal bow on top.

Find the full details: Candy Birthday Block at Crazy Piffling Projects