Decoration ideas for children's cakes

[Franci]

Cakes decorated with fondant or sugar paste are something I really don't like. In looking for cute ideas to decorate my kid's cakes for parties I found these ideas and to me are very cute for a little girl cake

 

This

This

This

This

 

I'm neither this talented nor creative. I looked very hard for similar ideas without much luck. Any suggestions on books or websites?

[rajoress]

Franci - I suggest The Whimsical Bakehouse cookbook.  They have very creative ideas for cakes for all ages! Many of the decorations are made just with colored white chocolate or you can even use candy melts if you don't want to temper and they have great ideas and a few templates. I've used many of their ideas and their recipes.

Best of luck!

Ruth

[Darienne]

Franci,  I've seen your work for quite some time now and I beg to differ with you on your opinion of yourself.   :wub:

[CatPoet]

My picture is a monster cake I made. Lemon and licorice  since my brother loves that.

I seldom use  sugar paste, because  in Sweden   cakes should be tasty and not stunning  and I am not used to it.

 

 

 

This is  my daughter's  2 year cake a gruffalo cake ,   The rocks are cookie crumb fudge and looks like stones, easy to make and  tasted lovely ,  we couldnt get hold of green marzipan for the snake and used sugar paste, it tasted horrible.  The logs are Swiss rolls with fudge cream inside. then there is whipped ganache and cookie crumbs as dirt and some butter cream grass ontop of a sponge.  People really loved it. And the bulrush can be eaten too.

 

This year I am pondering to use the  stones again,  cookie crumbs as dirt and  then  butter cream or marzipan and make flowers, like bit of turf.    Or a  do a   princess cake  ( that is a typical Swedish cake) and make it look like  destructo spud  ( brownie points for who figures out the game).

[GlorifiedRice]

http://auntyyochana.blogspot.com/

 

^^Aunty Yochana

[CatPoet]

Found the recipe for the rocks  http://www.hungryhappenings.com/2012/06/my-dad-rocks-edible-fudge-rocks-for.html

[Franci]

Franci - I suggest The Whimsical Bakehouse cookbook. 

[CatPoet]

FRanci: what is your idea of a birthday cake?

 

In Sweden it most often sponge cake, jam, vanilla pudding and whipped cream  or banana mashed, chocolate pudding and whipped cream and crushed chocolate candy on top.

[Deryn]

How about cake pops, Franci? Reasonably fast and easy to make, easy to decorate (just dip them in melted chocolate/fake chocolate and then in various pretty coloured sugars or other decorating bits), limited in size so the kids won't eat too much cake, easy to serve and clean up after, etc., etc. Don't bother to make the intricately decorated ones. I tried those and they can look awful unless you want to spend days on each one (don't ask me how I know!). But, if you haven't already used cake pops before, they might work for at least one birthday year anyway. Failing that, cupcakes with pretty sprinkles on top or paper flags on sticks - perhaps on some kind of interesting stand or serving platter.

 

When my kids were small, I made them each very special cakes for their birthdays, based on what their particular interests were, the party theme, or what was appropriate for their age. I spent days playing with stuff like that - only to have it not really admired by the recipients and they were demolished in seconds. At one point I even went so far as to buy a new printer, send for edible icing sheets and design/print out pictures to put on the cakes. I made log cabin cakes, princess cakes, sand castle and under the sea cakes, hockey themed cakes, you name it and I had fun doing them (which is a good thing because honestly, the kids didn't much care). But, the upshot was I really was only doing it for ME. Since you don't particularly care to fiddle with that sort of thing, I suggest you use the KISS principle.

 

I think the links you showed, particularly the one that used the corn flakes to make a tree, are wonderful. I would go with that sort of thing if I were you. Make a 'picture' that suits/illustrates the particular birthday child's interests on top of a simple butter-cream iced cake. Good luck.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[ChocoMom]

Franci,

 

Darienne is absolutely right!  Your work is beautiful. 

 

I've done cake decorating since high school when I took a class on it.  There's so many neat ideas out there now that make great substitutes instead of using frosting for everything, and a bazillion icing tips and tools. (Like chow-mien noodles for a lion's mane....who would've thought?!)

 

The caterpillar cupcakes are fun and can be done in any color combo...like hot pink and lime green (my daughters' favorites)--and you can make them as long as you like- if there's lots of guests. You can use color sanding sugar for a little sparkle.http://www.wilton.com/idea/Caterpillar-Cupcakes

 

The gumdrop- butterfly cake is a great one too....as you can use lots of different color combos:  ...http://www.parenting.com/gallery/31-awesome-birthday-cake-designs?page=23

 

Lady bugs:  http://www.parenting.com/gallery/31-awesome-birthday-cake-designs?page=28

 

The purse:  http://www.parenting.com/gallery/31-awesome-birthday-cake-designs?page=33

 

Flower cakes: http://www.wilton.com/idea/Just-Peachy-Keen-Celebration-Cake    This is just a basic idea.  The sides look nice, with the simple candy pearls.  For the top, if you don't like it, it can be changed.   My favorite things to use are pansies or berries, and mint leaves.  I brush them with egg white, and coat in sugar. They dry 24 hours (or more), then are used in place of the icing-flowers and leaves.

 

You can always make a ganache-icing, then top with candied flowers, leaves or berries.   

 

Fondant is one of my least favorite choices to use, so I avoid it.   Can't stand the stuff.

 

Just a few ideas---nothing too too fancy, (even though I'm certain you'd create something far more intricate and beautiful!)

[Mjx]

Is marzipan an option? There is an Italian bio marzipan that you can sometimes find at Whole Foods (I can't remember the name at the moment) that is really pleasant to work with (holds a high level of detail, and does not slump), and tastes lovely (assuming you like marzipan).

[Franci]

FRanci: what is your idea of a birthday cake?

 

I'm very particular about it what kind of dessert I like. Generally don't want to bake a cake I wouldn't eat myself. I'll make you laugh. The dessert I dislike most is tiramisu.

I recognize that people aspect more than a rustic apple tarte for a birthday. So, in my mind is a genoise, or a moister cake, like almonds cake, with some cream or ganache or custard or fruit. A very good butter cream I can tolerate just small amounts of whipped cream (mixed with pastry cream for ex or zabaglione). I like pouring ganache but not whipped. And as decoration, I like it simple.

 

Franci,

 

Darienne is absolutely right!  Your work is beautiful. 

 

Just a few ideas---nothing too too fancy, (even though I'm certain you'd create something far more intricate and beautiful!)

 

Thanks Chocomom, you are too kind. Those cakes in fact are too complicated for me. I have something in mind, I just wanted to come with some decoration ideas to make it look a bit nicer.

And this time I'm baking 2 cakes, also for a 2 years old boy, son of a friend.

For my daughter I was thinking of something like THIS or THIS, not as tall, I don't like tall cakes.

 

Is marzipan an option? There is an Italian bio marzipan that you can sometimes find at Whole Foods (I can't remember the name at the moment) that is really pleasant to work with (holds a high level of detail, and does not slump), and tastes lovely (assuming you like marzipan).

Brilliant, why didn't I think about it.

 

 

I think the links you showed, particularly the one that used the corn flakes to make a tree, are wonderful. I would go with that sort of thing if I were you. Make a 'picture' that suits/illustrates the particular birthday child's interests on top of a simple butter-cream iced cake. Good luck.

. But, the upshot was I really was only doing it for ME. Since you don't particularly care to fiddle with that sort of thing, I suggest you use the KISS principle.

 

Thanks Deryn, a lot of work into your kids' birthdays! I do perfectly understand the about ME thing, I do the same for my food (not pastry, luckily).  I had to google KISS principle. Smart.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Franci (log)

[Deryn]

How about a birthday dessert pizza?

 

Shortbread crust (either regular or chocolate) baked (ahead of the party/day) on a pizza pan (pressed in is fine) and decorated with whatever the kids like (heck, you can let them decorate their own) - fresh fruits work well (berries and kiwi are especially good), coconut, or candy (if you must) and then drizzle the top with caramel and/or white or chocolate chocolate, cut in wedges and eat.

 

Even adults love this. I did it as a demo for a bunch of seniors a while back and it was their favorite thing in the whole series of demos.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[CatPoet]

Then Franci, make that type of cake for your child, it doesnt always have to be as mad as mine, it can be low key and  still cute.    What does the birthday kid like?   I have a friend who has  nearly every year for her birthday  her grandmother's cherry pie    and my mum, she has waffles  with cream and cloud berries  , she is born on waffle day.

 

The reason for the 2 year cake was that my mum who never believe I can do anything and all I do is a waste of money and time, was over and  well I just had to make it.     The year before we had muffin cake .

 

This is  sugar paste cake  I made.  I would rather have done a glace on this one but  the girl wanted a fox cake.

 

 

The inside looked like this,   saffron cake  and chocolate ganache, we just made swiss roll and rolled the cake up in a cake pan, so it be came vertical layers.

 

 

This biscuit  bottom, caramel , peanutbutterbuttercream,  chocolate ganache and peanuts.   Still works as kid cake.   In Sweden we have cakes with cookie like bottoms.

 

 

This is a old fashion cake, it is   eggcream with praline and  cookie like bottom and a marzipan covering  and this was made for a friend's son  birthday.

 

 

This is  another birthday cake,  could cake, with  ganache and  chocolate buttons and a polar bear.

[jmacnaughtan]

If you want to keep it really simple, you could just do a plain white icing.  Make a template of whatever design the kids like out of cardboard or plastic, then dust or paint it over the top.

 

For kids' birthday cakes, you don't even really need a design/decoration.  Just make some sort of icing or glaze and make sure you get the right number of candles on top

 

If you need a reliable glaze or icing recipe, I can pass you one of mine.

[Franci]

How about a birthday dessert pizza?

[CatPoet]

Or you could  do a chocolate genoise cake, filled it with  ducle de leche mixed with a bit of whipped cream and then cover in chocolate ganache and use smarties or similar chocolate buttons for the pattern around the cake?

[ChrisZ]

The Australian Woman's Weekly (a magazine that also publishes lots of cook books) published a book of children's birthday cakes in 1980. It was a huge hit and sold over half a million copies. It is still being reprinted over 30 years later.
The book is part of many Australian's childhood. It was a big thing for kids in the 80's to choose which cake they wanted from THE BOOK.  Practically every family had a copy.  It was such a big thing that a stand-up comedian has recently done an entire show devoted to talking about the birthday cakes in the book. Certainly I remember having big discussions in the school playground about which cake in the book had the most lollies on it - there was one called "sweet shop" that looked impressive but I always wanted the "piano" because it used white chocolate as piano keys.

The cakes are designed to be decorated by home cooks using biscuits and lollies that are easily found in supermarkets.

If you were super keen you could probably order the book from outside Australia, but otherwise just google "womans weekly birthday cakes" and you will see lots of results.

 

I'm getting nostalgic just thinking about it.  I was recently given a new copy of the book as a gift and I'm already looking forward to making the cakes in it for my children.

[jmacnaughtan]

Thanks for the offer.

I'm forming slowly a plan in my mind. I think I'll run a test next week. For the little boy, I'm thinking of a chocolate genoise, maybe just filled with some apricot jam or orange marmalade and covered with white glaze from Paco Torreblanca:

 

600 g white chocolate

250 g milk

50 g glucose

7,9 g gelatin

vanilla

 

Melt the chocolate. Warm the milk and glucose, add the soaked gelatin. Pour the milk over the chocolate and mix with an immersion blender without whipping air. Pour at 29-30 C over the cake.

Does it should ok to you?

 

For my daughter I'm undecided if I should go with a genoise and yogurt mousse filling (plus strawberries), mousse to top (or icing? I'll gladly get your recipe, thanks!) and a bouquets of strawberry roses. Or I'm actually considering a tres leches cake.

[Franci]

Thanks Chris, so funny to hear about children picking their own cake. My mom, although has a huge sweet tooth, couldn't bake anything. I'm afraid my children coming and pointing to a cake!

ah, ah.

 

 

The icing recipe I normally use is this one.  It's a little more technical than most home-style ones, but it's a lot lighter, smoother, more attractive and easier to use.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Franci (log)

[Franci]

I did a first trial. It could be better, much better. 

 

I made a genoise with a bit of butter for the base part. For the filling, I made a white ganache (50% white chocolate, 50% strawberry pure, plus some freeze dried strawberry powder). I cut small some strawberries dressed with freeze dried strawberry powder, 10X sugar and lemon juice. I drained the strawberries and added the liquid (very little to be honest) to a sugar syrup, some lime juice  and more strawberry powder to soak the genoise. I didn't soak the sponge  enough. Today is better than yesterday but still... And I find the syrup to be too sweet.

Also the strawberry ganache I'm not a huge fan (my children liked it). I want to try this one instead: 300 g white chocolate, 100 g cream, 150 g strawberry pure, 40 freeze dried strawberry powder. 

Also, I grazed with the creme au beurre but I think I'd prefer so much more a simple lemon glaze with powdered sugar and lemon. And likely I'll go with that.

And maybe I'll soak the cake in a lemon syrup instead to cut on the sweetness

 

Edited February 2, 2015 by Franci (log)

[CatPoet]

May I come with a suggestion?  Why not do two separate layers of flavour  bottom one with mashed up strawberries ( this will soak in to the sponge) and one with white chocolate ganache?.   I never soak my sponges, because I make one that doesnt need to be soaking wet to taste good, except from the fruit juices.

[Franci]

May I come with a suggestion?  Why not do two separate layers of flavour  bottom one with mashed up strawberries ( this will soak in to the sponge) and one with white chocolate ganache?.   I never soak my sponges, because I make one that doesnt need to be soaking wet to taste good, except from the fruit juices.

 

Sure, thanks CatPoet, I appreciate your help.  Maybe that is a good way to cut the sweetness.

[Deryn]

I think your trial cake looks lovely, and tasty, Franci - even though it may not have satisfied adult tastes. I cannot tell you that I ever really liked the (taste of the) cakes I made for my kids - but they did. They were always too sweet for me, especially the icing. I froze the remains if there were any and the kids had a piece here and there over time till they were gone.

[Franci]

Thanks Deryn, you are so right. My son loved this cake so much that he doesn't want me to change a thing about it, except making a little nicer on top. My daughter, who is the party girl, this time, doesn't care as much but the fact she almost ate a full slice means that is good enough for her. So, I guess it's not about our own taste