Stress-Free Kids’ Birthday Cakes

Fondant Cakes are Amazing

But for us, were very stressful.

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Around here, we are celebrating birthdays all the time! One of the most fun and looked forward aspect of our children’s birthdays is their cake. They can pick the flavor, the frosting, the shape…it’s so exciting for them!

When our kids were younger, David spent hours on end on their birthday cakes, creating fun characters and delightful designs out of fondant. These cakes were so fun and our kids really enjoyed them.

Our son’s 5th birthday cake, a labor of love!

A dinosaur for our son’s 3rd birthday cake. This was certainly a masterpiece!

But they took A LOT of time, literally hours.

Something Had to Give

As our brood grew, it was just not practical nor desirable to spend so much time on a birthday cake. Many people enjoy doing this and I absolutely am in awe of their dedication and talent.

This post is for those who do not have the time, ability, or desire to spend a lot of time on creating a cake.

Stress-Free, Kid-Pleasing Birthday Cakes

What we have found our kids like just as much, if not more, is very simple.

The Prep

A few weeks before their birthday (enough time to order from Amazon 😉), we talk about their cake. First, I find out what flavor and frosting they are hoping for so I can make sure I have plenty of time to pick the basics up at the store.

Next, we talk about what they want on top of their cake. I give them choices and they usually don’t have any problem coming up with their own ideas. Shopkins, Minecraft characters, a favorite kind of candy, even lip gloss have all been popular picks! Anything that is small and will fit on the cake (and within my price range) is fair game.

Easiest Cake Ever

After you make and frost their chosen cake, all you have to do is arrange the toy or candy they chose with the candles and you are done! This is such a quick and easy alternative to the hours David would spend on cakes the first few years we had kids!

Hatchimals were our 5-year-old’s cake decoration and were a big hit!

A Decoration AND a Gift

This doubles as one of their presents and gives the kids something exciting to look at when they wake up on their birthday (I like to have their cake ready the night before so they can enjoy looking at their cake from the time they wake up).

As you can see from my cakes, I am the furthest thing from a perfectionist. I do have a disclaimer that for this particular cake, I had a lot of little helpers, lol.

I love helping my children celebrate this way because it is stress free for me. My children really enjoy having something on their cake that lasts a bit longer than the frosting does. Anything that makes life easier and less stressful is an idea worth doing in my book!