Let Them Eat (Birthday) Cake!

By Jamie Wyatt

We’ve all seen photos, taken by doting relatives, of babies enjoying their first birthday cakes. Crumbs and frosting adorn cute baby faces, and surrounding objects! What happens to the "birthday cake tradition" after first birthdays?

Many families no longer bake their own birthday cakes, preferring instead to use delicious bakery and grocery store alternatives. Professional bakers’ offer custom photograph cakes, trademarked character cakes, and other personalized options, many of which are beyond the scope of home bakers.

Usually, children (and adults) choose their own flavors and icing colors. Children often request themed cakes (e.g. Super Hero cake, Princess Cake, etc.)

For children, Cookie Cakes and cupcakes are popular substitutes for traditional cakes. Decadent adult picks are cheesecakes, brownies, and other traditional desserts with candles, as a nod toward birthday tradition.

Other cake alternatives include ice cream cakes, ice cream sandwiches made from cookies shaped to match party themes, cakes baked in ice cream cones, and “dirt cake”-- complete with cookie crumb dirt, fake flowers, and gummy worms—served in mini flower pots.

Many families have favorite cakes, which are traditionally served for birthdays and special occasions. Snowball Cake, Dirt Cake, and Red Velvet Cake are several with which I am familiar.

My mother always made “Bonnie Butter Cake with Fudge Icing” for birthdays and special occasions. Now, so do I, because my family requests it! We start our birthdays with cake for breakfast; but that’s a tradition for another column!

MAMA’S FUDGE ICING (A sugary fudge icing that hardens.)

2-squares unsweetened baking chocolate
½-cup milk
2-cups sugar
1-stick butter
1-teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter & chocolate; stir in sugar & milk. Heat and stir till sugar melts. Boil to soft ball (5-6 minutes) without stirring. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Stir till cool enough to put on cake. It hardens FAST!

Jamie Wyatt a writer, speaker, retreat planner, editor, Bible teacher, and ballroom dancer. She loves to speak to church and secular groups encouraging "Joy on the Journey of Life"!