Making Your Own Birthday Cake

Tomorrow is my daughter's 5th birthday!  So, as a tradition in my family, that means we will be making some kind of fun cake.

Here are some of the fun cakes I've made for my kids in the past:

Vaeh's first with a lady bug

Joby's 2nd birthday with Funshine Bear

Joby's first birthday with a caterpillar

Vaeh's 3rd birthday with a box of crayons

Vaeh's 4th birthday with a princess castle

Wondering where Vaeh's 2nd birthday cake is?

Obviously, I did not make this.  The reason we bought it was because she was in LOVE with Kung Fu Panda.  I think my thought process was, "I can't make Kung Fu Panda, so I guess I'll just buy it".  Yeah, never again!  That cake cost me $20 some dollars and wasn't very big.  I usually spend at the most half of that, but usually closer to $5-8.

Not only is making your own cake cheaper, but you can do something specific for your child, and its FUN!  My kids always get into it with me and always pick what they want.

You don't need fancy equipment.  A plastic ziploc bag with the corner cut out will suffice for doing designs on most simple cakes.  However, if you want something with more fun designs like on Vaeh's castle cake I think you can get a set of cake decorating tips at walmart for not too much.  I just borrow my sister in law's set. (Thanks again Lisa!)  I also have a cousin who will take a picture of Dora, or some other character and do some kind of transfer paper.  They look awesome!  I've never done it, but here's a tutorial for those interested.

This year I am going to be making something like this:

Stay tuned to see how they turn out!