There is no doubt about it, Novelty Birthday Cakes are a great addition to any special birthday occasion.  They make the guest of honour feel special, create a great excitement among guests and are a lot of fun.

While it is possible to buy a novelty cake, a homemade creation is always going to be more appreciated.  Taking the time to create something for the birthday person that says something about them, is a special birthday gift in itself.

And the great thing is, creating a novelty birthday cakes is not that difficult to do.  Bring a bit of creative flair to the table and follow the steps below and you’ll be well on your way.

Take some time to brainstorm ideas for the cake.  Note down what the birthday guest is interested in – hobbies, interests and likes.  Right there will be a list you can start to narrow down.  Also talk to the them, even if you think you know them well, to dig out any other ideas.  Once you’ve done this, decide on a theme that would be great for the cake and start to work on creating something special.

Do some research and start to get some ideas on how the cake might look and what you might need to create it.  There are plenty of resources out there – the internet, magazines, specialty cake stores.  From here, write down a ‘recipe’ for the cake listing the ingredients and method for it’s construction.

Now it’s time to bake the actual cake.  Use a recipe that produces a dense cake – a light, fluffy sponge style cake is unlikely to withstand the decoration required.  If the thought of baking is in itself daunting, you can use a packet mix(es). Heck, you can even buy the cake if you need to and create your magic from there.  Another option to get the shape you desire is to actually bake the cake in a shaped pan.  There are many shapes, sizes and styles availabe for sale and hire.

Once the cake is cooked and cooled carve it into the shape you want if necessary.  It is important to take your time here and it may be a good idea to create a stencil and use that as a guide to cut the knife .  Use a good quality, strong serrated knife for the major carving and a smaller fine knife for any details   Dont discard any leftover bits because you may need to use these for adding other detail.

Finally, decorating and icing the cake is where the real artistry comes into play.  Again, depending on your skill level you can choose a variety of decorating techniques.  Fondant or ready rolled icing produces a smooth finish and decorations can be cut and crafted to any shape.   Good old buttercream icing can be just as effective – simply use colourings, a spatula and piping bag to create a masterpiece!    There are also a plethora of cake toppers you can look at to add the finishing touches to your cake.

Making a novelty birthday cake can be a lot of fun and there is no right or wrong way to go about it.  The best thing is the birthday guest feels honoured because you have taken the time to create something that says something about them, and that’s special.

So have a go at making your own novelty cakes.  They are easy to make at home and you’ll be glad that you did.