Birthday cakes are so universal that it’s stands out from other desserts (i.e., ice cream or chocolate). However, instead of a regular round cake with a numbered candle on it, why not go all out this year and do something truly remarkable? Whether it’s for you or someone you love, make this a birthday to remember with these stunning cake ideas!

Why is Cake So Common for Birthdays?

The idea of cakes on one’s birthday is so engrained in our culture that it’s easy to assume that cake was always part of the experience. However, if you go back a few hundred years, birthdays didn’t really have the pomp and circumstance that they do today. So, that begs the question – when did cakes and birthdays start coming together like peanut butter and jelly?

It all started in the Middle Ages in Germany. When celebrating a child’s birthday (which they called Kinderfest), it was tradition to bring the child a cake with a candle to represent every year of their life, including an extra candle for the upcoming year.

However, since this was the Middle Ages, parents combined the practice of giving gifts and cake by making the treat the present. Presumably, after the cake was served, guests would go back to work the fields since there were no presents to open.

Fortunately, we’re living in modern times with amazing gifts and even better cakes!

Best Birthday Cake Ideas

Just because a cake covered in candles is traditional doesn’t mean it’s the best option. In fact, cakes are much more complex and awe-inspiring today than in the past, so why not take advantage? Here are some relatively simple yet incredible birthday cake ideas you can use for your next celebration.

Letter or Number Cakes

Putting a wax number on a candle is so last century. In modern times, it’s much better to create a number out of a cake and use that as the base for serving guests. Letters can be as big or small as necessary, and they can be covered in treats like macarons, flowers, chocolates, candies, and more.

Alternatively, using the first letter of the person’s name (or the first and last letter, if you like) can make the experience even more unique and enjoyable.

Shaped Cakes

Although letters and numbers are creative, why stop there? Cakes can come in all shapes and sizes to reflect the birthday person’s interests. For example, if they love Batman, why not get a cake shaped like the Batman logo? If they love the sea life AKA salt life, why not have a mermaid-shaped or anchor-shaped cake? Birthdays only come around once a year – now’s the time to let your creativity shine!

Mini Cakes

No, we’re not talking about cupcakes. Mini cakes are fully-formed cakes that just happen to be smaller. The advantage of these cakes is that they are individually sized to your needs. Plus you can buy a few mini cakes to accompany a large cake for a complete, beautiful and fun dessert table.