Birthday cake poll (do you buy or make?)

I love making my kids' birthday cakes. I like the challenge of making a creative cake. Just wondering if I'm normal?

 

I'm horrible at making cakes... I'd have to make it a few times before the big day just to make sure I could do it...and I don't like cake enough to try so much. However... I do love my mother's cakes...so this year I've convinced her to make a cake for the twins! Usually I just order from our local store... I have a gazillon family members who ALWAYS get together for birthdays...

 

I plan to take a cake decorating class so that I can make their cakes for them eventually. The past 2 years, I have ordered from Cold Stone!! I LOVE ice cream cakes (except DQ) and since there's no Baskin Robbins around, Cold Stone gets the sale I think it's WONDERFUL to have the skill and patience to do it. I have a girlfriend who does CRAZY AMAZING stuff for her kids cakes!

 

I made simple carrot cakes for the twins 1st birthday for them to eat - and we bought a larger cake for all the adults. The kids did not even eat their cakes, and just played with the icing. *sigh*.

This year I am making cake again, I plan on making LEGO cakes (see the Betty Crocker website), which are simple and colorful. I will make the kids their own "double nub block" cakes. Seemed fitting for their 2nd birthday. It will be easy as I won't have to do 2 separate "themes" . I will also have several other "blocks" for the adults to share.
I will have to take pictures!

I don't know if I am going to do this every year, though....

 

I don't bake. Ever. BUT, I guess I do "bake" (and I use that term loosely) a few times a year. I have made my kids' cakes, and I also like to bake a cake for my mom and husband for their birthdays. I just feel like it is such a "mom" thing to do, that I feel guilty buying their cake.

Here is a link to a picture I posted in the cooking forum of their Elmo cupcakes I made for their second birthday.

 

My best friend is great at cake decorating. I, however, buy the girls' birthday cakes.

 

I love to decorate cakes. I took the Wilton classes and also two college level cake and wedding cake decorating classes. Love it! Although I don't have time to really make them for other people nowadays.

I will definitely be making the girls' cakes.

 

I voted "other" because we do both.

On their actual birthday, I make them a cake and we have a party with just the 4 of us.

On the day of their birthday party (which most of the time won't be on their birthday but on a Saturday or something), I get a nice cake from a bakery.

Eventually I will probably be making 2 cakes and buying 2 cakes once they are older and want their own special cake.

 

I do make them a cake on their b-day for our family to enjoy. However, for b-day parties I do buy them because we need a big cake as we both have large families.

 

I have always bought. Even when we didn't throw a big party they still like to pick out a cake from the pictures. This year we had to have 2 different cakes. I know I would never have the time to do that & plan a party & keep the kids busy.

 

I voted that we pay for someone to make it....However, I am talking a cake decorating class right now and how to take the other classes available so that I can make my boys' cake and cakes for friends.

 

I made their cakes for their 1st b-day, but I've bought them every year since then. I had big plans to make them these really cool, elaborate cakes this year...didn't quite happen! Maybe next year!

 

I made their 1st Birthday cakes and plan to continue the trend. My mother always made our cakes and she's done some great ones (not to mention all of the decorated sugar cookies at Christmas). I usually helped. So, even though I've never had a class, I'm pretty comfortable with a piping bag. Besides, I bought myself a very nice tool kit so now I have to justify the purchase by using it.

I already know what their 2nd birthday cakes will be.

 

quote:
Originally posted by debid:
I made their 1st Birthday cakes and plan to continue the trend. My mother always made our cakes and she's done some great ones (not to mention all of the decorated sugar cookies at Christmas). I usually helped. So, even though I've never had a class, I'm pretty comfortable with a piping bag. Besides, I bought myself a very nice tool kit so now I have to justify the purchase by using it.

I already know what their 2nd birthday cakes will be.


Oh my gosh, that is the cutest idea ever!! Love the little bananas. How did you make them? Great job!

 

So far I've made them. This year we actually did cupcakes, because their birthday was on a Saturday so we were having a party on that day (that got postponed because Elliot was sick).

I did take a cake decorating class several years ago, but don't really remember much from it. What I do remember is that the woman who taught the class charges A LOT of money for her cakes, and they were beautiful, but they were made from Dunkin Hines cake mix and frosting made entirely from Crisco . . . so they didn't actually taste very good. She gave me a hard time because I made my frosting for the class out of butter, which is a little harder to work with and you'll never get a true white frosting out of it . . . but at least it tasted better (and no trans fats, although I don't think that was a buzz word back when I took the class).

I'd like to take the class again so I can remember how to do all the fancy things like roses.

-Rachel

 

I have made their cakes both years. Year 1 was Cookie Monster, they each had their own cookie monster and then there was another on top of the sheet cake my sil made. This year was Pooh. I am not the greatest at doing the decorating, but I am working on it. I would love to take one of the classes. My mom always made our cakes (until we were older and wanted the Baskin Robbins ones) and I just like to try it.

 

We've only done this once, and I bought (cupcakes, actually). If we do cupcakes again, I may make them myself -- for the first birthday, I was trying to keep my output of energy to a minimum.

But for big cakes, I'd rather pay someone -- I'm just not very creative. Plus we live at altitude, and the few times I have made a cake, it's been about 2 inches tall.

But if that's what you enjoy, go for it!

 

I voted "other" because we do both. I made individual mini-cakes for them last year (and will do the same thing this year). But, I bought a cake for all the party guests. Last year I made simple round cakes with a stencil of the number "1" on them (out of colored sugar). This year I am making them each an elmo cake... but I will get the cake for the guests from Wegmans bakery. I LOVE to bake (in my next life I would like to own a small bakery/cafe...) so I'm really looking forward to making their cakes.

-Catherine

 

I voted "other" because I do like to make cakes, but have ended up having them made by a bakery for both of their birthday parties so far. In all the organizing and other cooking it just has seemed like the sane thing to do. But in the future I plan to make them myself...maybe...sometimes...or whatever they want...

 

Because of Jonathan's allergies I have to make his cake but I buy one for Grace and everyone else to eat Otherwise I would be buy one all the way.

 

I would love to bake it myself, but since I am always the one in charge of getting everything ready for the party I never have the time. So we usually order it at Costco (they make YUMMY cakes!).