Save the party stress, I have a heap of ideas for easy Birthday cakes for kids!
Birthdays are a wonderful and exciting time but all too often us Mums put too much pressure on ourselves to make it ‘perfect’. (I mean, what is perfection anyways?!).
There are some amazing bakers and cake decorators out there. Hi, hello, you are truly inspirational and I am in awe of you!
But for those of you (myself included) who aren’t naturally gifted in cake making – stop putting pressure and painstaking hours into something that may not bring you as much joy as you were hoping.
We do, however, still want to come up with an amazing cake it just needs to be a piece of cake, right?!
If this is you… I have a solution for you! This round-up is sure to give you some great ideas on how to cheat the Insta-worthy cake decorating so you can focus your efforts elsewhere.
I mean… you’re probably organising a party of sorts right now (or simply parenting!) so there are many other tasks you have going on at the moment!
Once you’ve finished drooling over these cakes, I can help you with other aspects of your party too! Whether it’s to help with fun games and activities for a kid’s party, perhaps it’s helpful tips on hanging party decorations or even some tips on planning a party at home.
Let’s get into those easy-peasy cakes and cake-decorating hacks below.
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Table of Contents
Easy Birthday Cakes for Kids: Basic Tips
To get started I’ll list some of the basic tips I’ve learnt along the way when it comes to making easy Birthday cakes for my own kids.
- Decorate a plain frosted/iced store-bought cake
- Buy sponge cakes from the supermarket, cut them into your shapes and frost
- If baking your cake, save time with a box/packet mix
- Bake cakes and freeze them ahead of time
- Don’t forget cupcakes! Buy or make your own
- Use pre-made frosting from the supermarket
- Buying/making cake toppers
- Using edible store-bought cake decorations
- Using toys as cake toppers
- Downloading printable cake toppers
One of my favourite ways to add a theme to a kid’s Birthday cake is to simply add toys. At some point, my kids started asking for Monster Truck cakes or Hotwheels cakes expecting that they’d be getting new toys once the cake had been eaten!
The great thing about using toys however is that you don’t need to go and buy them, I’m sure your kids already have plenty of options! And it’s always nice to be able to save some money around Birthdays.
Printable cake toppers are also another of my go-to cheats for making easy Birthday cakes for kids. I even design and sell my own! You’ll find them scattered through this post and some of my other party posts here on the blog.
There are so many printable designs out there that you can instantly download some to suit just about any theme. Just be careful lighting candles near the paper of course!
Easy Birthday Cakes for Kids: Decorating
Rainbow Doodle Cake
Grab yourself some edible markers to draw your designs on your cake. Even the kids can decorate the cake with their own artwork! This rainbow doodle cake was made by Rosie Alyea who also shares the recipe for her rainbow layer cake.
- Get the recipe above OR
- Purchase a plain white frosted one from your local cake store or supermarket
- Shop edible food markers
Candy Overload Decorating
Frost the top of a sponge cake then simply overload it with colourful candies and treats! Such a fun idea, you could add treats in your own colour palette or theme (eg. lots of dinosaur jellies and leaves for a dinosaur party).
- Buy plain sponge cakes from the supermarket and layer with frosting/cream
Candy Covered Cake
I wanted to show you another example of a gorgeous candy-covered cake from Chelsea from Lovely Indeed. Another super fun example of letting your imagination run wild (in the candy aisle!).
- Bake your own cake or buy sponges and layer OR
- Purchase a plain cake from your local cake store or supermarket
Simple Textured Sprinkle Cake
An easy Birthday cake for kids – I love the texture of the buttercream and the simplicity of just sprinkles on this funfetti cake from Jenna of Butternut Bakery.
- Get the recipe from the link above OR
- Purchase a plain buttercream cake from your local cake store or supermarket
Giant Donut Cake
This super easy Birthday cake is from Alicia of The Baker Upstairs. You can check out her suggestions for a recipe using a ring pan to bake the donut shape cake. Then spoon frosting and add sprinkles! It looks very Simpson-esk!
Cookie Cutter Hack
Add any number, letter or shape to your cake by placing a cookie cutter on the cake and filling it with sprinkles. I love this easy numeral sprinkle cake from Risk Escuela Culinaria.
- Make your own stencil from paper using this method
- Don’t forget negative space and sprinkle the outside of the cookie cutter instead of the inside
- Purchase a plain cake from your local cake store or supermarket instead of baking one
Froot Loops Cake
Easy to add a splash of colour, I love how Olivia from Liv for Cake has crumbled Froot Loops on top of her magnificent Froot Loops cake.
- Purchase a plain cake from your local cake store or supermarket if you don’t want to bake one
Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
No cooking or baking is required for this amazing ice cream sandwich cake from Heather of Sprinkle Bakes.
Rainbow Fish Cake
The Rainbow Fish was one of my favourite books when I was growing up! I even made a cake just like this for one of my kids (sadly no photos though). This Rainbow Fish cake is from Woman’s Weekly (you can check out their tutorial at that link). This was a nice easy Birthday cake – I cut a couple of store-bought sponges, frosted them and decorated them with an assortment of lollies/candies.
Nerf Bullseye Cake
My son had a Dart Wars Nerf party for his 9th Birthday. Since I had lots of other things going on, I asked my mum to make his cake but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t too much trouble for her. She baked and iced a chocolate cake, and used KitKats around the edge (secured with a piece of ribbon). She put M&Ms in the shape/colours of a bullseye with a dart in the middle. He loved it!
Colourful Rainbow Cake
A store-bought cake, skittles, mini marshmallows and frosting is all you need for this fun rainbow cake from Carol of My Bored Toddler.
Candy-Covered Basketball Cake
Whip up this easy Birthday cake for kids (bake or buy one!) with a selection of candies. Randi from Dukes & Duchesses made her Basketball cake using Reece’s Pieces candies (M&Ms would work too!).
Funfetti Pancakes
I love this idea as an alternative to a traditional cake, plus it’s great for early morning celebrations! Michael from Inspired by Charm gives you the details on how he made his funfetti pancakes with sprinkles. He drizzled frosting, and added sprinkles and a sparkler for a special Birthday effect!
Donut Tower Cake
Always a crowd pleaser and so easy! Grab some store-bought donuts to make this colourful donut cake tower. Lisa included sparklers or printable party flags for extra pizazz.
Easy Birthday Cakes for Kids: Toppers
Balloon Garland Cake Topper
Add some easy colour to your cake with some a garland of small balloons!
- Make your own with balloons, skewers and twine OR
- Shop balloon garland cake topper
DIY Tassel Balloon Cake Topper
Here’s another example of how to use balloons for an easy Birthday cake. Lisa from We Are Scout made her tassel balloon cake topper with half-inflated small balloons.
- Make your own (check out the tutorial link above) OR
- Shop balloon garland cake topper
- Bake your cake or purchase a plain one from your local cake store or supermarket
Paper Straw Message Cake
There are some gorgeous patterned straws out there, Brittni from Paper and Stitch has used some to come up with this simple paper straw message cake topper.
- Bake your cake or purchase a plain white one from your local cake store or supermarket
Macaroon Toppers
Okay, let’s look past the fact that this cake is for a 30th Birthday and isn’t an easy Birthday cake for kids haha. It’s a really good idea from Sharon at Cupcakes & Cutlery. She has used an edible marker to write messages on macaroons, then stuck them into the cake with popsticks. Instant easy macaroon cake topper!
- Bake your cake or purchase a plain one from your local cake store or supermarket
- Shop black edible ink marker
Pom Pom Birthday Cake Topper
With some coordinating candles you can make these colourful pom pom toppers for your Birthday cake. A brilliant idea from Amy at Delineate Your Dwelling.
- Bake your cake or purchase a plain white one from your local cake store or supermarket
- Add a colourful trim around the base and top with sprinkles if needed
Party Hats Birthday Cake
Such an easy Birthday cake for kids, add some colour to your cake with these party hat cake toppers.
- Easily make your own from patterned scrapbook paper (in your own colour theme too) OR
- Shop colourful party hat cake toppers
Mini Paper Chain DIY
Have some fun with a miniature paper chain topper for your Birthday cake! Get Chiara’s tutorial on how she made this back-to-school cake topper.
Twisted Candles Cake
Using candles as the feature of your Birthday cake is another simple idea. This fun twisted candles cake is a DIY from LIz at Pretty Life Girls.
- Bake your cake or purchase a plain white one from your local cake store or supermarket
- Shop twisted cake candles
Pawty Dogs Cake Toppers
I had to show you this easy Birthday cake for kids that I “made” for my son’s 6th Birthday Dog Pawty. I purchased a cake from the supermarket and threw some sprinkles at it. Then I taped printable party dog cake toppers to skewers. All sorted, no stress!
DIY Sprinkled Number Cake Topper
Whilst this particular cake may or may not be easy to make and decorate yourself, I love the cake topper! The clever Whitney from Sugar & Sparrow uses candy melts and sprinkles to make this fun sprinkled number cake topper.
DIY Tissue Tassel Topper
Add some colour to a simple store-bought cake with this DIY tissue tassel cake topper from Mindy at See Vanessa Craft.
Gamer Cake Toppers
I designed a colourful gamer-themed party for another of my son’s Birthdays. These gamer cake toppers are a printable that you can print at home and then stick to skewers with tape. I purchased the cake from the supermarket and added sprinkles. It was definitely one of the easiest cakes I’ve done!
- Shop gamer cake toppers
- Shop gamer party printables
Pom Pom Cake Topper
Such a simple and easy cake topper to make. You could just add a bunch of these single pom pom toppers together or make your own paper flags.
Happy Birthday Flag Toppers
Add these fun flag cake toppers to your Birthday cake!
- Easily make these from washi tape and permanent marker OR
- Shop Happy Birthday flag cake toppers
Face Photograph Cake Toppers
Cut a heap of black and white photographs of the Birthday child and add some cute colourful party hats. Kelsey Bang made these personalized cupcake toppers for her daughter’s Birthday.
- Make your own from the tutorial at the link above OR
- Shop personalised party hat toppers
Heart Skewer Toppers
Such a simple yet effective DIY using cardboard shapes and skewers. Jessica from Pen + Paper Flowers put together a beautiful party with this easy cake with cardstock heart skewers.
- Use a paper punch or cutting machine to create any shape
- Don’t forget patterned or textured card for something a little different
- Shop glitter heart cake toppers
DIY Garland Cake Topper
Make an easy miniature garland by sewing paper shapes and attaching to skewers or straws. Sara from Tell, Love and Party shows you how she made her garland cake topper – you could use other shapes besides circles too!
Easy Birthday Cakes for Kids: Toys
Dinosaur Toy Birthday Cake
Cute little dinosaurs and three simple candles is all Rachelle from Tuesdays with Jacob used for her son’s 3rd Dinosaur party.
- Raid your kid’s toys for these OR
- Purchase dinosaurs from your local discount or toy store
Camo Army Cake
Pipe different colour icing to make the camo pattern on this camo army cake. Then Rachel from Six Clever Sisters simply decorated it with army vehicles and an army soldier (but you could put more on too!).
Party Animal Topper Sprinkle Cake
Using colourful sprinkles is one of my favourite ways to create impact with simple cakes! Rachel had a party animal Birthday for her daughter with this adorable animal topper sprinkle cake.
- The banner topper would be easy to DIY with washi tape OR
- Shop Etsy’s selection of banner cake toppers
- Your local discount/toy store may have some animals (you could spray paint them to suit the colour scheme)
- Shop these cute animal cake toppers.
Zebra Sprinkle Cake
If the option above looks like too much work, you could try something similar to this zebra sprinkle cake from Liggy’s Cake Co (or you could order one from them if they’re near you!).
- Your local discount/toy store may have a zebra (you could spray paint him to suit the colour scheme)
- Shop an adorable party zebra topper
Construction Toy Birthday Cake
There are some fun ways to make a construction cake (I made one once but can’t find the evidence!). Kathy from Merriment Design made this easy construction cake, adding some ‘boulders’ and vehicles to the top.
Monster Truck Toy Cake
I’ve made one of these for my boys before but again, the photos escape me! I love what Jasmine from Feeling Nifty has done with her monster truck cake. She dug part of the cake out and mixed Oreos and frosting for a nice muddy terrain!
Hot Tub Barbie Kit Kat Cake
Kit Kat cakes are so versatile! Monika from Home Crux made her Barbie Hot Tub cake using blue frosting as water and insert Barbie dolls into the cake.
Lego Brick Cake
Lego is such a popular choice with the kids (I have an easy Lego party backdrop DIY you might like to check out!). This Lego cake from Avalon Sunshine is a simple one, and you’re sure to have plenty of Lego around!
- DIY or purchase the flag banner topper from the link above OR
- Shop brick cake topper printable
Fidget Popper Toy Cake
Okay so I know this looks a little daunting at first. And it was made by a professional at I Tort so it should be. Adding colourful fidget toys to your cake would be so easy.
- Bake your cake or purchase one from your local cake store or supermarket
- Put some sprinkles around your cake for added fun
- Use additional elements like a cake flag garland or pom pom toppers etc.
Sports Cake
You could cheat with this particular cake if you didn’t want to make it all! Angie made this edible sports ball cake masterpiece.
- Shop chocolate sports balls to use instead OR
- Shop toy mini sports balls to use
- You could also stick to just one type of sports ball of course!
Garbage Truck Cake
Do you have one of those garbage truck-obsessed toddlers? Yeah, I’ve been there too. This garbage truck cake from Abigail has colourful candies, sprinkles and cookies flowing from the back.
Conclusion: Easy Birthday Cakes for Kids
I hope you found some amazing inspiration with these easy Birthday cakes for kids.
Juggling Birthday celebrations along with the usual work, errands, and family life can be hard on Mums. The pressure to create a picture-perfect cake can add unnecessary stress, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
An easy Birthday cake for your child doesn’t mean that you need to compromise on quality or appearance either. Most importantly it leaves time for you to enjoy your child and how miraculous it is that you brought this human into the world.
Are there any tips that I’ve left out here? I’d love to hear your ideas on making easy Birthday cakes for kids. Let me know in the comments below!
Other Resources You May Like:
FREE PRINTABLE: Happy Birthday Activity Page
FREE PRINTABLE: Happy Birthday Banners in 7 Colours
ARTICLE: 37 Awesome Boys Birthday Party Ideas
ARTICLE: Practical Tips for Planning a Party at Home
FROM MY SHOP: Printable Cake & Cupcake Toppers
6 Comments
So many easy ideas that look amazing! My daughter is getting a cake covered in Maltesers for her birthday this weekend.
Thanks Jenny! Maltesers for the win! I used a heap of them in one of my son’s construction cakes once. I’m sure your daughter will love it!
Love these easy cake ideas for kids’ birthdays! It reminds me how small details can make a big difference. Thanks for sharing!
You’re most welcome, I’m glad you found them helpful!
I love all of these. I am a baker and love party planning. I appreciate your help
The perfect combo, baking and party planning, love that you enjoy both!