Sweet! It’ll only look like you slaved over these thanks to our easy birthday cake design ideas.

 

 

Castle

This pink castle cake will enchant your little princess.

 

Sugar-coated ice cream cones and pretty pastel candies take this cake to new heights.

 

Dump Truck 

You might not get his garbage truck fascination, but you’ll love this realistic cake.

 

For dirt that’s safe to eat, top the dump truck with crushed cookies and pretzels.

 

Fries

Toasted sticks of store-bought pound cake could fool the most ardent fry-ophile.

 

Everyone knows you eat French fries for the ketchup. Kids will have fun dipping their faux fries into a paper cup of red frosting.

 

Shark

Your pint-sized Jacques Cousteau will dive straight into this easy loaf cake.

 

This shark’s toothy grin is made of cut-up marshmallows and fruit leather.

 

 

Pizza

What kid doesn’t love pizza? Especially when you can have it for both dinner and dessert.

 

 

This pizza cake is covered in cool toppings like Swedish Fish “anchovies” and white chocolate “cheese.”

 

 

Snake

Let your kid take a bite out of this slithering cupcake snake.

 

 

12 individual cupcakes decorated with M&M’s make serving time neat and easy.

 

Lion

This homemade lion cake is perfect for the king of the jungle gym.

 

 

Your kids can help make the lion’s wavy mane with crunchy chow-mein noodles.

 

Train

All aboard! Impress your little cabooses with this no-bake choo-choo train cake.

 

The railroad tracks are made of Kit-Kat style chocolate covered wafer cookies.

 

Monkey

This is the cake for kids who like eating bananas and monkeying around. (Which means all of them.)

 

 

Cake and donuts? Now that’s a birthday bonus.

 

Soccer Ball

This soccer ball—grass and all—is a real game winner.

 

 

Soccer ball decoration is a snap—just use Oreo crisps.

 

 

Butterfly

This gumdrop-topped butterfly will set little hearts aflutter.

 

 

Follow our pattern for this butterfly’s wings or roll out your own geometric candy shapes.

 

 

Pirate Ship

Forget the eye-patch. Indulge his pirate fantasy with this easy, arrrrr-tistic cake.

 

 

Pretzel rod masts and scary paper flags transform this skiff into a sea-worthy ship

 

 

Ladybug Cupcakes

Cupcake ladybugs bring just as much good luck as the kind you find in the garden.

 

These cute button-shaped bugs are actually Mallomars covered in red frosting.

 

 

Horse

Wish your kid happy trails with this chocolate horse cake.

 

 

Recreate a horse’s thick mane with chocolate Twizzlers.

 

 

Dinosaur

It’s a fact, dinosaurs rule! Let your mini-paleontologist add his own spikes and scales.

 

 

Jelly-fruit slices are the perfect shape for dino dorsal plates and (probably) way more colorful than they were in prehistoric times.

 

 

Purse

A dress-up party wouldn’t be complete without this edible, eye-catching accessory.

 

 

Personalize this purse cake with a Tootsie roll initial.

 

 

Dragon

Young wizards-in-training will obliterate this fire-breathing dragon.

 

 

Rolled out gumdrops add scaly texture to this fierce dragon.

 

 

Spider Cupcakes

Who could be afraid of these sweet, chocolate crawlers?

 

 

 

 

For spider legs that are cute and not creepy, use yellow Runts.

 

 

Guitar

Raising a future rock star? Make your strummer this yummy guitar cake.

 

 

Use marshmallows and pretzel sticks for tuning keys and your cake won’t lose any twang.

 

 

Rocket Ship

Your space cadet will be over the moon for his rocket ship cake.

 

 

An ice cream cone and some Hot Tamales make decorating this cake easier than doing the moonwalk.

 

 

Football

Touchdown! Score major points with any Super Bowl fanatic with this football cake.

 

 

To get the football frosting just the right color, mix cocoa powder with a few drops of red food coloring.

 

 

Martial Arts Jacket

Young grasshoppers will get a kick out of this sweet martial arts jacket. (Change the belt color to match your kid’s skill level.)

 

 

It’s hard work earning those belts but this one only requires some Starburst and a rolling pin.

 

 

Skateboard

If your sk8r boi loves his board, he’ll love this one too. No Band-aids required.

 

 

Here’s a trick you can master—decorate the board with a strip of rainbow sour belt.

 

 

Basketball and Hoop

Let your kid be the Michael Jordan of the playground court—you can be the Shaq of birthday cakes.

 

 

The secret to the basketball’s realistic texture—pressing a clean towel into the chilled frosting.

 

 

Cat

Showcase this cake at a party and the neighborhood kids will think your tyke is one cool cat.

 

 

Use a fork and a little of your own creative flourish to create this cat cake’s fluffy fur.

 

 

Bulldozer

Partygoers will dig into this fun bulldozer cake.

 

 

For the bulldozer’s shovel, frost a graham cracker and sprinkle it with crumbled cookies.

 

 

Puppy

Puppy love! Dog lovers will jump for joy over this adorable, blue-eyed birthday treat.

 

 

Chocolate graham crackers make yummy, floppy ears for this sweet pup.

 

 

Turtle 

Whether your kid is a fan of the pizza-eating, ninja kind or has a live one in a glass bowl, this turtle cake is sure to please.

 

 

Making a rabbit-quick shell pattern with rolled out fruit chews.

 

 

Princess

A princess cake for your little princess, pretty in pink and trimmed in candy.

 

 

Bubblegum bows on the skirt give this cake the royal touch.

 

 

Mermaid 

Make a splash with this pretty mermaid cake.

 

 

Bright, beachy colors add a little bit of surf to any kid’s birthday.

 

 

Microphone

Your little one already likes to dazzle an audience. These mic cakes are cool enough to inspire a performance.

 

 

A little licorice lace wire makes this microphone pitch-perfect.