31 Awesome Birthday Cake Ideas

Castle
This pink castle cake will enchant your little princess.

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For great theme ideas check out our list of Awesome Birthday Party Themes
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Sugar-coated ice cream cones and pretty pastel candies take this cake to new heights.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Butterfly
This gumdrop-topped butterfly will set little hearts aflutter.

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

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

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

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

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

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Horse
Wish your kid happy trails with this chocolate horse cake.

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Recreate a horse's thick mane with chocolate Twizzlers.

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

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

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

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Personalize this purse cake with a Tootsie roll initial.

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

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Rolled out gumdrops add scaly texture to this fierce dragon.

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Spider Cupcakes
Who could be afraid of these sweet, chocolate crawlers?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bulldozer
Partygoers will dig into this fun bulldozer cake.

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

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

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

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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.

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

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

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

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Mermaid 
Make a splash with this pretty mermaid cake.

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

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

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

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