Homemade or store bought birthday cakes?

I make our cakes myself. Last year for my daughters party we did a fiesta. Served nachos and tacos and I decorated her cake with candies that looked like chili peppers and toy maraccas. For my grandson birth day last month I made a fire truck cake. Try looking at womansday.com I think that is where I found the direction they have pictures and direction to alot of fun cakes.

WEll, I love to cook but I am NOT a baker so I prefer to buy my kid's birthday cakes. Costco makes the best filled cakes and they are huge and only cost $14.99. Now my sister, on the othr hand, likes to buy the Wilton cake pans and make fancy homemade cakes-- she made an Elmo cake for my daughter once and it was really cute. My sister's trick is she makes the cake from a cake mix but she makes her own homemade buttercream frosting. Canned icing is really bad and full of hydrogenated oils, plus it tastes like chemicals. One other trick that I learned from a baker friend is, if you use a cake mix, add 1 tablespoon of sour ceram to the batter- it will make your cake moist and more like a bakery cake.

Making cake at home first time may not well, though I am informing you that if you visit below site you will get some tips free from this about decoration etc. http://www.cake-secrets.com/ To make cake at home follow 2 recipes presenting below:- 1) Fire Truck Birthday Cake Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min Total Time: 1 hr 0 min Makes: 14 servings double the item to make it 28 serves. Ingredients 3 pkg. (10 oz. each) frozen pound cake, thawed 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed 4 to 6 drops red or yellow food coloring 6 miniature sugar cake donuts 12 thin pretzel sticks 2 black string licorice 16 assorted jelly or hard candies TRIM rounded tops off pound cakes. Stack 2 of the cakes together using whipped topping in between the layers to hold together. (This is the back of the fire truck.) CUT 1/3 off the end of the remaining cake. Lay the 2/3 portion of cake in front of and level with the bottom of stacked pound cakes. Place the 1/3 portion vertically on top to form an L-shape against the 2 stacked cakes. (This will form the cab of the truck and be slightly higher than the 2 stacked pound cakes. See photograph.) TINT whipped topping with red or yellow food coloring until desired color is achieved. Frost entire fire truck. Attach 3 donuts on each side of the truck for wheels. Add pretzel sticks to create ladders on the sides and back of truck. LAY licorice on top of the truck to make a water hose. Outline windows and doors with licorice. Place assorted candies on top of the cab as lights and on front of the truck for headlights. Refrigerate until ready to serve. TIPS Size It Up: Kids can have fun decorating this cake. At 14 servings, this fun cake is the perfect size for a birthday party. 2) Chocolate Birthday Cake Serves 8 to 10. This classic food recipe makes a moist, rich cake perfect for a chocolate-lover's birthday party. 1 1/2 cups water 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1 cup butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Frosting Step 1 Heat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans and set them aside. In a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup, measure 1 1/2 cups water. Add the unsweetened chocolate squares to the water. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring after 1 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the cocoa and set the mixture aside. Step 2 In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter for 1 minute; add the granulated and brown sugars and cream for another 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs individually, beating well after each one. Beat in the vanilla extract. Step 3 In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beginning with about a third of the flour, add the flour mixture and chocolate mixture alternately to the butter and sugar, stirring well after each addition. Step 4 Divide the cake batter evenly between the two pans, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Place the pans on the middle oven rack and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Step 5 Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then place a cooling rack atop each pan and, holding the edges to the pan, flip the cake onto the rack. Cool completely before frosting. Step 6 Place one layer on a plate and spread the top with chocolate frosting. Place the second layer on top and then frost the top and sides of the cake. Step 7 For a finishing touch, decorate the top and bottom edges of the cake with a piped icing border.

I make all my kids cakes myself. My oldest who is 10 actually prefers a homemade cake. He says it means more because I took the time out of my busy schedule to bake a cake that is especially for him. This is something I have been doing since thier first birthdays. Now I wish I could give you some tips but I really don't have any because mine really don't turn out all that great most of the time. Probably because I am rushed. I wish you the best!

Why not have 2 cakes about the same size - one a fairy cake that attracts your daughter and the other one that you bake yourself. That way everyone has a choice and your daughter is happy.

Personally for me, if I have to I buy a cake. Number one I can not bake a cake to save my soul! They always come out flat, lopsided or a big hole in the middle. I have tried over and over and have no luck. Number two, my sister is a wonderful baker and she has always made all the grandkids cakes, and because she is 19 years older than me she treats my son like one of the grandchildren. It is so nice, and she always makes the cake they want. I found her a recipe for SpongeBob a few years ago and now all 5 of the kids have had a sponge bob cake! I think it really should depend on what your child and you want and what you are able to do. Good luck!

I would have to say shop ones because of one simple reason i can not bake to save my life and in all fairness i dont think that my children would ever forgive me! lol With that amount of people/children how about a nice birthday cake for the main and perhaps you could make fairy cakes and write happy birthday or something on them

I have done store bought cakes in the past but frankly, the icing is way too sweet. Now that my daughters are old enough, they do the baking. My 10 year old just baked a caked for her sister. She made a simple cake and then taped a picture to a toothpick and stuck it in the cake. It was a picture of her favourite movie. Last year I made a cake but I bought candles that were shaped like basketballs dropping into nets. She loves playing basketball and is very good at it. When she was in kindergarten she was really into happy faces so I had a happy face birthday party. I bought all the napkins and party hats with yellow happy faces on them. Then I made a cake, covered it in white icing. Then I put some yellow food colouring in the rest of the icing. I made a circle with chocolate chips and made a yellow face with the icing and eyes and smile with more chocolate chips. It doesn't take much to be creative. It's easy to buy a cake from the store. Even to have an edible picture put on it. My younger daughter likes Mickey Mouse so I put a picture of her with Mickey Mouse on the cake. But the store cakes are too sweet. There are so many cake pan forms and fancy candles and decorations that it doesn't take much to make your own fancy cake.

They sell cake decorating kits on TV and on the Internet. They come with everything you need to decorate a cake just as fancy as what you see in the store. I think Betty Crocker sells a kit for about $10. You can use it to decorate several cakes.

I always prefer to make the cakes myself. The stores are very expensive on their pretty cakes. My daughter is 21 now but still remembers all the special cakes she got thru the years. I did do a rather fancy cake for my niece last year. Her birthday is right after Christmas so I was happy to try a cake I saw in a magazine. I seem to have misplaced the recipe now, but here's the pic so you can see it. We had 14 people here for her Birthday and Christmas celebrations. This 6 layered cake was made from a 13X9 sheetcake, and even after everyone had some, the birthday girl still got to take the top 3 layers home with her. That should give you some ideas on how much to fix for 22 at any rate. :)

I normally just buy my childrens birthday cakes since my daughters fifth birthday when she got made fun of for having a homemade cake. I still make one for the family but I buy one for the party. Here is a good site that shoes you different cakes and how to make them. http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/homemade-cake-recipes.html

Making a cake at home is just like making a cake at home lol Joking my mother use to make cake but what happen some time I got out of taste, shape and order some time as you write that you have some guest over on her birthday so it will seem bad he the cake turn bad so i suggets you to buy a cake form the baker and garnished it at your home I bet no one will find it that you bought from the market

I usually make my kids' birthday cakes. One idea for serving that number of people would be to decorate one cake to place in the center of the table and then bake cupcakes and surround the cake with them. Look for "picks" that you can just stick into the top of the cupcakes and try to find some that match the theme of your cake. You can also find incredibly cute birthday candles these days. I saw some recently that look like lipsticks and high heels and I thought of purchasing those and making a birthday cake shaped like a purse. You might also want to do warm weather theme and make a cake that looks like a flip flop. Trace a flip flop onto a large piece of paper, keep tracing around it until it's large enough to use as a template for your cake. Cut it out, place it on the cake, and trace the edge with powdered sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut your 9" x 13" cake into the flip flop shape. Frost it and use licorice whips or sour straws to make the straps. For twenty two people, you may need a pair of flip flops! :o)

For me, i would rathery buy a cake than do it by myself since there will be visitors and i think your child will enjoy those fancy cakes that she saw.

I am afraid I am not very creative with cakes ect, We would normally by a store bough cake if we were having guests. Every year if we were not having a birtday party, I would take a cake to the classroom. One year budget was tight so I bought a plain sponge & Iced it myself. This year we had a party at home, I bought a half slab from the Sara Lee outlet (2nd store). Bought an icing picture for the cake & decorated with silver ball lollies & wrote her name in icing.

well i dont know how to bake a cake , so i choose to buy on the store and buy a cake that i really want for my birthday.. and buying cakes are consumed my time in cooking other meals

I personally like store bought birthday cakes the best. I definitely like homemade cakes too, but for my birthday, I like having a store bought one. I like the taste of the icing better for some reason on store bought cakes, and I like the pretty designs. hehe I'm not good with cake decorating, so my homemade cakes aren't too exciting. lol

You will definitely need a small sheet cake for twenty two people. Personally, I would buy one at the Price Club or BJs, but if you can't do that and don't want to spend fifty dollars on a bakery sheet cake, here's a really easy recipe for a Texas sheet cake. You can use store bought icing and decorate the top any way you want to so to match the theme of the party. Good luck! Sheet Cake Recipes Sheet cakes always make terrific birthday party cakes. They're simple, and you can decorate them any way your kid likes. Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup melted butter 1/2 cup water 1 cup buttermilk 2 medium eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in saucepan, then add water and bring to a boil. Add the butter and water to the bowl and mix well. Add buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and mix some more. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10X15X1 inch baking sheet. Bake at 400F degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Make chocolate butter frosting and spread over cake when the cake is hot out of the oven. Serves 20. Peanut Butter Sheet Cake 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup butter 1 cupt water 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 1/2 cup buttermilk 2 medium eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla Mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. In a saucepan, melt butter and add, water, and peanut butter and bring to a boil. Add liquids to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Add buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10X15X1 inch baking sheet. Bake at 350F (175C) degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Make peanut butter frosting and spread over the cake when it is still warm. Serves 20.

I think homemade cakes taste a lot better and some even look better but there is just something so special about a store bought cake! I always love them :) You bring it home in a box and there is just something exciting about it! A sheet cake is always easy to decorate I always use a star tip Or they have really cute birthday kits at the store with those little candy decorations.

I do store bought just because I work and am not home much and soo it is just hard. That and I am not good at decorating. if I was, maybe I would do more of my own. but, I love the ones at the stores too.