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Even the most seasoned baker sometimes needs some extra inspiration for a cake for a special occasion like a birthday, so it’s good to know that there’s plenty that can be achieved just by using simple recipes and getting creative with a good icing set. Whether you choose a chocolate or vanilla sponge, you can use them as the starting point to create all kinds of great birthday cakes.

Lay it on thick

You can layer sponge cakes with jam, icing, or chocolate between the layers of cake. Another option is adding cream and fruit to a simple sponge, keeping the cake interesting and moist. Edible flowers – and non-edible varieties, if their stems are wrapped in aluminium foil – are also great decoration ideas for a birthday cake.

Red velvet

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A red velvet cake recipe often uses grated beetroot to keep it moist and give it colour, but simply adding three quarters of a cup of red food colouring to a moist chocolate cake is the way Martha Stewart makes hers. Either way, the effect is striking and appetising, and looks best topped off with white icing that provides a great contrast with the cake. If you’re nervous about all that food colouring, add it bit by bit until you get the effect you want.

For the kids

For a kid’s birthday cake, you can cut a simple sponge into any shape that appeals to your child and ice it accordingly. Print out a template of the shape you want to create – whether it’s a dinosaur, butterfly, or favourite cartoon character – and then cut around it. For a larger cake, you can bind pieces of two sponges together. Ice it beautifully and add sweets for decoration. With any birthday cake, the finishing touch is the candles – light them and you’re ready to serve!

Tags: baking, cake recipes, recipes