7 Picture Perfect Birthday Cake Recipes To Celebrate Loved Ones
Birthdays may look and feel different during this time of quarantine and social distancing, but that doesn't mean they can't be special. One surefire way to make a birthday person feel loved is by baking them a cake that screams, "We're so glad you were born!" The best part is that there are many ways you can customize a cake to fit a birthday person's personality and dietary restrictions. Plus, if you're unable to find certain ingredients during this time, there are plenty of tasty recipes that are designed to be baked with a lack of flour, eggs, and more in mind.
To help you on your birthday cake celebration journey, we picked out the best birthday cake recipes on the internet for quarantine celebrations.
1. Milk Bar's Birthday Layer Cake
You've likely seen Milk Bar's iconic birthday cake all over Instagram, and yes, you can order it online for $50. But, good news! You can also bake it at home if that's more your style. Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi shared the recipe for her beautiful birthday cake on Bon Appétit, and while it does require a long list of ingredients, it will surely make any birthday person smile.
2. Flour Shop's Sprinkle Explosion Cake
If you like your birthdays to have an element of surprise, then this is the cake for you. New York City's Flour Shop teamed up with Williams Sonoma to create the ultimate Rainbow Explosion Cake Kit, which can be purchased for $59.95. However, if you don't have the means to buy the product and would prefer to make it yourself, Flour Shop's founder, Amirah Kassem, also shared the recipe for her colorful cake when she appeared on the Hallmark Channel.
3. Laura Vitale's Flourless Chocolate Cake
Can't get your hands on any flour? YouTube's cooking and baking queen, Laura Vitale, has got your back with this flourless chocolate cake recipe. Requiring only seven ingredients, this dessert still packs a chocolate-y punch and can easily be topped with frosting, sprinkles, fresh fruit, or whatever else your heart desires.
Writer's note: I've made this cake several times and actually prefer it over regular chocolate cake. Yum!
4. Claire Saffitz's Easy Sheet Cake
Bon Appétit's Claire Saffitz does it again with this easy sheet cake recipe that looks as delicious as it is simple to make. It's essentially a yellow cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting that's topped with rainbow sprinkles. It's also perfect for the person who isn't a fan of chocolate cake.
5. A Cozy Kitchen's Strawberries and Cream Cake
If your birthday person prefers fruity flavors, Adrianna Guevara Adarme of A Cozy Kitchen isn't messing around with this strawberries and cream cake. She describes it as a "delicious vanilla-speckled white cake layered with a heavy cream frosting with a layer of sliced strawberries in between." It sounds like a summer dream. Are you drooling yet?
6. NYT Cooking's Rainbow Sprinkle Cake
If one thing is true, it's that you can never go wrong with a cake that's covered in sprinkles — on both the inside and outside. If you can't find Pillsbury's classic Funfetti Cake mix near you, or you'd simply prefer to make it yourself, New York Times Cooking's Julia Moskin has created a perfect Rainbow Sprinkle Cake recipe. Just look at that photo! Is that not the most beautiful treat you've ever seen?
7. Minimalist Baker's 1-Bowl, Vegan, Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Don't think we forgot about our vegan, gluten-free friends out there. With 127 reviews and almost five stars, this Minimalist Baker cake recipe is a crowd-pleaser. It's vanilla-infused and can be topped with either a coconut whipped cream or a simple vegan buttercream frosting. What's even better is that it requires only one bowl and ten ingredients. Yes, please!