Our Favorite Creative Birthday Cake Design Ideas
Our Favorite Creative Birthday Cake Design Ideas
Whether you’re making a cake for a family member, your partner, or your best friend, or you're planning your own birthday cake, you’re probably pretty focused on the flavors. Cake layers, fillings, frosting - it all needs to go together for you to create a show-stopper. But what you don’t want to do is overlook the design. After all, we eat with our eyes first, so the way your cake looks does matter, especially if you’re trying to impress your guests.
If you’re on the hunt for the best birthday cake designs that will make the day all the more special, we’ve got you covered. Let’s break down some of the most decadent, utterly chic (and delicious - that goes without saying) birthday cake ideas to level up your celebration this year and ensure a happy birthday.
Our Favorite Birthday Cake Ideas for an Unforgettable Celebration
Textured Buttercream
Buttercream can do so much more than just coat a cake or be piped into rosettes. At ECBG, we love playing with different textures, flavors, and designs to elevate buttercream to something more than just plain old frosting. Our Buttercream Ribbon cake features a hand-piped buttercream ribbon that screams “drama”, plus metallic leaf, metallic splatter, and plenty of sophisticated sprinkles.
Drip Cakes
Drip cakes are perfect for those who like something a little more understated, but still chic and elegant. Our Naked Drip cake looks simple, but it’s a decadent and delicious cake that still demands some attention (it's also the perfect cake for chocolate lovers). Make this fun cake your own with extras like candles, cherries, macarons, and more.
Vintage Lambeth Piping—But Make It Modern
These cakes are back, baby! But forget the stuffy royal icing of the past—today’s designs feature bold colors, funky piping, and ultra-modern twists. Our Eat Your Heart Out and Trophy Wife cake are so incredibly fun and glam and are a super popular choice at ECBG. They’ll be conversation starters at any birthday party or celebration! Add a special message for the guest of honor for an even more personalized touch.
Cakes with Sculptural Elements
Looking for something a little out of the ordinary? What about a cake that has some sculpting to it? The Gemstone has a smooth buttercream base with cutouts featuring hand-placed gems to look like a gorgeous geode. This creative cake makes dessert the main event at your celebration, demanding to be noticed. Sculptural cakes are like edible works of art.
Floral Cakes
There’s just something about a floral cake. Our Garden Party cake features edible pressed and dried blooms for a cake that’s sophisticated and elegant. Not interested in edible real flowers? Pinkies Up is decorated with a cascade of dainty piped ivory buttercream flowers for a cake that’s sweet, yet oh-so-chic.
Black & Moody Cakes
Looking to add a little drama to your birthday party? These cakes are nothing if not moody and dramatic. Starry Night is decorated to look like—what else—the night sky, complete with airbrushed fondant and pearl stars. Bauble Beauty is coated in a smooth layer of buttercream that’s topped off with tons of different-sized gold metallic balls and some gold splatter paint. It’s as bold and glamorous as you are.
Personalized & Themed Cakes
If you want a cake that’s fully customized to you, reach out to talk to us about a custom birthday cake. While we love our gorgeous Cake Shop cakes, we also love working with clients to turn their personality and vision into edible art. Whether you’re the city’s biggest Cubs fan, you want to slice into a giant Chicago-style hotdog, or you want a soft, romantic cake adorned with life-like flowers, we can work with you to make your idea a reality.
FAQs
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If you’re looking for something from the Cake Shop, we only need about a week’s notice, but if you want something custom, we’ll need more lead time to bring your cake to life. Aim for at least 3 weeks for custom cakes. For all of these, you'll be able to pick your favorite flavor, filling, and more from a drop-down menu to help you create your dream cake.
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Absolutely! Our gluten-free and dairy-free cakes and frostings are just as luxe and delicious as our other cake options. Make sure to give us a head’s up when you order so that we can plan accordingly.
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When your cake is ready, you’ll pick it up from our Chicago bake shop. Your cake will be ready to be transported with care, right to your party!
Ready to Celebrate?
No matter what kind of cake you're envisioning for your upcoming special occasion, any of these will be the highlight of the party you're planning. Pair it with ice cream, champagne, or just your favorite playlist and you'll have the birthday celebration you were hoping for for your special day.
If you’re making your own cake and need some guidance, try taking one of our cake decorating classes! We offer online classes and in-person classes in Chicago. Need some new tools to set you up for success? Shop Erin’s favorite cake tools here.
Planning a wedding? We love creating wedding cakes! Reach out for more information about how we can bring your wedding cake inspiration boards to life.
