I scoured the Web for unique birthday cake ideas and finally came up with this. I baked one sponge in a Swiss roll (rectangular tin) and then cut it in half and filled with buttercream icing and strawberry jam. I made the lid using flower paste (that you make sugar flowers from) as it dries out hard – solid! Crimped the edge and stuck edible silver balls on using rosewater as the glue! I colored the inside lilac but only mixed and twisted the colour in partially to create a marbled effect. I measured each side and stuck them on (yes I am afraid it’s a little tricky!).,
I added sugarcel to the icing as it hardens it off a little (not as solid as the lid though) and made compartments. Make sure you add a drawer as it does finish it off and seemed to transform it. I purchased the edible jewelry necklace/watches and Haribo jelly rings but made a couple with the icing and silver balls. I glued the back of the lid (where the hinges would be) with royal icing and used lollipop sticks to support it. I sank these into the compartment edges as they were stronger – just icing is too soft and it would move. Finally add a cake topper ballerina and – hey presto.
It took me six hours to make this unique birthday cake.
More Unique Birthday Cake Ideas
Cake by Stephanie C., Savannah, GA
This unique birthday cake is very simple. Make two regular box cakes and after cooling cut about two inches off the short end of the cake. You will use one of the pieces for the drawer in the front of the jewelry box. Decorate with regular icing or fondant. Add sugar wafers to the top to make the different sections to the jewelry box. Fill with candy rings necklaces etc.
For the jewelry box top line four Graham crackers side by side(long side) and add two more Graham crackers at the bottom to make a large square. Pour on white chocolate to hold the cookies together. Let dry over night. Once dry flip over and frost the front of the cookies and attach to the box.
Cake by Luigia G., Bayside, NY
I got this unique birthday cake from a magazine but let me break it down and make it a bit easier. The lid of the jewelry box which I made the night before should probably be made at least 2 days in advance. Mine fell apart.
On a foil lined large baking sheet (I used a cutting board) lay four graham crackers straight up, long sides touching, attached to them another row. Melt white baking chocolate. Pour chocolate onto graham crackers and spread evenly. Don’t worry if it’s messy or if it seeps through as long as it holds it together. Let sit until you are ready to assemble your cake. Do not put in the fridge.
Bake 2 10 by 13 pound cakes. I used 2 Duncan Hines boxes. After they cool use plastic wrap to wrap tight and put in fridge. The day you are ready to make your cake– cut off a two inch strip from one of the shorter sides of each cake, leaving you with two long pieces. Cut off one inch of those pieces. This will make the drawer. Put one cake down, frost top not sides.. Attach second cake only frosting top. This will save you time.
Now the compartments of this unique birthday cake. Take 4 graham crackers and carefully cut them in half. Frost one side of each white. Put graham crackers- frosted sides facing in into the cake around top edge of the cake. Use vanilla wafers to make compartments. Now frost sides of cake including the graham crackers. Lift lid (gently and carefully) frost it. Add some writing or design if you’d like and attach to frosting on back of cake. You will have to use food cans to keep it up and to hold it in place till the frosting sets. Use wrapping paper or foil paper to make them look pretty.
For drawer- use one of the strips you cut off in the beginning, attach to it the one inch piece. You won’t need the other long piece- guess you can eat it! Use remaining graham crackers for drawer compartments surround the edge of the drawer. Use gumball for knob. I made a knob out of frosting. Fill with edible jewelry. Pipe stars around lid top of box and drawer and enjoy once it is done setting!
Cake by Valerie G., Quebec, Canada
This unique birthday cake takes quite awhile to make, but gosh I love the result! :-) It is a 2-layer rectangle cake. The jewel compartments, the lid and the drawer are made of pink chocolate (melted candy); you have to pour the melted chocolate onto a cookie pan and wait until it is almost firm to cut all the different parts but for the lid, you use the same rectangle cake mold.
To make the lid stand up, I used a lot of melted candy and 2 lollipop sticks. The ballerina stands on chocolate too: pour chocolate into 2 or 3 layers of muffin paper cups and wait until firm (refrigerator) and un-mold it. Everything else is different candies, and white chewing gum balls for the handles.
It took me 4 hours to create but I was very proud of my unique birthday cake… and so was my client! :-)
For this unique birthday cake I used a basic cake mix and baked it in a 13×9 pan. I then split the cake in half (so that I had two 6.5×9-inch cakes) and stacked them and frosted them with white frosting.
I cut a piece of cardboard the same size – covered it with foil and then glued a piece of white felt to one side for the lid. I frosted part of the foil side and left just enough foil to look like a mirror. I then propped the cardboard piece up on the cake with twizzlers to look like the lid was up.
I piped some pink frosting around the sides to look like a drawer and then laid candy jewelry all over the top to fill the box (I ordered candy rings, necklaces and bracelets from oriental trading company and gave the leftovers to the kids as party favors). We had both boys and girls and they all loved it.
