This week on Cotswold Kitchen Mom I am excited to share with you all a whimsical pink birthday cake for girls that is both elegant and sweet. Homemade birthday cakes are naturally delicious and meaningfully special. Since becoming a mother, I have found that making and decorating a birthday cake for each of my children is such a joy.
This year, the request of my youngest little girl was considered and specific. She wanted a homemade chocolate cake with pink hearts and a fondant lollipop on the top.
Naturally, being a home baker- and not a professional cake decorator- I went to work with the help of my sweet children. We used some thrifted inspiration, and our own creativity, to make a cake that was fit for the occasion.
We would love for you to join us- in our family kitchen- for a fun day of sweetness, whimsey, creativity, baking, decorating, and love. Let the birthday preparations begin!
Whimsical Pink Birthday Cake for Girls: The Inspiration
Each year, I ask my four children, “What would you like your birthday cake to be?” Their answers always make me smile, scratch my head, and sweat a little thinking over how I am going to accomplish “that” birthday request.
Generally, I find the flavors are the easy part. Chocolate, vanilla- I can handle that. However, their dreamed-up cake wishes are sometimes… oftentimes- out of my realm of ability.
Despite this, I always give it my best go. I have found- at least when it comes to young children- that they are just so excited to have their own delicious birthday cake that they truly do not care what the decorations look like. Afterall, they are certainly going to stick their chubby little fingers into the cake frosting and taste it. “Mmm mommy- good mommy!”
Due to this fact, I would encourage you- don’t let cake decorating intimidate you. Colors schemes that go together- or stand out- make a statement. When all else fails, a few dashes of sprinkles go a long way.
How to Make Homemade Birthday Cake?
Now this really isn’t a recipe post, it is more about sharing an inspiration and an idea. However, I will confess: “Sometimes I use box cakes… and sometimes I make a homemade birthday cake.” This all depends on the time I have that week, and the type of cake requested.
If using a box cake, I will generally make a few adaptations to the recipe. Small changes can have a big impact in the world of boxed cakes. Simple changes like adding butter instead of oil create a richer flavor. Or adding a few extra ingredients… things such as a tablespoon or two of golden syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a teaspoon of coffee, a splash of vanilla, or a handful of chocolate chips, can certainly make a boxed cake shine a bit more.
Another way to make a birthday cake feel extra special is by making the frosting from scratch. To really up the ante, making homemade marshmallow fondant for the decorations is a sure win.
In fact, it is the homemade fondant that is my secret weapon.
Can you keep a little secret? When I struggle with my ability, I can always use cookie cutters to cut out cute fondant shapes- which makes decorating the cake much easier. (Especially when the request is something like a fire breathing dragon) Now, tuck that fondant cookie cutter idea in your mind for later and let’s keep going.
Choosing the Birthday Cake Frosting
What is Ermine Frosting?
Generally, I make homemade buttercream frosting for my birthday cakes (either chocolate or vanilla). However, for this particular cake, I made my first batch of ermine frosting.
Have you ever heard of ermine frosting? Personally, I had never come across it.
For this homemade chocolate birthday cake- I wanted a slightly less sweet frosting. Indeed, that is how I stumbled across the ermine frosting recipe idea.
Ermine frosting is basically a cooked icing (bear with me) that is created by making a flour, sugar, and milk roux. The roux is allowed to cool to room temperature and then soft butter is whipped into the cooled roux.
The end result is a frosting that can easily be spread or properly piped. I can attest to the fact that the ermine frosting certainly spread and piped well. However, I will say the taste was not my absolute favorite. Oddly, I found it tasted better on the second day.
Thankfully, my family thought it was good… so to each their own. For an easy-to-use icing that makes decorating a joy- then you may want to give an old-fashioned ermine frosting a try.
(Note: I did not use my own recipe for the ermine frosting so I won’t share it. However, a quick search on Google will reveal many ermine frosting recipe options if you are interested in giving it a try.)
Cue My Secret Weapon: Homemade Fondant
How Do I Make Homemade Marshmallow Fondant?
If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you will be familiar with my marshmallow fondant recipe. Making your own fondant with marshmallows and powdered sugar is easy- and in my opinion, tastes much better than storebought fondant.
*Note: To see my homemade fondant recipe see my post here.
This year, I wanted to add a whimsical element to the birthday cake, so I gathered my children around and asked for their help. They agreed that a pastel marbled effect would be fun. And that is what we did.
Basically, we took pinches of each of our colored fondants- and then used a rolling pin to combine the colors together. Not completely melding the colors together, but just enough rolling to create a fun tye dye or marbled effect.
If you want to add interest to colored fondant, consider mixing colors together for a one-of-a-kind design.
How to Make a Fondant Lollipop to Decorate a Cake Top:
Seeing as the birthday girl requested a lollipop on the top of her birthday cake- I wanted to come through for her. My children helped me with this method, and this was probably their favorite part. Here are our simple steps:
- First, we made five chunks/balls of pastel colored fondant.
- Second, we rolled each ball of colored fondant into thin ropes (all around the same length).
- Third, we held the top of the fondant ropes together and began to twist the fondant into a larger rope-like piece.
- Fourth, once we had the fondant rope as tight as we liked- we began to roll this larger fondant rope into the iconic lollipop shape.
- Fifth, we used a sucker stick (from Hobby Lobby) to gently push through the bottom center of the fondant lollipop roll.
- Sixth, to give the lollipop structure, we added multiple toothpicks into the circular lollipop shape. (Basically, I went around the edge of the fondant lollipop pushing the toothpicks in until they were hidden. This gave the fondant lollipop the ability to stay firm and keep its shape.)
*If you would like to see a short video of me making the fondant lolipop, you can see that video on my Cotswold Kitchen Mom Facebook page here.
*A word of caution: do be careful if you plan to eat this fondant lollipop- as sharp toothpicks could pose a bit of a hazard. Therefore, be sure to remove them all before eating.
Step-By-Step: Making the Fondant Lollipop in Photo Format
Simple Cake Decorating Ideas:
The next elegant decoration idea actually came from an old 1970’s Wilton wedding cake decorating book. As is no surprise- I got this vintage book from a thrift store. I loved the adorable, beautiful ideas it offered. To my surprise, when I got to the checkout counter, I learned that “all books where free!” “Yahoo!”
As I always say, you truly never know where creative inspiration may come from- so keep your eyes peeled.
While I enjoy decorating birthday cakes for my family, I am by no mean a professional. To keep things simple, I chose to use two classic piping tips to add some texture, whimsey, and charm to my cake.
A classic piping tip was used to outline the top circumference of the cake as well as the bottom perimeter of the cake base. From here, I used a simple line piping tip to create little scallops between my pink fondant hearts. Tiny dots of icing were then added for a bit of elegant detailing. Additionally, I added my fondant decorations- and a few gold and pink sprinkles- for a more glamorous effect.
“And that is all she wrote.”
Final Thoughts Until Next Time
In conclusion, I wanted to share this homemade birthday cake ideas post with you all to encourage you to get into the kitchen and be creative. Homemade birthday cakes do not require perfection. With a few basic tools, you too can create a fun cake that is made with much love.
Of course, it does take a bit of time to make a birthday cake, but often the taste shines through- and the heartfelt decorations make all who look upon them smile. Afterall, my true gauge of a homemade birthday cake’s success is by looking at my child’s face (when the cake is finished) and hearing their sweet voice saying, “Thank you mom- I really like my cake.” I consider this reply… my payment made in full!
Moreover, I hope this post gives you some sweet ideas for a whimsical pink birthday cake for girls. If you need other ideas, I would love for you to check out more of my girl’s birthday cake posts here and here. Or to see another English recipe that also features my homemade fondant, see my arctic roll recipe post here.
Still need an English inspired family recipe? Check out my traditional English food’s guide page here.
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Happy baking- until next time.
~Elizabeth~
