The party cake is the traditional symbol of a birthday party but unless you are a seasoned party organisor you may be a little bit unsure of what to get and what to do with it.

I often attend parties where the parents have organised the most beautiful birthday cake only to leave it in the kitchen or sealed in its box up until the candle blowing moment. Often the party cake is themed around the birthday child’s favourite character or hobby. They will be delighted to share it with everyone, so make sure everyone can see it!!

There are plenty of options to choose from when thinking about the party cake. You can choose from a selection of quality themed cakes at your local supermarket. Most bakeries have a side business for cake making. You could hire a professional cake designer to create a custom cake around the party theme.

Or you could bake it yourself…

This final option may seem like a good idea but if you are not experienced in this then you may well be creating more stress for yourself leading up to the party. There will be plenty to organise the day before and on the day, so unless cake making is a well practiced art for you then I advise to ask a friend or relative to help out.

The extra money required for somebody else to help you will be well spent if it means that you are not traumatised at a cake that hasn’t turned out quite right. Please don’t get me wrong, a homemade cake can be a wonderful and add that real personal touch to the party. But remember my motto about creating wonderful memories from the party, if in doubt get a professional or an experienced friend or relative. Make it a group effort and people will also feel more connected to the party.

There are a few things to be cautious of when adding candles and sparklers to the cake. Some speciality candles/ fireworks can give off a lot of smoke. It is always worth keeping in mind the smoke alarms in the room. You don’t want a visit from the fire brigade half way through the party!!

From experience it is always better to have the children seated and take the cake to them instead of placing the cake on a table and letting the children huddle around. Children have a tendency to push and shove in this scenario and the cake can be damaged and even knocked off the table. Plus if there are childrens hands and heads in the way there is a possible fire hazard when you light the candles. Even a child leaning over and their hair falling in the way of a candle can prove disastrous.

If you have all of the children sat at the party table andbring the cake to the birthday child you are much safer and can get some great action photos. If you wish to have a more staged photo with the family or siblings then you can move the cake after the birthday song and arrange the set photos nicely. Any good entertainer will also help organise all of this.

I am not sure about other entertainers but I offer a cake customisation service. From my website you can download my graphic and I can help customise this design to match the party. See here birthday party cake designs

Here are some links to customise your own cakes www.eatyourphotos.co.uk www.caketoppers.co.uk and some Asda supermarkets also have bakeries that offer this service.