Which Cake to Order for a Birthday?
For a birthday, the cake is one of the main elements along with the gifts and the party itself. It must dazzle the guests, especially the person being celebrated. To achieve this firework effect, which cake should you order? There is no fixed answer, as the choice depends on several criteria. But in any case, it is the final result that counts.
Which Cake for a Birthday?
Classic Cakes
Classics are those you eat almost regularly and find in all pastry shops. Tarts, fruit cakes, chocolate or vanilla cakes, mille-feuilles, entremets, and others. They are mainly chosen for an adult's birthday, focusing more on taste combinations and indulgence rather than visuals.
More Sophisticated Cakes
These are mainly high-end entremets and macaron towers, meringues, or choux. This cake is mainly for women, as it is more aesthetic and feminine. The price differs from other types of cakes, being slightly more expensive. For those who love sweet cakes, you're in luck, there will be something for everyone.
Themed Cakes
They are suitable for everyone, young and old. For girls, there are characters like Elsa and Disney princesses, as well as animal cakes like the unicorn and the cow. For boys, there are superheroes, video game characters. For women, the choice is just as wide: cakes representing a luxury brand, beautifully decorated tiered cakes, etc. And for men, there is something for every taste: sports, video games, poker, etc.
Number and Letter Cakes
More and more families choose these types of cakes because they are pretty, original, indulgent, and suitable for everyone. The number cake represents a number or numbers, usually the age of the person being celebrated. Letter cakes are letters in cake form. The uniqueness of these cakes is in the assembly and decorations: two layers of dry biscuits, creams piped with large nozzles. For decorations: fresh fruit, nuts, edible flowers, sugar paste decorations, macarons, chocolates, herbs, and so on.
Cakes with Edible Prints
Cakes with edible photos are an alternative to cake design. Images are printed on edible paper and integrated into the cake. To succeed with this pastry, we advise you to be creative with the cream piping, as besides the photo, this will complete the decoration. This cake is suitable for adults, the elderly, and family celebrations.
What Price for a Birthday Cake?
The price of a birthday cake depends on the following details:
- the type of cake: a custard cake is cheaper than a frozen entremet, for example
- the number of servings or the size of the cake, including the height
- the elements to personalise and the ingredients
On average, a classic cake for 6 people costs at least €15 to €20, for 12 people it will be at least €25. But the easiest way is to ask the pastry shop, as each shop also has its own pricing. The average price for a 20-serving design cake is €110. For online shops, the prices are clear: you choose the cake, then the number of servings, then the flavour, and you will have the purchase price.
Which Flavour to Choose for a Birthday Cake?
There are no limits, it's entirely up to you. You can opt for a safe choice like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, exotic fruits, or nut cakes. Otherwise, you can also experiment with combinations. In this case, it's best to ask the pastry chef to suggest flavours. Note that the flavours used can be fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, flowers, etc. Be careful, while many flavours blend well together, some are not compatible. When choosing flavours, they should be identifiable upon tasting and not overpower each other, otherwise, the indulgence will not be there.
What Size Should You Choose?
When placing an order with a pastry shop, what the provider will ask is the number of servings, which will be equivalent to the number of people. Size is not mentioned when talking about cake. So, for servings, count one serving per person and always plan for a few extra servings just in case. To give you an idea, a cake with an 18cm diameter and 5cm height equals 6 to 8 servings (6 to 8 people). As the thickness increases, so do the servings. For example, with a height of 6cm for the same diameter (18cm), the cake will serve 7 to 10 people. So for layer cakes that can reach 20cm in height, the 18cm can be shared among more than twenty people.
What Types of Biscuits for a Birthday Cake?
If you are baking the birthday cake yourself or if it is possible to specify with your pastry chef, you can choose from the following list. Be careful, some biscuits are not suitable for certain types of cream. A soft biscuit, for example, is not recommended for a number cake where the cream will be thick, so the biscuits must hold on this cream. In any case, here is the list:
- genoise for voluminous cakes
- joconde biscuit for entremets
- ladyfinger biscuit for charlottes and other cakes with lots of cream
- financier biscuit for fruit cakes
- pain de gênes for logs
- cake batter for most cakes
- madeleine biscuit for entremets
- brownie for chocolate entremets and other chocolate-based preparations
- shortbread biscuit for cakes that need a crunchy base