Birthday cake alternatives for a one-year old?

April 5, 2006 6:41 AM

Looking for unique dessert celebration ideas for our one-year-old's birthday. What are some good alternatives to the 'smear cake everywhere' tradition?
posted by Otis to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

For first birthdays...something cool with Jello is tough to beat and way less messy than cake. There is something highly entertaining about brightly colored jiggly blobs of sugar water.
posted by cyclopz at 6:54 AM on April 5, 2006

Are you inviting little kids? How about cupcakes? They're easier to serve and eat, so they'll mean less mess. You could spell out "Happy Birthday Junior" on them, one letter to a cupcake. Or stick some kind of little toy or sparkler or something on each one.
posted by orange swan at 7:10 AM on April 5, 2006

Gingerbread men? I dunno, I got nothin. Why oh why wouldn't you want the smear-cake-everywhere goodness though??
posted by antifuse at 7:12 AM on April 5, 2006

cereal cake or ice cream cone cupcakes
posted by defreckled at 7:25 AM on April 5, 2006

How about cupcakes baked in ice cream cones? They're cute, contained and easy for little ones to eat.
posted by jrossi4r at 7:25 AM on April 5, 2006

Or Rice Crispy treats decorated with a little icing?
posted by jrossi4r at 7:26 AM on April 5, 2006

Gummy Worms!!!
posted by simonemarie at 8:07 AM on April 5, 2006

Pie
posted by Packy_1962 at 8:38 AM on April 5, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks for the great suggestions so far everyone. There will be some other kids there, but they will be older (ages 6-10) relatives.

Why oh why wouldn't you want the smear-cake-everywhere goodness though??
posted by antifuse

Maybe we're just old fuddy duddies, but it doesn't seem like that much fun. I think we want to make something he will actually enjoy eating. (His favorite food is Pirate's Booty).
posted by Otis at 8:45 AM on April 5, 2006

A friend of mine did a morning birthday party for her year-old son. She talked to her favorite (locally owned) doughnut shop and had them make a big "1" doughnut. It was different and delicious.
posted by wallaby at 8:45 AM on April 5, 2006

My son will be getting one of these at some point:

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/dessert/cakes/kittylittercake.html

1 may be a little young, but the older kids will "dig" it!
posted by nonmyopicdave at 9:00 AM on April 5, 2006

I saw a picture recently of a catepillar "cake" made out of several cupcakes frosted in different colors and set side-by-side. It looked like the leapfrog brand catepillar toy that my son had when he was a baby.
posted by selfmedicating at 9:10 AM on April 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

I always had the ice cream cone cupcakes when I was a kid. They are the best. And they're less messy than a real ice cream cone, and less messy than a cupcake!
posted by MeetMegan at 9:31 AM on April 5, 2006

I saw a picture recently of a catepillar "cake" made out of several cupcakes frosted in different colors and set side-by-side. It looked like the leapfrog brand catepillar toy that my son had when he was a baby.

- even simpler is Clare Crespo's version (her book) which uses pink Sno-Balls and pipe cleaners to achieve the same thing.
posted by pinky at 10:27 AM on April 5, 2006

Giant cookie. Make cookie dough and bake it in a pizza pan. Still some smear if it's chocolate chip but it's something different.
posted by undertone at 9:32 PM on April 5, 2006