Decorate a fresh spring birthday cake for a lucky celebrant who turns another year older sometime in March, April or May. The season is one of renewal and reawakening, and many happy birthday cakes can reflect this in their designs.
Spring Birthday Cake Themes
While "spring" and "happy birthday" are certainly themes for a cake in and of themselves, it helps to tighten the focus a little more when it comes to creating a cake design.
Floral Theme
Spring flowers are a great way to decorate a cake for a lucky lady. Commonly used flowers in decorating include roses and blossoms, but consider adding some other spring flowers to the design. Tulips, carnations, lilacs and lilies are all excellent choices for a birthday cake with a floral theme. Use the flowers in the following ways:
- Create a floral bouquet on top of the cake, writing the happy birthday message around the bouquet
- Make a border using small flowers and place one large bloom in the center or upper corner, with a larger happy birthday message
- Write the happy birthday message and then randomly surround the message with flowers
Floral themed cakes are not just for women. Instead of pastel flowers, decorate using blue, dark purple and red flowers for a masculine touch, and don't forget to add greenery.
Animal Theme
Certain cute critters are associated with springtime and can make a fun happy birthday cake design. Robins or blue jays are excellent choices for a cake for a man or a woman, whether the bird is perched atop a branch or is topping a tiered cake.
Kids and adults might get a kick out of a bee, frog, butterfly or ladybug birthday cake design in the spring. Using shaped cake pans are an easy way to turn a simple sheet cake into a fun animal birthday cake.
Weather Theme
Rain is ubiquitous with spring, so work a weather concept into a spring cake design for a birthday. Rain boots, umbrellas and rainbows are all excellent choices for a weather theme cake.
A fun twist to a weather cake is to turn it into an over the hill birthday cake. Decorate the top of the cake with rainclouds and gray skies, with plenty of rain gushing down onto the birthday message below, which is "running" off onto the side of the cake due to the horrible downpour on the top.
More Spring Birthday Themes
Sports are always big in the spring, so a track and field or baseball cake design is also fitting for a birthday cake design. Alternatively, consider combining an Easter cake design with a birthday cake in the spring if the celebrant's special day falls near the holiday.
Techniques for Decorating Spring Cakes
Decorating a birthday cake with a spring theme is something that requires basic cake decorating skills. Like any cake design, the more complicated the design for the spring themed birthday cake, the more difficult the techniques are for decorating.
Some of the most commonly used techniques and skills needed for making a spring birthday cake include:
- Knowing how to make basketweave designs in buttercream
- Making lattice in royal icing
- Creating grass with buttercream icing
- Making gum paste or fondant flowers
- Shaping modeling chocolate into animals or other figures
- Transferring a design from parchment paper to a sheet cake
Light, soft colors are associated with spring, so consider picking up a pack of pastel food dyes. This way, you can achieve the right color without trial and error.
More Birthday Cake Ideas
Spring birthday cakes are a great way to celebrate both the season and a special someone. However, not everyone wants a seasonal cake for his or her birthday. Find plenty more ideas for birthday cakes in the LoveToKnow slideshows Fondant Birthday Cakes and Novelty Birthday Cakes.
