Cool Birthday Cakes

Behind every memorable birthday party is a great cake. It not only tells us what the birthday boy or girl is hooked on that year (pirates? dalmatians? pizza?), but it's also a sweet finale to a day of fun.

As every parent knows, though, serving up anything beyond the two-layer classic or store-bought Barney cake can be a creative challenge. After all, it's hard enough to bake a cake that tastes terrific, let alone decorate it to look like your one-year-old's favorite bucket or your two-year-old's favorite toy train. It's even harder to come up with a design that will elicit any response from a group of preteens at a slumber party. That's why we've cooked up this menu of can't-miss cakes, from puppy dogs to baseball caps. There's even a cake that looks like everyone's favorite food, pizza.

Our designs may look like works of art, but they won't keep you in the kitchen all day. They require only some artful icing and a few clever cuts in our basic cake recipe or your favorite cake mix. You don't even need to buy any special pans. Try one of these treats for your child's birthday this year, then tuck this article away for next year's big day. You'll have everything you need to bake a treat that no store-bought cake could hold a candle to.

Cynthia Caldwell is a food stylist and writer; Deanna Cook is a senior editor at FAMILYFUN.