Birthday Cake Ideas, Counted Rather Than Collected
Most pages of birthday cake ideas are other people’s cakes. This one is a count of ours: 70 photographs, tagged for colour, finish and size, turned into the few decisions you actually have to make. Cakes from £100 for 8–12 slices.
The short version, if you want it now: two colours, one subject, buttercream unless the design needs an edge, and a size one step larger than the headcount suggests.
Elegant Flower Box Cake 
Dad & Daughter CakeA heartwarming cake celebrating the special bond between a father and his daughter... 
Black Velvet CakeA luxurious black cake covered in velvet frosting, adorned with an abundance of fresh berries. 
Honey CakeA delicious layered honey cake with homemade custard, topped with fresh berries. 
Gatsby CakeA luxurious cake inspired by the elegance of the 1920s. Perfect for glamorous celebration, with sophisticated design and exquisite taste. 
Minimalist Cake With Flowers 
Minimalist CakeA velvet cake with a minimalist design, elegant and refined. Simple yet striking. 
Number Cake
Every photograph on this page is of a cake that left this kitchen — none of them borrowed, which is unusual for a page about ideas. The rest of the gallery.
What do these cost?
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
6" single tier Any of the ideas below, in your colours 8–12 slices | £100 |
8" single tier Any of the ideas below, in your colours 14–18 slices | £130 |
10" single tier Any of the ideas below, in your colours 22–28 slices | £150 |
6" + 8" two tier Height rather than more cake — see the comparison below 22–30 slices | £270 |
Any of the ideas below in any of the sizes — the price follows the size, not the design. Modelling and printed toppers are quoted with your brief. Birthday cakes takes the order; prices lists everything.
Describe the cake you are after
We reply within 24 hours with a price. No deposit is taken until you are happy with the quote.
Not ready to send it? What follows answers most of what people ask first.
How long it takes
7–10 days for a simple design, at least 14 for two tiers.
Sooner is sometimes possible: a rush adds 50% when the notice is under 7 days, if the diary is clear.
In a hurry? Bento cakes take 3–5 days.
Delivery
From £30, quoted by distance from RG12 0UY.
Collection from Bracknell is free — see the areas we cover.
Paying
50% deposit to hold your date; orders under £50 are paid in full.
Balance 3 hours before collection, or cash on the day.
The deposit is non-refundable but transferable with 4 days' notice — full terms.
Which colours actually leave this kitchen?
Counted from the tagging rather than remembered. White and cream lead the table below because almost every cake starts from one of them; the useful number is the second colour, which is what a reader is really choosing. Each photograph carries up to three colours, so the figures add up to more than 70.
| Colour | Photographs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| white | 43 | 61% |
| cream | 29 | 41% |
| pink | 20 | 29% |
| red | 17 | 24% |
| black | 14 | 20% |
| gold | 12 | 17% |
What are the four decisions?
Colour, finish, size and subject — in that order, because each one narrows the next. The finish is the one people think about least and notice most: 41 of these cakes are buttercream, 18 fondant, 7 ganache and 2 finished with a drip. Buttercream cuts softly and tastes of butter; fondant holds a corner; ganache is the darkest and sharpest of the three.
In the order worth deciding them
Two colours — one base, one that the cake is about.
Finish — buttercream or fondant, or a drip over either.
Size — 6" for 8–12, 8" for 14–18, 10" for 22–28.
Subject — one. A number, a hobby, a joke, a figure.
Does height mean more cake?
No, and this is the most expensive misunderstanding on the site. Of the photographs here, 32 are single-tier, 14 are two-tier and 2 are three. Two tiers at 6 and 8 inches cost £270 and cut 22–30 slices; one 10-inch cake costs £150 and cuts 22–28. Nearly the same number of slices for a little over half the money. Tiers buy presence — a cake you carry in rather than put down — and that is a real thing to want, but it is what you are buying.
The full comparison is on two-tier cakes.
What about the number?
Piped or modelled on top, and it is the single most reliable design on this page: the numbers that have actually gone onto cakes from this kitchen are 12, 16, 33, 40, 50. A number works because it does the whole job of the cake in one glance — the room knows what is being celebrated before anybody explains. For the birthdays that are mostly about the number, there is a page of its own.
What else do people ask?
Allergies? Our kitchen handles all 14 of the allergens UK law requires us to declare, so nothing we bake is free from any of them. What is in each cake, and our hygiene rating.