Easy Birthday Cake Recipe

Since May is right around the corner, and with it comes 5 family birthdays, I got to thinking about my epic fail at making my oldest daughters birthday cake several years ago. This is the story of why everyone needs an easy birthday cake recipe.  And, the recipe I am about to share is so easy, and so yummy it may just become your family’s go-to cake recipe too!

Not that many years ago I decided to make my daughter an awesome birthday cake.  Something rich and decadent!  I set my sights on a 4 layer pink ombre cake with Swiss buttercream rosettes.   However, things did not go according to plans!

I had made my Mom this decadent Triple Lemon Buttercream Cake, so I thought this pink cake would be a walk in the park!

It all started on a Saturday evening when I carefully prepared a coconut batter, divided it in four and colored each one a gradual shade of pink.  I baked them off and set them on the counter to cool.  The plan was to get up early mix up the Swiss buttercream and have it all decorated bright and early.  It was going to be beautiful!

Fast forward to about, say 1 AM, when I hear “No Tripper, bad dog”!  Opening one eye I call out to Samantha asking what he was in to.  You guessed it….Marlie’s cake.  He had eaten half the top layer.  So much for planning ahead.  I was just too tired to care at that point and went back to sleep.

Birthday Cake Take Two…..

Instead of getting up early to decorate the cake I was up early and heading to grocery store to buy a cake mix.  I just didn’t have the time to go through the scratch process.  I doctored it up, adding coconut milk and toasted coconut and again divided the batter up and colored each one.  I baked them off and set them out to cool.  Since we are heading out to run errands, we took the dogs with us!

As soon as I got home I prepared the frosting and set about decorating the cake.  I knew right off the bat I was rushing, which is never good when you are baking.  To make a long story short….the icing would not stick, the layers started to slide apart, and eventually the layers just started to crumble under my careless  spatula.  The entire thing ended up in one big pile of cake chunks and buttercream!  To say I wanted to curl up and cry right then and there was an understatement.

It didn’t help that in between trying to get the cake ready I had to bake 1 dozen hamburg rolls, 6 sausage rolls, prepare a potato salad and a huge jug of passionfruit ice tea lemonade (which also ended up half on the floor)!

I looked at Marlie and apologized profusely.  She laughed.  I didn’t.  I announced my decision to never bake again!  (Which lasted for all of 10 minutes!)  I declared it was the diet devil that simply did not want Marlie to have this cake!

So, while I really wanted to go to bed and pull the covers up over my head, I didn’t want to disappointment my daughter and did what I should have done in the first place….. 

Make The Cox family birthday cake!  3 ingredients, 10 minutes, and loved by all!  Not to mention low(ish) fat!  

I took a few minutes to laugh at myself, took stock of the day and put things in perspective, and then made Birthday Cake Take Three!

I have to admit, I had my mom assemble this when she arrived.  I just did not want to see another cake up close and personal!  Goodness only knows what I could have done to it.

All you need for this easy birthday cake is….

I tub of frozen whipped topping (we used light), a prepared angel food cake, and 4 chocolate bars of your choice.  Crispy Crunch (Butterfinger is similar to Crispy Crunch) is our go-to favourite, but we have used orange Aero, regular Aero, and KitKat too.

Crush the chocolate bars into little bits and fold them into the whipped topping.

Cut the angel food cake in half and place it on a cake plate.  It helps to put wax paper under the edges of the cake to help keep the cake plate clean.

Spread a layer of the mixture on the bottom layer and down the sides.

Add the top layer and spread the remaining whipped topping mixture over the cake.

Slowly pull the wax paper out from under the bottom layer, and you are done!

So simple, yet so good.

Everyone fights for the extra “globs” of whipped topping and chocolate that collect in the centre.

In the end it turned out to be a very Happy Birthday for Marlie!  She was able to enjoy a yummy, familiar birthday cake and everyone in the family was happy too!

And while we are talking about easy birthday cake recipes, this Easy Cherry Pistachio Naked cake is another one that is not only easy, but delicious too!

Until next time….