Baby Shower Cakes: Sweet Treats for Sweet Times

April 7, 2009 by  
Filed under Baby Shower Cakes

A cute baby shower cake is a sweet way to cap a fun baby shower for the newest member of the family. Baby showers have become a tradition for heralding the arrival of a cute baby into the home. Fun games and decorations centered around baby stuff can make the affair festive and memorable but the best centerpiece is always the perfect baby shower diaper cake. Soon-to-be-moms will want the best baby shower cake so party planners always try to come up with unique and fresh ideas for baby shower cakes.

There are several baby shower cake designs you can find on the Internet. Most of these use everyday baby items you can find in any grocery. Diapers are the most common items because they are flexible and can be “molded” to fit any design.

Other common items that can be used for baby shower cakes are feeding bottles, baby clothes, baby lotions or baby wash, and diaper clips. Other baby items are also very handy. Rattles, teethers, and pacifiers can be used to add fun and color to the cake. You can also stock up on bows, ribbons, rubber bands, and other small stuff because you will probably need these in tying up your items for the baby shower cake.

You can only be limited by your imagination when it comes to baby shower cakes. The best way to get ideas is to look at pictures of baby shower cakes that others have made and try to look at how each item is used in the design. Then you can take off from there and create your own style.

The best way to start planning for a baby shower cake is to think of a general theme for the whole party and let the invitations, decorations, activities and the centerpiece cake revolve around the theme. This will set the atmosphere for the whole activity so choose a theme that will best fit the personality of the mom-to-be and the friends and family joining the party.

A sporty mom and her friends might want a playball diaper cake with little toy basketballs and baseballs as the central decorations. A Hawaiian-themed baby shower cake will be fun for the mom and her friends who love the beach and the outdoors. For this you will probably need a lot of colorful baby wash clothes and some tropical toy animals for effect. When cooking up a design do not stop at the mere “look” of the cake. Also try as much as practicable to use items that the baby will actually need as this is the essence of a diaper cake.

You can go from simple designs to multi-tiered diaper cakes that are almost good enough to eat! And who said diaper cakes cannot be edible. While baby shower cakes are created to be centerpieces of baby stuff, there is no stopping any creative mom or party host from adding edible cupcakes or jell-o cakes to make the centerpiece even more fun and exciting.

A baby shower party is a sweet celebration of a new life. With imagination and lots of creativity, you can easily come up with the perfect baby shower cake to top the occasion.

Planning the Menu for a Baby Shower Party

March 29, 2009 by  
Filed under Baby Shower Cakes

Regardless of the type of party you’re planning, food, beverages and cake are perhaps one of the most important parts of the process. When planning a baby shower, you’ll need to consider how to create the ideal baby shower cake for the occasion, as well as regular menu items for a luncheon or afternoon snack.

Feeding guests is an ideal way to let them mingle and socialize, and catch up with the expectant mother. Often, the simpler the menu the better – it needn’t be extremely complicated and stressful, but even simple food can be presented in such a way to wow everyone involved.

Most baby showers will typically include things like finger foods and sandwiches, or a buffet-style menu. The key is to choose foods that are easy to prepare and serve, as well as eat. In other words, don’t plan on serving the most elaborate dish or something that requires a lot of silverware and plates for the guests!

Costs also need to be controlled, so consider this while planning the menu. Also, keep the time of day the baby shower will be held in mind – this will affect how large the menu should be. You can also arrange for a ‘pot luck’ menu, asking each guest to bring their favorite dish; this lowers your individual costs as the host, and prevents major clean-up after!

When meeting with the expectant mom in the early planning stages, ask for her input on possible menu items. This will help you determine the required budget, as well as any items that can be prepared and frozen way ahead of time.

Beverages should generally be non-alcoholic. This will prevent any overindulgence on the guests’ behalf, but virtually any drink can be fun and festive. Consider standards like bottled water, iced tea or lemonade, but add a bowl of colorful and fruity punch to go with the serving of the cake.

Soda or flavored water can also be considered, and coffee and decaffeinated choices should be provided. Any of these beverage choices can be purchased at sale prices far ahead of the baby shower date.

Don’t forget that the baby shower cake will be the center of attention on the menu. Sheet cakes are the easiest to serve and tend to be the least expensive, and can be decorated with a wide variety of appropriate baby theme items. If you prefer a more indulgent cake, consider a tiered creation that is more formal and can offer several different flavors.

You can look online for several photos of baby shower cakes, or can visit several local bakeries to inquire about special offers and designs available. Most bakeries will only need a week or two of advance notice to prepare the baby shower cake for pickup, unless you require a very unique design or flavor.

Remember to try to coordinate the baby shower cake design with the theme of the party, or a more elaborate cake may serve as the basis for the surrounding decorations. The simpler your food and beverage menu, the more of your budget can be allotted toward the creation of a truly unique baby shower cake that will impress both mother and guests alike!