Favorite Birthday Dessert Ideas – Edible® Blog
Believe it or not, not everyone is a birthday cake or cupcake lover. And even if you are, it’s always fun to do things a little differently and off the beaten path. That’s why we’ve put together this roundup of delicious birthday dessert ideas from a panel of recipe creators and dessert lovers, such as:
- Birthday cake cookies
- Raspberry cookies
- No-bake chocolate cheesecake
- Cake pops
- Molten lava cake
- …and more!
What are the Best Birthday Dessert Ideas?
The great news is there are tons of delicious birthday dessert ideas, so the birthday person will have plenty of options to choose from. Consider a box of strawberries and mini pineapple cakes dipped in cake batter-flavored white chocolate and topped with confetti sprinkles. Along with a few classic chocolate dipped strawberries topped with white chocolate Happy Birthday sentiments, it’s all packaged in a custom Happy Birthday box.
For someone’s milestone birthday like their 16th, 21st, 30th, or 50th, consider a birthday party kit featuring confetti cupcakes complete with a pair of number balloons. Or, opt for a platter filled with decadent treats like mini cheesecakes and strawberries dipped in semisweet chocolate or cake batter-flavored white chocolate. It comes with a few Madagascar Vanilla Bean or Chocolate Truffle cupcakes and a few festive Happy Birthday balloons.
Choose a delicious fruit arrangement topped with glistening pineapple letters that spell BDAY. Packaged in a keepsake martini glass-shaped container, it’s a mouth-watering birthday dessert that’s perfect for sharing and also makes a stunning birthday party table centerpiece. Why not get one for every table for your guests to enjoy as a delicious appetizer or dessert? Offering everything from birthday party kits to birthday care packages, birthday cakes, and more, Edible Arrangements® is your one-stop shop for all things unique and delicious for a special birthday celebration.
Favorite Birthday Dessert Ideas
For more delicious birthday dessert ideas you might want to try, we put out a call for ideas and curated responses below. (Note: Edible Arrangements® is not endorsing any of the companies or ideas discussed below, but we asked for suggestions to get some different perspectives.) Keep reading to find out what the contributors who responded to our query had to say about their favorite birthday dessert ideas.
Jessica Randhawa
Jessica Randhawa is the head chef, recipe creator, photographer, and writer behind The Forked Spoon.
“My favorite birthday dessert idea is Raspberry Cookies. These Raspberry Cookies are soft, fluffy, buttery, and bursting with the delicious flavors of fresh lemon and raspberries. They are super quick and easy to make, and everyone loves them!”
Michael Bell
Michael Bell is the Founder and CEO of Manukora. His ambition, alongside a deep passion for net-positive business has resulted in Manukora developing into the brand of choice in the fast growing Mānuka category. Michael aspires to be a driving force in the forming of New Zealand as the world’s leading re-generative valley.
“I love pavlova for a birthday party. It’s a traditional New Zealand dessert that involves a crisp outside with a mouth-watering meringue base. The inside can be filled with any kind of fresh berries, kiwi fruit, or even lemon curd. To finish it off, you top it with a generous dollop of whipped cream. It’s a nice addition to a birthday cake, or you could even serve the individual desserts by themselves. They’re quite the crowd pleaser.”
Chelsea Plummer
Chelsea is a dog-loving foodie and the sole recipe
developer, food photographer, and content creator behind Mae’s Menu. As an aspiring intuitive eater, she believes there’s room in a healthy diet for both veggies and treats.
“My favorite birthday dessert idea is birthday cake cookies! Not only are they less messy than cake or cupcakes, but they taste just like the real thing! This makes them ideal for bringing treats into your child’s classroom or throwing a birthday party with a lot less cleanup!”
Mallory Tolbert & Marissa Hercules
Mallory and Marissa are the founders of thecurlyspoonblog.com. They are culinary experts that specialize in cooking and baking with an emphasis in
dessert and brunch recipes. Their recipes have been featured by Food Gawker, Blendtec, Pillsbury, and more.
“Our favorite birthday dessert is Coconut Carrot Cake. Coconut Carrot Cake is a moist 5 layer carrot cake infused with toasted coconut and topped with cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans. This cake is a unique and delicious birthday dessert option that everyone will love!”
Claire Grayson
Claire is the co-founder of Personalitymax.com.
“A dessert staple at any party I organize is a croquembouche.
This French classic dessert is a cone-shaped tower of cream puffs sprinkled with caramel. If you’re looking for an easy-to-make dessert that would have your party looking extra luxurious, croquembouche is the one for you.”
Megan Weimer
Megan Weimer is a food photographer, recipe developer, and blogger at Meg and Matcha.
“My favorite birthday dessert idea is these gluten-free birthday cake sugar cookies.
These are the softest, chewiest, most delicious gluten-free cookies you will ever make. They’re loaded with birthday sprinkles and taste like Funfetti cake batter. They are perfect for those with gluten intolerance!”
Rachel Scott
Rachel is the Co-Founder and Medical Practitioner of National TASC LLC.
“No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake is my favorite birthday dessert idea.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 packages of cream cheese
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1.5 cups graham crumbs
- Toppings (strawberries, cookies, hot fudge, etc.)
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
Procedure for Cracker Crust:
- Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Mix well.
- Press mixture firmly into a 9 pie plate or springform pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
- You can also freeze unbaked for 1 hour.
Procedure for Cheesecake:
- In a bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, then set aside.
- In an electric mixer with the beater attachment, beat cream cheese until fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to the cream cheese and beat until fluffy.
- Slowly and carefully add the whipped cream and mix until light and fluffy.
- Pour over the mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Serve.”
Nathan Hughes
Nathan Hughes is the Founder at Art Ignition.
“If you want a dessert that looks good and tastes good, then cake popsicles are the best dessert you could’ve had for a birthday party.
Cake popsicles come in different flavors and colors. It looks pretty when it is arranged nicely on a platter and kept on the food table. This dessert can be enjoyed by everyone. Children and adults both. You can also give these popsicles as a birthday gift. It works both ways.”
Mark Blakey
Mark Blakey is the CEO & Advertising Manager of Autism Parenting Magazine. We are an award-winning publication aimed at improving the quality of life for families affected by autism.
“Molten lava cake is a dessert that is very near and dear to my heart. I remember having it for the first time on my 10th birthday, and it was love at first bite!
The molten chocolate center was so rich and decadent, and the cake itself was perfectly moist. I have since had molten lava cake many times, but that first experience will always be special to me. If you’re looking for a truly show-stopping birthday dessert, molten lava cake is the way to go.
Your guests will be wowed by the molten chocolate center, and they will be asking for seconds (and thirds!). So if you are looking for a birthday dessert that is guaranteed to impress, molten lava cake is a perfect choice.”
Ian Kelly
Ian Kelly is the CEO of NuLeaf Naturals.
“Unicorn doughnuts are a delight for kids and adults alike. Just get some freshly baked plain doughnuts from a nearby bakery and then decorate them at home. All you’ll need is 1 cup of milk, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar.
Mix them, whisk in a bowl until smooth and your glaze is ready. Next, dip the top half of your doughnuts in this icing and top it up with sprinkles. Your unicorn doughnuts are ready!
I made this for mom on her birthday, and she loved it. I particularly love this birthday dessert idea because it’s easy, and the result is visually satisfying without needing too much baking expertise.”
Yester Banuchyan
Yester Banuchyan is a chef, CEO and Founder of Cook on Monday, where we help people improve their cooking skills, find cooking tips and learn everything else about food.
“My favorite birthday dessert idea is cake lasagna. You must be thinking now, what is a cake lasagna? Well, it is the most decadent dessert you will ever eat. It is a combination of an ice cream cake and lasagna.
Obviously, you wouldn’t be using noodles, cheese, white sauce, or tomato sauce. Instead, you’ll use layers of cheesecake mousse, whipped cream, pudding, and Graham crackers. All these combined components will make the most delicious and mind-blowing dessert you’ll ever have. Each layer will contain an ooey-gooey goodness that will make you eat it all alone.”
Vicky Cano
Vicky Cano is a Chef and recipe blogger at Mealfan.
“Cookies make the absolute best ice cream sandwiches. My favorite birthday dessert is Jumbo Ice Cream Sandwich. I use homemade delicious cookies to create the ultimate warm weather treat. The ingredients are as follows:
- 1 teaspoon Imitation Almond Extract
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Clear Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 teaspoon salt
- 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Pastels Sprinkles Mixes 6.06 oz.
They are fairly easy to make, which is why I love baking them for birthday parties. Not only that, these delicious jumbo ice cream sandwiches are unique to the usual cakes and traditional desserts.”
Erin Zadoorian
Erin Zadoorian is a 29 year old entrepreneur based in Los Angeles and CEO of BudPop. He leveraged his digital marketing agency to build a portfolio of direct-to-consumer eCommerce brands to over $50M in annual revenue.
“Mango crepe cake is my personal favorite when it comes to birthday desserts.
It’s so easy to make with just 5 steps and just 30 minutes of preparation time. Plus, there’s really no special ingredient aside from sweet mangoes! This is a great alternative to common cake ideas.”
Veronica Thompson
Veronica Thompson is the COO of Everyday Power. She also holds an MBA. In her free time, she bakes, dances, and paints. She also often reads books, which inspires her to be a better person every day.
“My favorite birthday dessert idea is Slightly sweet Chocolate Mousse.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lightly beaten large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Optional: Whipped cream and raspberries
Directions:
- In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips with water, and stir until smooth.
- Stir a small amount of hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolk, then return all to the pan while stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat then, stir in vanilla. Quickly transfer to a small bowl. Stir occasionally until completely cooled.
- In a small bowl, beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Then add sugar and beat the mixture until soft peaks form.
- Fold into cooled chocolate mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If desired, garnish with whipped cream and raspberries.”
Heather King
Heather King is the owner of Go Gluten Freely, a resource to inspire and equip those needing to eat and live “gluten-freely.”
“For an easy and creative way to serve a crowd at your next birthday celebration, set up a decorate-your-own-cupcake station.
Bake cupcakes, or purchase store-bought chocolate muffins for a shortcut. Freeze the cupcakes until the day of your event to maintain freshness, and set on the counter a few hours before your event to thaw. Put out piping bags or bowls of homemade or packaged frosting. Offer a variety of toppings from mini chocolate chips to shaped sprinkles/sequins, and even non-edible toppers to match your theme.”
Shirlene Kyin
Shirlene Kyin is the Director of Operations at Soylent.
“Fried ice cream can make an excellent birthday treat, especially since many people have never tried (or made!) it.
The ingredients are simple—just your favorite ice cream, egg whites, and cornflakes—and the preparation is pretty straightforward once you have the hang of it.”
Melanie Edwards
Melanie Edwards is the Sr. E-Commerce and Digital Product Manager for OLIPOP, a soda that tastes like the tonic you grew up sipping but with the added benefit of microbiome and digestive health support.
“I love truffles for a birthday. Depending on the person’s taste, you could do chocolate, lemon, raspberry cheesecake, or even cake batter flavored. When in doubt, go with the classic, rich chocolate variety. You’ll need pure chocolate, heavy cream, butter, and vanilla extract. Once made, you can coat them with sprinkles or crushed nuts for a fun birthday treat!”
Ashley Schuering
Ashley Schuering is the blogger behind Confessions of a Grocery Addict, a food blog designed to share money-saving tricks, time-saving tips, and easy grocery hacks to make being the CFO (Chief Food Officer) of your family a little easier. She is also a full-time freelance writer, food nerd, SEO ninja, and food justice activist. She lives in Nashville, TN with her super awesome husband and two 70-lb lap dogs.
“I’m not much of a cake person, so my favorite birthday dessert idea is my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. It is basically just a giant format cookie decorated with a chocolate peanut butter buttercream frosting and a smattering of cheerful candy. With a caramelized, crispy edge and a soft, almost gooey interior, this salty-sweet masterpiece is the stuff of dreams. As a bonus, it’s a great way to use up any Halloween candy lurking around the house!”
Ryan Novak
Ryan Novak is the Owner of Chocolate Pizza Company, Inc.
“My favorite birthday dessert idea is pizza! Chocolate Pizza, to be precise. Call me crazy, but I like birthday desserts that are as unique as they are delicious, and a handcrafted Happy Birthday Chocolate Pizza made by Chocolate Pizza Company with rich Swiss-style chocolate and decorated with colorful chocolate candies is top-shelf. Presented in a custom pizza box this is a birthday dessert with a creative twist.”
Mark Joseph
Mark Joseph is the Founder of Parental Queries.
“As a father myself, I know how important birthdays are to kids. And as a parent, I also know how difficult it can be to come up with new and exciting birthday ideas each year. That’s why I’m sharing some of my favorite birthday dessert ideas that are sure to please anyone.
So whether you’re looking for something classic or something new and unique, here are some delicious birthday dessert ideas:
Ice cream cake: This is a classic birthday treat that’s always a hit with kids. Simply layer your child’s favorite ice cream flavors in between layers of moist cake and top with their favorite toppings.
Chocolate fondue: This is a fun and interactive dessert that’s perfect for a birthday party. Simply melt some chocolate in a fondue pot and let everyone dip their favorite fruits, marshmallows, or pretzels into the melted chocolate.
Cupcakes: These bite-sized treats are always a hit with kids (and adults!). You can go the classic route with vanilla or chocolate cupcakes or get creative with flavor combinations like strawberry lemonade or cookies and cream.
Birthday cake: Of course, no birthday is complete without a delicious birthday cake. Whether you make it yourself or order it from your favorite bakery, be sure to top it off with your child’s favorite frosting and decorations.”
Janell Poulette
Janell Poulette has been creating recipes and saving people money at SavingYouDinero.com since 2009. She is the official birthday cake maker in the family. She is living life in Florida
with her husband and 3 kids but loves to travel when the kids are off of school!
“If you are looking for the best birthday dessert idea, the most popular one in our family is my White Cake With Strawberries and White Chocolate Whipped Mousse. The cake is so light and fluffy and starts with a boxed cake mix. The white chocolate mousse is just sweet enough to go with the strawberries for a beautiful and delicious birthday cake. It’s a fancier version of a strawberry shortcake.”
Gwynn Galvin
Gwynn Galvin is an award-winning chef, recipe developer, food stylist, and website owner. Her blog, Swirls of Flavor, is filled with easy recipes using fresh and simple ingredients. Gwynn’s passion is bringing people together around the table with her recipes. She also works as a culinary consultant for food corporations and PR agencies.
“A DIY Ice Cream Sundae Bar is a delicious way to celebrate your birthday! Everyone loves to make their own ice cream sundaes, and making them in waffle cups rimmed with chocolate and sprinkles is guaranteed to turn a birthday into a sweet celebration!
Use rainbow sprinkles or colored sprinkles that coordinate with the birthday theme to decorate the edible waffle bowls.
Offering an assortment of ice cream flavors, toppings and sauces make this dessert festive and fun for everyone!”
Dan Gallagher
Dan Gallagher is an ISSA Certified Nutritionist at Aegle Nutrition.
“Especially for people who prefer ice cream over cake, having some fruit sorbet with fruit on top can be a festive and delicious way to celebrate a birthday. Sorbet has a light, fresh flavor, and adding fresh fruit can really elevate it to an incredible birthday dessert.”
Millie Pham
Millie Pham is a Korean-English interpreter who turned her love of home decor and outdoor cooking into a lifestyle blog during the pandemic.
“My favorite birthday dessert idea is homemade cheesecake bars with blueberry topping.
I love cheesecake, but I prefer it in bar form — it’s just so much easier to eat! And these bars are perfect for any occasion—they can be made ahead and frozen; I can make them in a pan and then refrigerate them to serve later. The blueberries add freshness and color to the dessert, but they’re not too overpowering or tart. Another reason I like this dessert idea is that it is simple to make and can be made with leftover blueberries and crackers (for the crust).”
Dr. Staci Holweger
Dr. Staci Holweger is the Founder and Doctor of Regenerative medicine at Lifepatches.
“The local shop has a wide variety of desserts; I usually go with the chocolate cake!
But if you’re looking for something to make at home, my favorite birthday dessert idea is a birthday cake pop! It’s such a fun treat, and it’s easy to make, too. All you need is cake batter, lollipop sticks, and frosting! Mix in a couple sprinkles to make it colorful and fun! Then, bake a cake, cut it up, and put it in a muffin tray. Bake for five minutes. After that, put each piece of cake on a lollipop stick and bake for another five minutes! Next, frost the cake pops, add the sprinkles, and there you have it! You can even get creative and make your own birthday cake pop stand or make some fun birthday cake pop toppers!”
Isabella Flint
Isabella Flint is the founder of Fanatically Food, a culinary website that aims to prove that you don’t have to be a gourmet chef to make gourmet meals, and provides all of the knowledge you need to make simple food taste amazing.
“Most of us love a tasty dessert. I say most of us because my brother famously doesn’t, which I find completely unfathomable. I think he must be adopted, because I certainly do!
In all seriousness, though, because most of us love a tasty treat from time to time, we look forward to our birthdays with eager anticipation. Where’s there’s a birthday, there’s usually a birthday cake, and seriously, who doesn’t love birthday cake?
Sometimes, though, a cake just won’t cut the proverbial mustard. While birthday cakes are great, having one for each and every birthday can get a bit tiresome, especially by the time you get a bit older. There’s also the fact that, as much as I personally cannot believe it, some people just don’t particularly enjoy cake.
So what do you do when catering for a birthday boy or girl who either doesn’t like cake or perhaps would appreciate a change from the traditional? Well, you search for inspiration, and with the internet, there’s certainly no shortage of it out there.
One of my favorite birthday cake substitutes are birthday cake cookies, which are particularly great for children’s birthday parties. Why? You get all the classic flavor of a birthday cake, complete with buttercream frosting, but you also get cookies which, let’s be honest, are sure to be a hit with the kids.
They’re soft baked and chewy (which is how all cookies should be, in my opinion) but with a hint of a crunch and packed full of regular and white chocolate chips, as well as colorful sprinkles. You don’t have to be a genius to work out that almost any child that sets eyes on these delicious treats is sure to be begging to try one.
Perhaps best of all, making birthday cake cookies instead of buying or making a cake saves you from the hassle of cutting the cake up into slices for each child and the inevitable arguments over who gets the biggest slice. With birthday cake cookies, you have ready-made portion sizes so that in the chaos of your children’s birthday party, one thing you won’t have to worry about is cutting the cake.
If there are leftovers at the end of the day (which I’m sure there won’t be!), then no problem. These cookies will stay fresh at room temperature for up to a week as long as they are sealed in an airtight container. But if you still have some spare after this time, these cookies are surprisingly freezer friendly, lasting for up to three months. You can also make the dough beforehand and bake as required; again, the dough will keep in the freezer for about three months and three or four days in the refrigerator.
There are a number of different recipes for these birthday cookies available online from a bunch of great recipe sites. Depending on your own personal preferences, you can select the one that suits you the best based on the number of servings or whatever you like, but they’re all pretty similar for the most part.
For example, If you want to speed things up a little, you can make them by mixing regular all-purpose with ready-made cake mix- normally vanilla- or you can make your own from scratch. Either way, they’re super easy to make, and don’t let the total time of 2.5 to 3 hours cited on many of the recipes scare you away; these cookies take just no more than 15 minutes to bake, and, at most, half an hour to prep.
Most of the recipes factor in at least an hour or two of chilling time for the dough, and the longer the dough is left to chill the batter so that the dough holds its shape. When I make them, I make the dough a day beforehand and simply pop them in the oven for 10 minutes. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
As much as I love making these tasty birthday treats, I can’t claim any credit for coming up with the recipe myself; I am merely admiring the great work of others. Who came up with them, I don’t know!”
Beth Schubert
After graduating from college Beth worked in various media roles before deciding to combine her love of cooking, grilling, barbecuing and her professional life and helped to establish, and now manage, Own The Grill, a site dedicated to creating exclusive content for its ever-expanding legion of global grilling fans.
“A favorite birthday dessert idea of mine that I always love to cook for my own birthday as well as birthday dinners for friends, is my smoked pumpkin pie recipe.
This recipe is perfect for fall birthdays, fall lovers, and those who want to try their hand at something a little different! You can use any smoker for this recipe, and you can choose between fresh pumpkins or a canned filling (fresh is best, but canned is easier, especially for first-timers.) I’d also recommend using light wood, like cherry wood, because it will not
overpower the flavor of the pie while you’re smoking it.”
If you’re looking for something other than traditional birthday cake for a birthday dessert, give one of these decadent desserts a try, such as cheesecake bars, fruit sorbet, birthday truffles, or fried ice cream. No time to prepare? Not to worry. When you shop at Edible Arrangements®, you’ll find an incredible selection of birthday desserts and birthday gifts perfect for making anyone’s special day memorable.
