Anyone out there celebrating their birthday on leap day this year? I always imagined how fun it would be to have a special birthday that only came around every four years. I thought it would be clever to tell people I had only celebrated my birthday three times by the age of twelve, and even dreamed up the different seasons I would chose to celebrate my birthday the other years. Regardless of when your actual birthdate is, it’s nice to have a special day to tell those you love how dear they are to you.
I know everyone does their own special things on their birthdays, but I think it’s safe to say most people celebrate by eating something sweet, right? Here are some of my favorite cake and ice cream recipes, and a few sources for party supplies if you’re planning one. You can be sure we will be using a couple of these recipes this weekend as we celebrate a couple family birthdays.
How do you love to celebrate your birthday?
Funny Fudge Cake – This cake is chocolatey, and almost like a brownie. It uses cake flour, though you can easily substitute it out for all purpose. The frosting is a marshmallow buttercream.
Brown Sugar Cake – This cake is quickly thrown together, feeds a lot of people, and it’s a favorite paired with fruit and whipped cream. It’s crumb topping is one of my favorite parts.
Hummingbird Cake - Even the name is divine, bringing to mind something sweet and lovely. It’s tropical ingredients (banana, pineapple, coconut) might be the reason hummingbirds flock to it (in theory). This version is topped with a white chocolate frosting.
Fudge Chocolate Ice Cream – We make this ice cream with all vegan ingredients and it is decadent. Even if you’re a cow dairy lover you’d better watch out, after making it with heavy cream and whole milk, you may never go back to normal chocolate ice cream again.
Raspberry Ice Cream – Prefer fruity ice cream? This is one of our favorites and you can easily substitute the raspberries with a different fruit; strawberries, lemon curd, blueberries, blackberries, etc. C’mon it’s your birthday.
Birthday Candles – We love using different fire lit things on our birthday cakes, candles that reignite, sparklers (which are a bit traumatic for some toddlers), number shaped candles, letter candles, and even the candles stuck in strange things like cars and animals. I especially love hand dipped beeswax candles you can find here, here or here. They have a beautiful natural color and smell great. If you prefer color you’ll love these multi colored mini taper candles.
Party Decor – Party decor in our home is very minimal but I do love perusing the insurmountable amount of party inspiration online. Caroline (Zupas contributor) always has awesome party ideas, and I love Sarah’s Party Perfect where she highlights parties that real people have put on. Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day! always has creative and beautiful ideas and inspiration, and of course you can always rely on Martha Stewart, Donna Hay, and the like.
Other party supplies – I know there are a lot of places to find party supplies, but a recent source I found is Shop Sweet Lulu. They have paper straws, festive cupcake liners, cake stands, and cute packaging. I also love the packaging you can find at Mignon Kitchen Co and Garnish. Do you have a good party supply source? Share in the comments!
And though it might not be where you would typically look for party planning ideas, Kinfolk magazine and journal is about the small and simple gathering. I love that the emphasis is on the connections made between people and small moments enjoyed; in my opinion that’s the best way to enjoy a birthday.
