Some time ago, i wrote an article on birthday cakes… The different types of cakes there were then, and what was ‘in-fashion’. I thought it was time to update the article and also give a few referrals!
—
For ANY birthday party, the birthday cake is always one of the focus (besides the kid himself, of course!). Depending on how you want the party to be remembered, there are always various different cakes for the occasion! Having been to so many different birthday parties, let me just share a few interesting ones that i remember with you… and where you can find them!
1. The photograph-printed birthday cake
The cakes are in this case, custom ordered as the parents had sent in the birthday kid’s photographs to the cake shop. Several shops in SG do offer this, but it is pretty expensive!
I believe Bengawan Solo offered this service for a while, but do not know if they still do!
2. The Cartoon themed cakes
These are the normal cakes that you see with cartoon prints and so on. Kids love these but they sometimes fight over the cartoon figurines on the cakes, so be forewarned!
You can get this at most cake shops in Singapore. Some are printed cakes, some have figurines on them, but these are generally not the 3D ones.
Prima Deli: http://www.primadeli.com/shopatprimadeli/category.asp?CaID=30
3. The 3D Figurine Cake
These cakes never fail to WOW people when they are taken out. Some are in the form of the barbie doll 3D (yes, i have seen one like that before!) while some are in the forms of cars, trains etc. The only thing to note is that these kind of cakes do pose a challenge to however is cutting the cake as they tend to have odder shapes (eg, i have had once when the parent was having a headache trying to divide the cake, because the cake was triangular in shape)
Fantastic and one of the most recommended for 3D Cakes (E-creatives): http://www.ecreative.com.sg/
Also very established and known (Smiling Orchid) : http://www.smilingorchid.com/client/listing.php?categoryid=4&subcategoryid=12&color=
4. Ice Cream Cake
One of the hot favorites of the ice-cream lovers. Perpetually all kids LOVE ice-cream, so they are guaranteed to come back for a second serving. Take note however that young kids are advised not to take too much ice cream cake, and ice cream cakes have to be kept in the freezer up to the point when it has to be cut. Sometimes it takes a fine balance indeed for I have seen parents struggling to cut the ice cream cake as it was frozen too hard too.
Swensons: http://www.swensens.com.sg/order.html
Haagen Dazs: http://www.haagendazs.com.sg/SG_Home/
5. Cup cakes
These used to be less commonly seen, but have gained popularity in recent years. Most of the time, parents prepare a slightly bigger cake for cutting, but give out the cup cakes instead. It used to be that the cup cakes are mostly decorated nicely with smiley face and creative decorations. However, nowadays, most can be customized so it looks really awesome!
It is a good idea to have these if they are a lot of kids since it will be much easier to give out the cake and save the hassle of cutting and dividing the big birthday cake! (Save the birthday cake for family members!)
http://www.cupcakeobsession.com/
7. Custom Figure/ Novelty Cakes
These cakes are now the ‘in-fashion’ cakes. For these cakes, customers can request ANYTHING that they like. Send in photos etc, and they will be able to create the cake with custom figures on it! I’ve tried this for my friends birthday myself and got a cake that is in the form of a magicians’ top hat, and all four figurines that look like all of us on the cake!
You have to make the effort to bring photographs and go down to meet the cake chefs personally though, if your cake is super custom!
Bear in mind too, these cakes are usually couture cakes – not so good if you’re looking at not too sweet cakes!
My pick (Metrocakes) : http://metrocakes.com.sg/contact-form.php
8. Traditional Classic Cakes
Usually not the choice for kids! However, classic cakes can be extremely lovely. Some older kids also prefer this if they feel they are ‘adults’ and no longer want kiddy cakes. Can be more atas and very classy. Up-side is that there are a lot of medium priced cakes that are fairly good. Unlike custom cakes, which are generally on the expensive side.
Classic and known place to get the cakes: Bengawan Solo
http://www.bengawansolo.com.sg/Default.aspx
9. Durian Cakes
Durian, for the uninitiated, is the local king of fruits. I personally LOVE durian so i wouldn’t mind having it for my birthday! This is very seldom seen though because i host many parties where the friends and families may not be local. Durian can smell pungent to non-locals who are not familiar with it! But if everyone loves durian, why not go ahead with this!
Emicakes specializes in Durian Cakes: http://www.emicakes.com.sg/
& Others: http://www.angiethechoice.com.sg/shop/item.asp?itemid=51&catid=7
10. Halal Cakes
There aren’t many cake shops certified Halal, although cakes are generally Halal.
Certified Halal – Eatzi Gourmet: http://www.eatzi.com.sg/bakery-online
—
The list i’ve given is of course, not the full list! There are many many many cake shops in Singapore. And most shops nowadays have expanded to include the many specialty cakes i’ve listed above. My personal favourite cake shops are:
The Patissier: http://www.thepatissier.com/
Metrocakes: http://metrocakes.com.sg/
Well, that’s about it that I can recall from the parties that I have been hosting. Occasionally too, there are some two tiered birthday cakes, but those are rare, only if there are a lot of kids around! Sometimes, it is good to ask your kid for his/her preference for the cake, since it is afterall his/her birthday!
Sometimes it is also good to weigh your options based on budget. While a super customized cake is really nice, if you want to allocate budget for entertainment and food, perhaps a 3D cake or a cartoon character will do? Discuss with your child about it… and it could even be a little financial planning lesson on budgeting!
As long as everyone ends up happy and had fun, all’s good! 
Birthday Party Resources 