To have a little fun in the office, we held our first-ever Birthday Party Bake Off in which every department submitted a birthday cake to be tasted by a panel of impartial judges.  All of the employees went the extra mile to prepare amazing dishes with excellent presentation.  It was such a fun event that I thought we’d share some photos.  Congrats to our merchandising department for taking the win!

The Winning Cake

Remaining Submissions

I love cupcakes, and I always have. For my ninth birthday I found a recipe for cupcakes that you bake inside of ice cream cones, and I begged and pleaded with my mom to try it out—it didn’t work out very well, but I think it sparked a lifelong love for adorable little personal-sized cakes (particularly when baked in a unique way!).

Here’s some of the latest and greatest charming cupcake ideas to help inspire your next baking experiment:

Relay for Life Cupcake Pops from Bakerella

Hamburger Cupcakes from Smiley’s Sweets

PacMan Wedding Cake Made of 80 Cupcakes!

I love the idea of matching party invitations with the designs on a birthday cake. Here are a few ideas from FamilyFun.com. Check out their website for recipes and more fun birthday cake and cupcake designs.

Towering Sand Castle cake, Horse cake and Fish cake

Pink Castle, Wild West and Go Fish: Boy Party Invitations