Themed 40th birthday cake.
Birthday cakes are an important part of any birthday celebration. Even more so for milestone birthdays, such as the 40th. Every aspect of the party from the invitations, centerpieces and cake must be perfect and harmonious so the birthday celebrant has an enjoyable, unforgettable time. Therefore, choose your theme carefully to fit in with his personality, hobbies and interests. Does this Spark an idea?
Emphasizing the Age 40
Anything drawing attention to the fact he is turning 40 is a good start if he has a good sense of humor and you feel the need to give him a "hard time" over completing another decade of life. Something such as a hill where he is just about to the top, signifying he is almost "over the hill". A plain white sheet cake featuring balloons, streamers and a huge "40" would work. Try a four-tiered cake, one tier for each decade. Top it off with a large "40" candle or 40 regular birthday candles. Add 40 edible butterflies, roses, records or basketballs, depending on the celebrant's interests.
Write "Oh no, the big four-oh!" on the cake. Have his baby picture next to his current picture with the date of his birth. Create a timeline cake. This would be a longer, thinner cake that could get quite long. Cut regular rectangular cakes in half and then arrange end-to-end the long way. Decorate each section differently to match his interests at the time, or the theme of that birthday or something significant in his life at that time. This is a great way to incorporate different flavors of cake.
Using the Numbers
You can also make two separate cakes and decorate them to match any theme you come up with. The first cake should be in the shape of a four, while the other is in the shape of a zero. You can use special pans for this or cut cake away from any other shape to create the numbers.
Decorate them with zebra stripes, leopard spots, polka dots or whatever matches his personality. If he's a golfer, consider having a little plastic person, representing him, standing on the four with a golf club. The rest of the four can be decorated with some blue "water," beige "sand traps" and different shades of green to represent the fairway and the rough. The zero can contain some of the same elements, but must include the "green" complete with a little flag to represent the hole. This way you can incorporate any theme while still emphasizing the new age of 40.
Themed Cakes
If the birthday celebrant is having a difficult time with his new age, or if he's sensitive about "getting old," it's still possible to celebrate with class. Use his favorite hobby or interest to give him a themed party that doesn't concentrate so much on the new age of 40. For instance, you can decorate a sheet cake with a race track, checker flag and little cars for a NASCAR fan. Decorate the cake like a football field with little plastic football players in his favorite teams colors all over the field. Basketball, baseball or soccer fields can also be depicted. For a fashion diva, try a high heel-shaped cake or decorate a purse-shaped cake like her favorite Coach bag.
If she's an accomplished professional, decorate the cake to reflect that. For a doctor, emphasize her specialty or use a small plastic stethoscope to decorate the cake. A briefcase and law books can be created for a lawyer. Teachers can have ABC blocks, a chalkboard and an apple on their cakes.
You can also decorate the cake with places he's been or would like to go. Ski slopes would be good for skiers or snowboarders. Create a ramp for a skater or BMX bike enthusiast. Create a lake with blue icing and place a little plastic boat with a fisherman in it in the middle. Have string representing a line attached from the pole to a fish sticking halfway out of the cake for a fisherman. The cake could represent a bowling alley for a bowler, or a bowler's score sheet.
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