Depending on the mom-to-be, a simple strawberry cheesecake may be ideal.
A baby shower cake should start with the cake recipe that the mom-to-be likes best, which makes that part fairly easy to decide. Actual decorations for the cake may pose more difficulty, but they do not have to. Hostesses should let the personality of the mother-to-be guide the cake. A high-energy mom calls for a very festive cake, whereas a laidback mom who likes to keep it simple might prefer a simpler cake. Does this Spark an idea?
Themed Cakes
It is true that themed cakes can be complicated. However, with the wide variety of baby-shower-appropriate pans available in houseware and department stores, anyone with an oven has a lot of choices to make cake-shaping easier. Baby bottle-shaped pans can work equally well for boys and girls, or can be gender-neutral if mom does not know yet. Alphabet blocks, rubber ducks, giant cupcakes, teddy bears, rabbits and doll-shaped cake pans are just some of the options a hostess can choose from. Once the cake is baked in the shape of one of these pans, it is only a matter of applying some frosting. Hostesses can use a treasured recipe, or can even use cake mix if they prefer.
Simple Cakes
Simple cakes may be round or square, depending on whatever pans a host has on hand. However, since the shape is simple, a knockout cake recipe is a good idea to balance out the simplicity of the cake's shape. If a host has a treasured heirloom cake recipe from Grandma, this is the time to use it. Frosting can be as simple as a poured ganache (rich chocolate or white chocolate pourable cream frosting that coats a cake smoothly), or can be piped buttercream.
Hosts who want to involve other people who will be attending the baby shower can plan to make a best wishes cake. This cake is frosted simply in a neutral frosting, such as white vanilla buttercream. Guests attending the party should be asked to arrive early to help decorate the cake, taking turns writing their good wishes for mom and baby (or babies) in icing on the surface of the cake, much like a group greeting card.
Diaper Cake
A diaper cake may, in some ways, be simplest to make of all; there is, after all, no baking involved whatsoever. Instead, a diaper cake is a nice way for a hostess to gather a number of essential items a new mom will need, especially during those hectic first few months with the new baby. Depending on the size of the diaper cake, hostesses should gather between 50 and 70 diapers, along with baby shampoo, baby wipes and other assorted necessary baby care items. Diapers are rolled tightly into little rolls, which are then stacked next to each other and interspersed with other baby care items to form the tiers of a "cake." A giant baby bottle is often used as the center, coming up through the middle so that the cap forms the top cake tier, but, ultimately, the hostess can decide if she likes that particular design element. The cake is then festooned with ribbons and is often used as a centerpiece, much like an edible cake. Hostesses interested in this option should check discreetly to find out whether the new mom prefers cloth or disposable diapers, and may also want to serve a simple edible cake alongside this cake for shower guests.
Tags: cake recipe, diaper cake, baby care, baby care items, baby shower, care items