She would cute design cake go out of her way to make our day special and one of the ways that she did this was by making us whatever kind of birthday cake that we wanted.

Now that my kids are getting older, I want to continue the birthday tradition of making them a special birthday cake, but my decorating expertise is definitely a beginner level.

That’s where these cakes come into play!

These cakes are simple – you could make the cake from scratch or use a cake mix from a box. The frosting on each of them is just buttercream or whipped frosting (no complicated fondant in these recipes!).

Some of these cakes (like the cute design cake and Ice Cream Cake) are a fun twist on a traditional cake – my kids love to mix it up and try different things.

Click on the image or the words below the image for all the details on instructions on how to make each cute design cake!