6 Easy Cake-Decorating Ideas | RealSimple.com
Nonpareils
Arrange the chocolate candies in geometric patterns. Try alternating large disks with clusters of miniature ones.

via Sweet Ruminations

Samoan Caramel Delight Girl Scout Cookie Cake

The Peanut Butter Patty Cake

The Thin Mint Cake

via SugarDerby – SugarBlog – Dosidos & Tagalong Bundt Cake…..

Girl Scout Thin Mint Ice Cream Cake by jlh on Cake Central.

via Girl Scout Cake by icingonthecupcake on Cake Central.

1. The Hogwarts School Birthday Cake and the Quidditch Cake via 8 Wonderful Harry Potter Birthday Cakes.

“We love the fact that the creator used Lego characters! That’s gotta be a lot easier than making marzipan figurines…  This Harry Potter cake is definitely one that a do-it-yourself mom or dad (or both!) could pull off with a little planning and close attention to the photo.”

2. Harry Potter Birthday « Mommyidea’s Blog.
Homeschooling and Homesteading in the Present: A Harry Potter / Hogwarts Birthday Cake.

3. Harry Potter Whomping Willow Birthday Cake | Hearth to Heart.

By Gina DePalma

The notion of fasting for Lent does not necessarily mean abstaining from all foods, but over-the-top indulgent sweets are noticeably absent from the table. Italians are more likely to enjoy simple, austere desserts, such as poached or baked fruits, roasted nuts and cheese to conclude their Lenten meals.

via Babbo Ristorante.

via King Cake recipe: Emeril Lagasse hides the baby for Mardi Gras – From Inside the Box – Zap2it.

24 Super-Fun Cakes – Birthday Cake Designs for Kids – Parenting.com.

My son wanted a Super Mario Bros themed birthday this year and when I asked what kind of cake he wanted he said “A 1UP Mushroom!” After some research on the internet and a little creativity I was able to put together a fun party for him and his friends.

To make the 1UP Mushroom I used a Wilton Giant Cupcake Pan and for the star a Wilton Star Pan. For both cakes I just used cake out of the box and frosted them with icing  I bought and colored with food coloring. For the eyes and spots on the mushroom I used store bought rolled fondant and cut the shapes out.  I don’t like to completely cover cakes with fondant because in general people don’t like the taste of it.  So to get a smooth look with butter cream I use the paper towel trick.   My cupcakes were bought from Sam’s Club and I placed gold coins that I bought from a party store on them.

For games we had a Boo Ball Bounce, which is basically like beer pong   I painted white ping pong balls with boo faces and covered plastic cups with silver paper to resemble pipes.  The kids had to bounce balls into the cups to earn gold coins.  We also played pin the mustache on Mario and Yoshi Egg smash.  I modified the game from the video I linked to make it more challenging.  My son created a poster with Shy Guys on it in random places.  Each Shy Guy had a point value assigned to it.  The kids were awarded gold coins based on which ones they hit.

At the end of the party the child with the most gold coins one a treasure box with small prizes in it.  All the children received yellow goody bags with question mark boxes glued to them.  The winner of each event got a framed award and a ribbon.

To learn how to make this cake visit Pirate Ship Cake Recipe | Themed Cakes | FamilyFun.