28 Brilliant Birthday Cake Alternatives

Everyone knows the tradition of having cake to celebrate your birthday, but cake isn’t always going to be to everyone’s tastes.

Not only that, but cake can sometimes get a little boring, especially if you are used to having the same old birthday cake every year!

There are tons of different ways that you can change up your celebratory birthday treats, from unconventional cakes to pies, cupcakes, cookies and more. 

In this article, we are going to be looking at twenty-five particularly noteworthy alternatives to birthday cakes that are sure to bring some excitement to the traditional birthday treats! Let’s get started. 

1. Birthday Cupcakes

This recipe makes for some light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes with rich and velvety buttercream that are topped off with rainbow sprinkles to create that funfetti, birthday cake look and taste. 

Since these cupcakes have the same base as a regular cake, you will need similar ingredients such as milk, eggs, salt, salted butter, sugar, etc. 

You will also need sour cream, almond extract, vanilla extract, cake flour, baking powder and baking soda as well as that buttercream frosting and some rainbow sprinkles for the finishing touches. 

2. Birthday Cake Trifle

Trifles are a deliciously decadent and creamy dessert that is versatile enough to be changed up in a variety of ways, such as by changing it to make it a suitable birthday treat. 

Trifles are all about layers, and this birthday cake trifle is no exception, featuring layers of funfetti cake mix, rainbow sprinkles and a creamy mixture of cream cheese, whipped topping and either tapioca pudding or rice pudding. 

3. Birthday Cake Cookies

If you are more inclined towards some good old-fashioned cookies, then these birthday cake cookies could be the perfect cake alternative to you. 

This recipe focuses on making these cookies completely from scratch, but don’t let that scare you! It is a very simple recipe to follow and will make for some delicious cookies chock-full of sprinkles. 

4. Chocolate-Covered Cake Balls

Cake balls are a great alternative to birthday cake if you would prefer something that is bite sized but equally delicious. 

Despite the small nature of these treats, they pack a delightful and flavorsome punch, especially when decorated with icing and sprinkles. 

If you love the taste of birthday cake but would rather enjoy it in a smaller, finger food style, then cake balls or cake pops are the perfect choice as an alternative for traditional birthday cake. 

5. Birthday Cake Mix Waffles

There are plenty of ways that you can jazz up waffles to turn them into a birthday cake alternative, so if waffles are your treat of choice then this could be a recipe you will want to try out. 

Birthday cake waffles are super easy to make as well as delicious, needing only white cake mix, vegetable oil, water, eggs and rainbow sprinkles. 

Whisk up your cake mix with the eggs, oil, water and eggs, and you will have your birthday cake batter. Next, pour the batter into a greased up waffle iron and bake them until they turn golden brown. 

Top them off with some whipped cream and maple syrup, and you have the perfect birthday breakfast. 

6. Rainbow Jello Cake

This is a particularly great birthday cake alternative for kids (or adults!) that love jello, as it is an entire cake made from seven different flavors of jello!

The mold in this recipe is custom-made but if you are willing to put in the time and effort to make your own, then you can create an awesome birthday cake alternative that is also visually stunning, layering the different flavors of jello on top of one another to create a beautiful rainbow dessert. 

7. Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

Rice krispie treats are enjoyed by tons of people all over the world, so why not spruce them up a bit and create a unique and tasty birthday cake alternative?

This recipe features rice krispie treats that have been sprinkled with funfetti cake batter before being iced with sweet and decadent cake batter fudge frosting, which includes lots of tasty rainbow sprinkles. 

8. Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls

If cinnamon rolls are your treat of choice, then this recipe for birthday cake cinnamon rolls could be the birthday cake alternative that you have been looking for. 

Perfect for a birthday breakfast as well as a birthday dessert, these fluffy and light rolls are filled with deliciously gooey birthday cake filling and topped off with rainbow sprinkles and sweet vanilla icing to create that birthday cake taste. 

9. Birthday Rainbow Waffle-Wiches

We mentioned a birthday waffle recipe earlier, but this one is a little different in that rather than making waffles from birthday cake batter, this results in a rainbow waffle sandwich.

This rainbow waffle sandwich is also different from the aforementioned birthday cake waffles as they need to be kept nice and chilled due to ice cream playing a major role in the recipe. 

10. Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Whilst we are on the topic of birthday ice cream sandwiches, this next recipe makes for some sweet and tasty birthday cake ice cream sandwiches that are sure to be a perfect birthday cake alternative for those who love this particular dessert. 

This recipe uses rainbow cookies as the base, sandwiching sprinkle covered ice cream in between two of these cookies. 

This is an easy homemade treat that can easily make for a fun birthday cake alternative. 

11. Popcorn Cake

Unique, delicious and easy to make, a popcorn cake is a birthday cake alternative that is sure to be a hit for fans of the snack.

This recipe makes for the perfect combination of sweet and salty, thanks to the inclusion of marshmallows, candy and pretzels along with that aforementioned popcorn. 

12. Layered Watermelon Cake

If you are looking for an alternate cake for a birthday that is healthier than a standard birthday cake, then this layered watermelon cake is an amazing choice. 

You might not consider watermelon for a cake due to the moisture that comes from the fruit, often being too wet to use in a cake without turning it into a soggy mess. 

That is why this recipe uses the watermelon as the cake itself, topping it off with coconut cream frosting and summer berries to create a cake that is not only unique and delicious, but also grain gluten and dairy free!

13. No Bake Fruit Cheesecake Pie

In the same vein as the watermelon cake, this no bake cheesecake is a great alternative that is a little healthier than regular birthday cake. 

There are no limits to the kind of fruit that you can use to top this cheesecake with, though this particular recipe uses clementines, strawberries, blueberries and kiwis. 

14. Funfetti Birthday Cake Pudding Shots

If you are thinking of an alternative to birthday cake that includes a little bit of alcohol, then these funfetti birthday cake pudding shots are a must-try!

These pudding cups are made up of small shots of vodka infused with vanilla instant pudding, yellow cake mix and sprinkles to create a birthday cake flavor. 

15. Unicorn Drink

Who said that you need food to substitute a birthday cake?! You can always change things up by making an over the top and highly delicious milkshake instead, much like with this unicorn drink. 

The unicorn drink started out as a special Starbucks beverage, which led to others making their own take on it. You can make this drink however you may choose, tailoring it to the birthday boy or girl’s personal tastes.

However, this recipe uses whipped cream, sprinkles, neon food coloring, milk, ice cream, soft food chew candies, mini marshmallows and jumbo marshmallows. 

16. Meringue Wreath

Wreaths are far from just for use at Christmas, especially this sweet and summery meringue wreath that can make for a perfect birthday cake alternative if you want something lighter. 

The pretty aesthetic of this meringue wreath is also a great choice when it comes to a centerpiece for a birthday party, with the meringues placed in a way that replicates a wreath and decorated with cream and summer berries such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. 

If you find that cake is too heavy, then meringues are definitely a great replacement, especially if you have a penchant for particularly sweet desserts as well as fruit and cream.

17. Birthday Cake Baked Donuts

Donuts are one of the favorite sweet treats of people around the world, so why not consider making some birthday donuts to replace a birthday cake?

This recipe is not only easy to make, but also leads to some deliciously fluffy and light buttermilk donuts that are filled with sprinkles in order to create that tasty birthday cake like flavor. 

As well as this, the donuts are also dipped in a warm and sweet glaze before being topped off with even more sprinkles, making for the ultimate donut dessert (or breakfast!). 

Don’t forget to fold your sprinkles into the batter as you make your donuts, as this will create a birthday cake like batter that has a tasty crunch. 

18. Birthday Cake Muffins

If muffins are more your thing, then these birthday cake muffins are a must. 

This is another recipe that is very simple to make, leading to eight muffins in total.

There are only a few ingredients that you will need to make your muffins, such as an egg, melted butter, flour, baking powder, sugar, sea salt, vanilla extract, milk, lemon juice and- of course- your rainbow sprinkles!

19. Birthday Cake Pie

As well as being easy to make- thanks to being a no bake pie-, this birthday cake pie, featuring a cake batter flavored pudding filling, is a delicious cake alternative.

It is so easy to make this pie, as all you need to do is put your pie crust in a pan and bake it util it becomes golden brown and then beat your heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks, add in your pudding milk to your milk to thicken and then add that thickened pudding mix to your sprinkles and whipped cream.

Spread that filling into the pie crust, refrigerate it for around four hours, and voilà! 

20. Crêpe Cake

A crêpe cake is the perfect way to wake someone up on their birthday, and that is exactly what you will get with this recipe!

Made with fifteen crêpes and fifteen layers of cream, this recipe is sure to be heavenly for those with a penchant for crêpes. 

21. Birthday Cake Macarons

Cute, colorful and delectable, these birthday cake macarons are sure to be a show stopping birthday cake replacement. 

This recipe uses the French method of baking macarons- which is considered to be the easier way to make them as it requires less equipment-, whilst the sprinkled, birthday cake buttercream frosting creates that tasty birthday cake flavor. 

22. Funfetti Whoopie Pies

Much like the birthday cake macarons, these funfetti whoopie pies are a tasty way to create a cookie based birthday cake alternative in a fun and easy fashion. 

These whoopie pies are soft and fluffy and packed full of sprinkles as well as being sandwiched between velvety vanilla frosting. 

23. Birthday Cake Brownies

Delicious and super easy to bake, these brownies use cake mix with rainbow sprinkles folded into the batter to create a layer of cake mix within the chocolatey brownie mix, making for a tasty combination of cake frosting and brownies. 

24. Birthday Cake Blondies

If you prefer blondies over brownies, then there is the perfect birthday cake alternative for you too with this next recipe!

Chewy, soft and dotted with white chocolate chops and sprinkles, these blondies are a sweet vanilla treat that is delicious and well suited for a birthday party. 

25. Birthday Mini Yogurt And Fruit Parfaits

Another choice for the more health concious, this creamy treat is made up of layers of granola, fresh fruit and yogurt. 

You can change up the recipe to include some rainbow sprinkles or vanilla extract to make the recipe a little more birthday orientated. 

26. Birthday Cake Roll

Delicious, aesthetically pleasing and sure to please the cake fans amongst us, this birthday cake roll is the perfect alternative to a standard birthday cake that still keeps some of the beloved elements of the treat. 

The roll design of this cake along with the sprinkles and rolled up with creamy chocolate makes for a visually striking dessert as well. 

27. Birthday Cake Cocktail

Much like the previously mentioned cake shots, this birthday cake cocktail uses Pinnacle cake vodka as well as cake mix- along with coffee liquor, half and half and whipped cream and sprinkles for garnish- is the perfect addition to an adult birthday party. 

28. Birthday Cake Sundae With Birthday Cake Ice Cream

Last but not least, we have this delicious recipe for a birthday cake ice cream sundae!

Ice cream sundaes are the epitome of decadent desserts, so why not replace the traditional birthday cake with an incredible ice cream sundae?

In this recipe, you will create your own birthday cake batter ice cream and then top it off with ingredients such as rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream. 

Can I Use Any of These Traditional German Cake Recipes as Birthday Cake Alternatives?

Looking for unique birthday cake alternatives? Traditional german cake recipes may just be the answer! With their indulgent flavors and delightful textures, these recipes can add a touch of authenticity to any celebration. From the famous Black Forest cake to the scrumptious apple strudel, traditional German cake recipes offer a delicious twist that will surely impress your guests.

Frequently Asked Question

Final Thoughts

So there you have twenty-five amazing alternatives to the traditional birthday cake! These options all offer a chance to get creative when it comes to the food on offer for a birthday celebration. 

Whether it is for your own birthday or for a friend or family member, you are sure to find inspiration from this list of fun birthday cake alternatives.