It's been said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so most likely anything you bake for a man will be appreciated. For birthdays, however, you may want to personalize a cake to feature their favorite hobby. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" quite like a personalized birthday cake. Does this Spark an idea?
Golf Ball Cake
For men who enjoy sports, you can create a sports themed birthday cake. A round layer cake can be decorated to look like a baseball, soccer ball, volleyball, tennis ball or golf ball. Wilton even sells a molded cake pan that allows you to bake a bake shaped like a golf bag.
To make a golf ball cake with a real golf ball texture, bake two round layer cakes and stack them together with a layer of frosting or custard in between. Use a bread knife to carve off the corner edge of the cake, where the top meets the sides, so that the top is rounded cut like a ball. Apply a very thick layer of white buttercream frosting and freeze the entire cake solid. Once it's frozen, use a melon ball tool to remove circular craters from the surface of the cake; they don't need to be deep, just rounded. Thaw before serving.
Bikini Cake
In general, it's safe to say that men enjoy looking at bikini-clad female bodies. Creating one with cake is one way to surprise him on his birthday. Begin with a sheet cake. Use a bread knife to carve the sides, so that the figure has a waistline. You can use cupcakes to create breasts on one end of the cake, if you'd like it to be three-dimensional. Whip up a batch of flesh-colored rolled fondant and lay it over the entire cake. Use a frosting piping bag to create a bikini of stars over the breasts, and a bikini bottom at the other end of the cake. Alternatively, you can cut a bikini from rolled fondant. Use a teaspoon to carve a navel into place, just above the bikini bottom.
Motorsports Cakes
Men who enjoy mud whomping, race cars, motorcycle riding or all-terrain vehicles might enjoy a cake that celebrates their favorite hobby.
To make a muddy tire cake, bake two round layer cakes and stack them together with a layer of custard or frosting in the middle. Roll black fondant into a rectangular shape that's at least 27 inches long and 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Then, roll a textured roller over the top. Without a textured roller, you can use a knife to carve a tire tread pattern. Look at real tire tread images to find a pattern you feel comfortable reproducing. Cut a straight line along one edge of the fondant and remove the excess, then wrap it around the cake, placing the cut edge at the bottom and allowing the uncut edge to fold over the top of the cake. Use gray or metallic silver frosting to create a hubcap in the center of the cake with a piping tube and a star attachment. Drip brown frosting over the fondant seam, on the hubcap and on the plate, to simulate mud.
Tags: knife carve, round layer, bake round, bake round layer, bikini bottom, bread knife