The Genius Birthday Cake Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner

Birthday cake isn't just a festive dessert in our house. It’s a symbol of love and joy, and it's the ultimate celebration treat. From the anticipation of blowing out the candles to the first bite of sugary sweetness, birthday cake makes everyone feel special and it doesn't have to be over-the-top or perfect to help you make amazing memories. A slice of birthday cake is part of the sweetest celebrations in life!

I, personally, love the decorations on a birthday cake. I want them to be cute, yet unexpected, and bonus points if they're edible! Content creator Kate Bast (@thebastfam) made an edible topper that will make birthday cake even better—and it's so easy anyone can do it. Here's how to DIY your way to cute and cheerful birthday cake toppers.

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How to Make a Cute & Easy Chocolate Cake Topper

Kate made the cutest edible number for the top of her cake and all you need are some sprinkles and some chocolate chips.

Start by spreading some sprinkles on a plate. Next, melt some chocolate chips in the microwave in 10 to 15-second bursts. Stir the chocolate chips between each burst to help them melt evenly without scorching.

Kate transferred the melted chocolate chips to a squeeze bottle, but in a pinch you could use a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Next, write the number in chocolate on top of the sprinkles. The key here is to write the number backwards to make sure the sprinkles are on the correct side.

After piping the chocolate on the sprinkles, place a lollipop stick at the bottom of the number so you can insert the number into your cake. If you don't have lollipop sticks, you can use a bamboo skewer (you might need to cut it down first) or a toothpick, if you're making small numbers.

Kate froze the chocolate so that it solidified, and when it was ready, she put it on the cake—an edible number! It's so easy to make and the sprinkles look amazing on the cake.

In our internet travels, we also ran across the letter version of this trick via content creator Emma Hollingsworth (@mrshollingsworths). She shared her take on this trend and they look so much better than those hard sugar letters you buy at the grocery store.

"It truly is the easiest hack to elevate your cakes!" she wrote on Instagram. "So simple, two ingredients and so good! Add them to your tablescapes and grazing boards, pop them on cupcakes or use them as cake toppers on birthday cakes!"

Those are great ideas!

Another good idea? She says you can use chopped nuts, pulverized or chopped freeze-dried fruit, or shredded coconut for another fun version of these toppers. You can also use white chocolate, dark chocolate or milk chocolate (or a mix of both) and combine sprinkles with freeze-dried fruit to customize the topper for the person you're celebrating.

I would love to make a chocolate-covered strawberry version for a Valentine's Day cake, or some small letters for personalized cupcakes for our next birthday party—the possibilities are almost endless and these are easy enough that the kids could help me, too!

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