Baby Cakes – A Great Centerpiece

Planning a baby shower can be a lot of fun, and choosing the snacks and decorations are a large part of the experience. Most baby showers include cakes or desserts of some sort, and while edible cakes are traditional, cupcakes are becoming increasingly more popular. Another popular choice is to choose a diaper cake, which works as both a centerpiece and a gift.

When you choose an edible cake for your centerpiece, try to choose something that compliments the theme you’ve chosen for your shower. For example, if your theme is rubber ducks, you can have a cake frosted with light blue and white swirls to resemble water, topped with a mom and several baby rubber ducks. Square cakes decorated like building blocks are another classic design.

You might also want to order a cake with little footprints on it, or rattles, teddy bears and other baby toys or accessories. A cake that has a picture of a stork carrying a baby is another popular design. Animal designs are also becoming increasingly popular choices, from jungle animals to Noah's Ark. Whatever theme you’ve chosen for the shower and decorations, you can find a cake decoration style that will complement it wonderfully. You’re limited only by your own imagination and your bakery's skill.

As an alternative, consider cupcakes, which are becoming an increasingly popular dessert option for baby showers. Choosing cupcakes instead of one large cake gives you the option of having individual servings for everyone, which is great if time is at a premium and you don't want to have to wait to cut and serve cake. An attractive tower of cupcakes can make a wonderful centerpiece for your event. You can also have a larger cake and cupcakes as well, if you want the convenience of cupcakes and the tradition of a larger cake.

Wording on baby shower cakes usually comes in the form of “Welcome Baby!” or “Congratulations!” although the baby's name is sometimes included if the parents have already decided on a name. Monograms are a good choice for cupcakes, as is using several cupcakes to spell a single word.

Another popular choice for a baby shower centerpiece is a diaper cake. This is a cake made from rolled up disposable diapers, tied into round “tiers,” and stacked together. The diaper cake is decorated with ribbons and with flowers made from baby socks or other baby items. This is a nice way to turn a gift of diapers – something the new mom will definitely appreciate – from an ordinary ho-hum gift into something really special.

Finally, if you’re planning an edible cake or dessert, check with the mother to find out if she has any special dietary restrictions. In fact, it’s a good idea to check with her about any of the refreshments – pregnant women often have aversions to particular foods or may have special dietary requirements because of their pregnancies. It’s also a good idea to have some healthy foods on hand, like fruits and vegetables, and beverages that are refreshing and low in sugar. Also, have some beverages on hand that don’t contain artificial sweeteners, as many women avoid these while pregnant.