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The 5 Most Iconic Birthday Cakes in Australia, from the Women’s Weekly Magazine

Updated: Jul 10

Growing up in Australia can be characterised by a few experiences, ABC for kids on a Saturday Morning, a burgeoning Auskick career, but possibly most iconically, the Women’s Weekly cake book. I’ve had more of these cakes than I have birthdays, and I think my siblings and I begged for each and every cake in the book, but there are a few staple recipes that I saw at just about every birthday party I went to growing up. 


  1. The Number Cakes

No one was ever going to forget which birthday it was, but these cakes always served as a staple reminder and just looked so cool. Easy to decorate with fondant, lollies or chocolates as you like, these cakes were always so versatile and just went so much further than a select number of candles. There’s no particular age group this cake resonates with the most, just the knowledge you need to make it for the first birthday party or possibly all parties if you were committed. Never going out of style, we had to include the number cake. 



  1. The Choo-Choo Train Cake

Don’t worry, an obsession with trains at this age is normal, and this cake transcends the group of train obsessed kids and really resonates with every child that likes piling up the lollies on their cake. Whilst the front/engine of the train will mostly just be cake, each carriage has the potential to be carrying some of the most precious resources (lolly snakes, Skittles, Smarties). Or if you wanted to try a healthy kick, you could fill the carriages with berries too. An all timer in looks as well as toppings, the train cake is a must make. 



  1. The Party Piñata Cake

Next to eating cake, a favourite hobby of children is destroying things, and whilst kids are probably still too young to cut cakes, hammering them open is a great alternative. I think I’ve had a total of 5+ Piñata cakes in my life and had the opportunity to break them open twice. This is a bit of an expert baker cake to make, with double boiling chocolate a bit of an expert move, but definitely worth the effort. Especially given you can fill the inside with your favourite treat just like the train cake. Once in your life you must try the Piñata cake. 



  1. The Dolly Varden Cake

For any child whose favourite character comes in a dress, this cake is so easy and so fun, you have to make it. Whilst the cake pan is a weird shape (I still see it in our pan draw today), the result is so easy to bake and decorate you must try it. All you need is the toy doll, a cake foundation and icing and you can create one of the easiest cakes to decorate in the whole book. For any Barbie or princess party, this cake will be the focal point and really impresses parents and children alike. 



  1. The Echidna Cake

What is a ranking list without a little bias, and my bias is to any cake with wafer sticks as part of the decoration. They’re just so yummy. Iconically Australian, the echidna cake is an easy make and really is just a staple of Australian childhoods. It’s also the best cake on this list to use a chocolate cake base for. 



All That’s Left is the Rest of the Party

If you’re still stumped on organising a children's birthday party, you can check out this birthday party guide. Or if you’re looking for a venue to host a children’s birthday you could book with us at MiniTown. Otherwise it’s time for you to make your cake (and eat it too). 

 
 
 

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