Be sure to enter for their giveaway as well! Deadline is October 9th.

We have a poster signed by Chef Duff himself that we’re giving away to one lucky person. Just share your thoughts on the episode in the comment section (and read the rules after the break) to win.

You can enter by clicking here.

Recently the American Cancer Society(ACS) teamed up with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) challenging the baking and pastry students to invent a healthier birthday cake.  And who should help with choosing a winner from the five talented finalists? None other than the fabulously creative  “Ace of Cakes” Chef Duff Goldman.

The winner’s, Chef Alexandra Mudry, new, healthier red velvet cake is now the official birthday cake for the American Cancer Society. It’s certainly a unique cake recipe and available for download on their site.

If you haven’t heard of the American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign. It’s simple, just declare ACS as the official sponsor of your birthday and encourage others to do so as well.

Back in April, I wrote about More Birthdays and also created a donation page in memory of my own father, who passed away very unexpectedly because of cancer. He was only 49. This is why birthdays are so special to me and why I want my loved ones to have more birthdays.

Please help us fight cancer and spread the word!

Thank you!

It is always fun to bake a cake that fits your birthday theme! Try one of these tasty and creative cakes that won’t take you hours to make:

Cow Face – For a Fun Farm or Cowboy Party

Bake a round cake and frost with white frosting. With black frosting or decorator icing, draw on the cow’s spots. Split a cupcake in half and frost each piece to form ears. Use M&Ms, Skittles, black licorice string, and other candy to create eyes, nostrils, a mouth and other facial features.

Paw Print – Perfect for Puppy Parties

Place four small cupcakes around the top half of a round cake to create a paw print. Frost everything in the color of your choice.

Castle – For Princesses and Knights

Bake two 8″ or 9″ square cakes and use frosting to stack the two layers. Frost the entire cake pink for a princess’ castle, or grey for a knight’s castle. Frost four ice cream cones to match the cake, and set them upside down in the four corners to create turrets. Use black decorator icing to draw on the details, such as bricks or door frames. Stick miniature flags on toothpicks into the ice cream cones and stand tiny princess or knight figures around the cake for added decoration.

Football – A Sweet Treat for the Superbowl

Cut an 8″ or 9″ round cake in half and trim off a 1″-wide strip from the flat side of each half. (You won’t need these extra strips.) Slide the two halves of the cake back together to form a football shape. Frost the cake with chocolate icing and use white icing to pipe football stitches in a -I-I-I-I- pattern in the center of the cake.

Beach Scene – For a Summer or Beach Bash

Frost one half of a 9″x13″ cake in blue frosting and the other half in yellow frosting. Draw a rippled edge between the two halves to create a wavy shoreline. Crush graham crackers and sprinkle them over the yellow frosting to give the appearance of sand. Set a miniature toy boat on the ocean side of the cake, and use different colors of food gel to draw seashells and tiny crabs on the shore side. Use drink umbrellas to add the finishing touches.

Flower – Perfect for a Girl’s Only or Garden Party

Surround a round cake with cupcakes or Twinkies to create a flower. Ice the center with yellow frosting and the cupcake/Twinkie petals with pink or lavender frosting. For a special touch, set a plastic bee on top.

Racetrack – For Your Racecar Fans

Frost a 9″x13″ cake in green frosting. Use a tube of black decorator frosting to draw the outline of an oval racetrack around the edge of the cake. Fill the outline with chocolate sprinkles or crushed Oreos to resemble pavement. Set a few miniature toy cars on the racetrack and set up a “finish line” marked by miniature flags on toothpicks. You can also add plastic trees to the center of the cake to finish it off.

For more themed cake ideas, visit Birthday Cake Ideas at Birthday in a Box.

Aren’t these just adorable? My sister-in-law has a passion for cooking, especially with her two daughters. They make cupcakes, cookies and all kinds of goodies that they generously share with the family. So it was no surprise when one of the girls had a birthday and my sister-in-law decided to buck the custom standard of either buying a store bought cake (usually ice cream) and made this delightful creation with her daughter.

I ooohed & ahhhed over the flip-flops in awe of their creativity. She finally relented and told me it’s a Betty Crocker recipe so I thought I’d share it with all of you. It’s the perfect cake for a summertime birthday party and it saves a bundle over buying it in the store!

My sister-in-law also co-owns a soy candle business and I will posting a product review/giveaway about them on July 6th so be sure to check back soon or subscribe to my RSS feed to receive updates.

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit: Free Birthday Treats.

Subscribe for delivery of new posts via RSS or email