Celebrate that special birthday with a super-fun, super-customizable Birthday Donut Cake! It’s been a sweet tradition in our family for years and I’m excited to share how we make them!
A Super Fun Birthday Cake Alternative
If you’ve been here for a while, you know my deep, deep love for donuts. If you’re new to The BakerMama, exploring the hashtag #TheBakerMamaDoesDonuts will tell you everything you need to know. In short, we’re obsessed. There’s just something about a good, fresh donut that brings us so much enjoyment. So when it comes to celebrating our birthdays, we can’t think of anything better than starting the day with a delectable, super-personalized Birthday Donut Cake. It’s grown to be such a fun tradition for our family!
All About that (Donut) Base
It all started when we discovered the Texas-sized donut from one of our favorite donut shops, Top Pot. It measures about 12 inches wide and we use it for the base. Check with your local donut shop, because even if it’s not on the menu, you could ask them to make one for you. Isn’t she a beauty?
No Big Donut? No Problem
If you can’t get a specialty donut made, just stack a variety of donuts up into the cake shape. It will still look amazing and taste just as great!
From the base, we build it up with a variety of the birthday person’s favorite donuts. Cake donuts, glazed, bear claws, cream-filled. Anything goes! Since Top Pot closed here in Dallas, we now special-order our giant donut from Yummy Donuts and they customize it any way you’d like! They’ll even write “Happy Birthday” on it. So fun!
We love getting donuts from our local donut shops, but I’ve created lots of easy donut recipes if you want to make your own! These 2-Ingredient Baked Cake Donuts are a favorite, for sure. And my Easy Homemade Donuts are so tasty and always a hit.
I bought this Happy Birthday platter in Boston back when we lived there many years ago and it’s no longer available, but I’ve seen a few large birthday plates and celebration platters online that you could get to start build your family’s birthday donut cakes on.
Make Your Birthday Donut Cake One-of-a-Kind
The best part is that this cake is easily personalized. Each member of our family has his or her own favorite donut selection, so the cake is different every time! There are so many ways to customize this cake and it’s impossible to go wrong. We’re stacking donuts into an awesome birthday cake, after all.
Brookie, our youngest, only wanted donut holes for a while there, so hers was a tower of donut holes on top of the giant donut for each of us to have a “slice” of.
Once the candles are blown out, we each get a little slice of the donuts that we want to try. The birthday boy or girl gets to go first, of course, and if they want a specific donut from the cake, it’s all theirs. We place any leftover donuts back in the donut box they came in and snack on them over the next few days.
The twins may share a whole lot of DNA, but their birthday donut cakes are always one-of-a-kind. Barrett is a big fan of Oreos and Bryce is an M&M lover, so on their 8th birthday, their donut cakes were tailored accordingly. Delicious perfection! Who knows what their preferences will be each year, but I’m sure we’ll be able to build the donut cake of their dreams.
Watch Me Make It!
Join me in the kitchen to celebrate a special birthday with this creative cake.
The Best Birthday Tradition
Birthday traditions are the best! And in my opinion, especially when they involve donut cakes! We’ve enjoyed this tradition for years, and it’s certainly one we’ll never grow too old for. The anticipation and joy these donut cakes bring to us is so special.
Want More Donuts (Yes, Please!)
We love getting donuts from our local donut shops, but I’ve created lots of easy donut recipes if you want to make your own! These 2-Ingredient Baked Cake Donuts are a favorite, for sure. Want more donuts? You can find a fun highlights over on my Instagram stories of how we celebrated National Donut Day in 2019 with a super fun Donut Board!
Storage
It’s best to store donuts in a box that gets some air flow so they don’t get soggy! Cake donuts and old-fashioned donuts tend stay fresh for a few days, but raised donuts are best enjoyed the day they’re made.
If you make this Birthday Donut Cake, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join my Friends of The BakerMama group to connect and share all the fun and yummy recipes of mine that you make! 
I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the ideas I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Birthday Donut Cake
Description
Celebrate someone special’s birthday with this super-fun, super-customizable Donut Cake! It’s been a tradition in our family for years and I’m excited to share how we create them!
Ingredients
- giant donut from your favorite donut shop (about 12 inches in diameter)
- a good selection of the birthday person’s favorite donuts
Instructions
- Use a giant donut as the base of the donut cake! If you don’t have a giant donut to use as the base, just use several sturdy regular sized donuts and build up from there.
- Top the giant donut (or base of donuts) with a variety of the birthday person’s favorite donuts
- Add any fun decorations and some candles.
- When you’re ready to celebrate, light the candles, sing and Enjoy!
Notes
My local donut shop makes a giant 12″ donut I use for the base. If it’s not on the menu at your local donut shop, you might have to make a special request or use several regular sized donuts to create the base.
Where is that wonderful Happy Birthday plate from?
Hi Charlene! I got it from a chocolate store in Boston over 10 years ago. The store is called LA Burdick. I’m not sure that they sell it anymore. So sorry!