Birthday Cake Made Easy: The Ultimate Guide for Newbies

No birthday party is complete without a birthday cake. And while you can order this celebratory treat from any old bakeshop, we still think the best kind is homemade. For many people, baking is a relaxing hobby that allows them to perfect their skills and express their love for friends and family—but if you’re a newbie, no-bake recipes are the perfect starting point.

Today, we’ll teach you the basics of making a homemade cake for birthdays and beyond. We’ll also share our best no-bake take on birthday cake—all you need to do is combine the ingredients and chill them in the fridge.

15 min.
8 People
Easy

Ingredients

maraschino cherries
chocolate fudge sauce
caramel sauce
sprinkles
toasted coconut flakes
toasted chopped nuts

For the no-bake pie crust:

1 1/2 cup cookie crumbs
1/4 cup salted butter melted
2 tbsp powdered sugar

For the pie filling:

1/4 cup all-purpose cream
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Selecta Super Thick Classic Chocolate ice cream, enough to make one layer
2 bananas sliced

Cooking Method

Make the pie crust by combining crushed cookies, melted butter, and powdered sugar.
Stir with a fork until mixture starts to clump. Look for the texture of wet sand, add a little more melted butter if crumbs are not clumping.
Press the crumb mixture into a pie pan, making sure you have an even layer. Freeze for 30 minutes.
While the crust is setting, mix powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla in a bowl until stiff peaks are formed.
Assemble by arranging cut slices of banana on top of the ready crust.
To this, add softened Selecta Super Thick Classic Chocolate ice cream Make sure the ice cream is soft enough to spread but not melted. Now add another layer of banana slices.
Chill for another 15 minutes.
Frost this with the whipped cream. Instead of dolloping the cream freehand, you can transfer it into piping bags to create a smooth and tidy decorative top layer.
Chill until ready to serve.

The great thing about this recipe is that it requires zero baking and is incredibly versatile. You can even substitute ingredients without stressing too much about your skill as a first-time baker. For instance, you can switch out the ice cream flavor to cater to the birthday celebrant’s tastes. Selecta Super Thick comes in many variants besides the classic chocolate—there’s vanilla, strawberry, ube, and mango, and the list goes on!

On top of that, you can play around with the finishing touches. For instance, you can produce a taller, more extravagant cake by piling extra layers of ice cream and bananas over the base.

Suffice it to say, making a birthday cake can be overwhelming, but as long as you pay close attention to the recipe, you shouldn’t have any problems. If you do encounter a few road bumps as a beginner, use these as a learning opportunity to upgrade your baking skills. All it takes is practice, practice, practice—and before you know it, you’ll be crafting homemade cakes like an absolute pro.