You’re so excited that your baby’s birthday has finally arrived! It has been a year of rapid growth and milestones, and now comes the most fun one of all… your little one turns one! Planning out the first birthday party can be a little daunting (especially if this is your first child) but with these adorable First Birthday Cake Ideas, you’ll have one major party planning aspect marked off your list.
Selecting a First Birthday Cake
Whether you are planning on baking a 1st birthday cake yourself or looking for ideas to bring to your favorite baker, you are in luck! I’ve pulled together a whole bunch of birthday cake ideas that are perfect for baby’s First Birthday, 31 of them.
Some of these cake ideas lean slightly more masculine or feminine but for the most part, they are gender neutral. You’ll find all sorts of cute ideas like a train cake, rubber duck cake, and even Dr. Seuss cupcakes!
Selecting a first birthday cake design that you love might be the deciding factor for your party theme. If you are torn between which first birthday party theme to use, maybe falling in love with one of these cake designs will help solidify your choice.
Once you have your theme and cake picked out use these other posts to help make planning the party an absolute breeze!
- First Birthday Party Foods
- 1st Birthday Party Games (for kids and adults)
- The Best Creative First Birthday Photo Shoot Ideas
1. Teddy Bear Cake
Teddy bears are a classic theme for little kid parties, and it’s one we never tire of. This sweet cake features a teddy bear napping on a moon surrounded by stars and clouds. It’s just darling and looks like a beautiful dreamscape fit for a baby. But if you want to keep things super simple, decorate a simple cake and put a teddy bear figure on top. You don’t need to have pro decorating skills to make a beautiful cake.
2. Dr. Seuss Baby Shower Cupcakes
What better them for a first birthday than these Cat in the Hat Cupcakes? They’re whimsical, colorful, and fun! Use “Oh the places you will go” as a theme and have fun with the silliness of .
3. Rabbit Cupcakes
Going for a bunny theme? These cute rabbit cupcakes are easy enough to make all on your own using some candy melts and a fluffy frosting.
4. Under the Sea Cake
An under the sea cake is such a great idea for a summer birthday party. With fish, an octopus, seaweed, and coral made of fondant (plus those cute bubbles), the bright and bold colors and fun design will make everyone smile.
5. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Cake
Twinkle, twinkle little star is still one of the most popular nursery rhymes. This cute blue cake from Tog Cakes fits the theme perfectly with a light blue cake adorned with a teddy bear, lots of stars, white fluffy clouds, and a moon and stars on top.
6. Thomas the Tank Engine
Chug into a fun party with a Thomas the Train Cake! Frugal Coupon Living shows how to make this simple cake step by step. It’s such a fun and easy option for a train-themed baby shower for the new baby.
7. Monkey Cupcakes
Celebrate your little monkey with cute monkey cupcakes! The chocolate cupcakes are coated with chocolate sanding sugar with vanilla wafers for ears and a face. Serve them with some banana flavored ice cream.
Cupcakes are one of the best birthday cake ideas in general, because they are so flexible! (For example, you can have multiple flavors, multiple designs, serve them socially distanced if that’s what you’re into, and they can be displayed in so many cute ways!)
8. Nautical Cake
Here are two significantly different nautical baby shower cakes, depending on what sort of look you’re going for. The classical nautical cake is by Le Cherie Cake Design and is that classic combination of navy blue and gold with an anchor, rope detail, and wheel. The playful design is by Take the Cake and features gorgeous waves, cute animals, and an anchor on top.
9. Floral First Birthday Party Cake
What a beautiful girly cake — soft, feminine, and floral. This one features flowers in pink and blue along with beautiful edible pearls and lace. It almost looks too pretty to eat, doesn’t it?
10. Baseball Cupcakes
Instead of a traditional cake, make these baseball pull-apart cupcakes for a Lil’ Slugger first birthday. Create a circle shape by placing the cupcakes close together, and then cover them with white icing. Use a tube of red decorative icing to create the stitches. Isn’t that simple?
11. Duck Cupcakes
Bright yellow ducks swimming in a swath of blue frosting — aren’t these duck-themed cupcakes charming? If you’re worried you can’t get the ducks quite right using frosting, you could always top the cupcakes with mini rubber duckies that can double as party favors.
12. Bee Cake
Everyone will be buzzing about the upcoming bundle of joy, so a bee-themed cake is a wonderful choice. The hive cake is covered in fondant bees and surrounded by grass and flowers at the bottom.
13. Mickey Mouse Cake
Any Disney fanatic will love a chocolatey Mickey Mouse Cake covered in swirls of chocolate frosting. Simple, delicious, and totally adorable!
14. Unicorn Cake
Unicorns have been a popular party theme for little girls in recent years, so there are lots of decoration options to go along with this theme. Babies do seem rather magical — just like unicorns.
15. Giraffe Cake
Cute giraffes make adorable subjects for a first birthday theme. And you don’t have to go with the traditional giraffe colors. This pink and white version is fitting, but you could do blue spots for a baby boy or green or yellow spots for a gender-neutral cake option.
16. Circus Cake
If you’re looking for a unique and festive cake, consider a circus-themed design. Decorate the top layer in red, blue, and yellow to resemble a Big Top. Under that layer, do another circle cake with fondant circus animals, like the lion and elephant you see on the circus cake below.
17. Elephant First Birthday Cake
I don’t know what it is about elephants, but a baby elephant makes a beautiful topping for a first birthday cake. The soft blue, brown, and yellow colors go perfectly together.
18. Sheep Cake
A lamb cake is fitting for a springtime shower, especially one that happens near Easter. And look how simple it is! The cake is mostly a simple white with swirls of frosting and a cute, smiling face.
19. Rainbow Cake
Celebrate with a colorful rainbow cake! Whether you’re having a rainbow first birthday party, it certainly is a cheerful that will be just as much fun to eat as it is to look at.
20. Polka Dot Cake
Polka dots are a classic pattern that can add a touch of whimsy to any celebration. A polka dot birthday cake is a playful and festive way to honor the arrival of a new baby. When it comes to choosing a design, the sky is the limit. You can go with a simple one-tier cake adorned with a few strategically placed polka dots, or you can opt for a more elaborate multi-tiered confection covered in the cheerful motif.
21. Farm Animal Cake
You have so many options for a farm-themed birthday cake. Some are decorated with fondant animals, such as cows, pigs, chickens, and sheep. However, you could also do a barnyard scene or farm equipment like a tractor.
22. Girly Pink First Birthday Cake
Make an elegant birthday cake for a little girl that’s covered in swirly pink flowers and topped with a gorgeous white boy with dots and swirls.
23. Woodland Animals Cake
A first birthday is a celebration of new life, and what could be more appropriate than a cake decorated with forest animals? Fondant toppers in the shape of foxes, bears, rabbits, squirrels and raccoons are perfect for a nature-themed birthday party, and they can be easily made at home with a little time and patience. For an added touch of whimsy, try adding some edible flowers, mushrooms, or leaves to the design.
24. Jungle Cake
Decorate a two-tiered cake with lots of greenery and fondant animals like giraffes, elephants, lions, zebras, hippos, and monkeys! The rainbow cake topper is an extra special touch for the fun rainforest themed party — a popular choice for boys and girls alike.
25. Flamingo Cake
A flamingo cake is another fun option for a summer pool party for a girl. Flamingos are pretty, pink, and elegant, and look terrific on top of a simple white cake.
26. Outer Space 1st Birthday Cake
If you’re looking for something out-of-this-world for your birthday cake, why not go with a space theme? You can decorate the cake to look like a planet or a starry night sky. Or, if you want to be really creative, you can make a tiered cake that looks like a rocket ship ready to blast off! Add an astronaut to make it look really authentic, and top it off with some edible stars and planets. You’ll have a showstopper of a cake that is sure to be the talk of the party.
27. Owl Cake
Whoooo can resist an adorable owl cake like this one? The pretty owl is perched on a leafy branch on a simple green cake. Swap out the colors to fit your theme, but this design is fairly easy to replicate with fondant or regular buttercream icing, if you prefer.
28. Princess Baby First Birthday Cake
You’re looking forward your little princess’ first birthday try a feminine pink ombre swirl cake.
There are so many fun ways to do it. You can, of course, create a fondant princess like the one below. But to keep things simple, just add a tiara to a pretty pink cake instead.
29. Dinosaur Cake
A dinosaur theme is such fun for a first birthday! You could even put one in an egg for a “hatching” dinosaur theme, which is very appropriate for the occasion. And the fun part is, dinosaurs can easily be adapted for boys or girls — or with pastel colors or bright, bold colors.
30. Winnie the Pooh 1st Birthday Cake
A winnie the pooh themed shower cake is perfect for a winnie the pooh themed shower!
This is such a great gender neutral first birthday theme!
31. Balloon Garland Cake
This miniature balloon garland cake topper is SO adorable, and so classy!
Balloons make great baby shower decorations in general, but it’s less common to see them on the cake – this’ll really wow your guests.