Unusual and Fun Adult Birthday Cakes

When you want to do something fun and different for an adult’s birthday cake there are lots of interesting, unique and even risqué cakes that you can make to add some spice to a birthday. Here are just a few ideas of unusual and fun birthday cakes for adults.

Alcohol flavored cakes

These cakes are real crowd pleasers! Turn your favorite cocktails into your favorite cakes.  To give any cake the flavor of your favorite liquor, replace half or ¾ of the water or liquid in the cake with your alcohol of choice. 

Want to make a chocolate cake with a little punch? Use some Kahlua to make a Chocolate Kahlua cake. Take a regular cake mix and mix it up as the directions state, but instead of using all water, use ½ portions of water and Kahlua to mix the cake.  Once the cake is done, frost it with Kahlua frosting. Your guests will love the rich Kahlua flavor blended into the chocolate. Any flavor of liqueur will work similarly; feel free to experiment.

Want to make a really unique and special alcohol flavored cake? Try a White Russian cake. Start with a very rich cake mix; the pudding cake mixes work really well for White Russian cake.  Instead of using water to make the cake, use 1/3 portion heavy cream, 1/3 portion Kahlua, and 1/3 portion vodka to make up the liquid portion of the cake.  Using flavored vodka like Stoli Vanilla vodka also adds a nice twist to the flavor. 

Once the cake has cooled and you have leveled it and prepared it for decorating, mix up some frosting again using 1/3 part heavy cream, 1/3 part Kahlua and 1/3 part vodka and use that to decorate the cake.  To complete the Russian theme, use Blue, Red, and other color frostings to overpipe decorations that would be worthy of the Romanoff’s themselves.  You can even use a layer of thin gold foil to add accents and decoration.  If you are really skilled at cake decorating, create a few ornate Faberge eggs out of icing and place a few on the layers of the cake.

A heavily decorated White Russian cake is even suitable for a wedding or anniversary cake but it’s a great birthday cake to make for someone who is elegant and unique and wants something elegant and unique for their birthday celebration. 

To make a Black Russian cake, repeat the same steps, using chocolate cake but add water instead of cream. A Black Russian cake decorated with Red icing and Gold foil can be a true work of art.

Champagne cake

Champagne cakes are great for birthdays and for any occasion.  Remember, when making a champagne cake that the flavors of the cake should be delicate so that they don’t overwhelm the taste of the champagne.  To make a great basic champagne cake for a birthday or for an anniversary, start with a basic cake mix in a light flavor like a vanilla or just a white cake. A strawberry cake also is a great choice as a base for a champagne cake.  When you’re mixing up the cake, instead of using just water in the mix, use champagne for ½ or ¾ of the liquid portion instead of water.  Do the same with the frosting. Use a white or pale pink icing to create a delicate, elegant looking cake.  Accent the cake with fresh strawberries to bring out the taste of the champagne in the frosting. 

Candy Cane cake

A Peppermint Schnapps cake is great for Christmas birthdays!  Mix up a white cake using a regular mix; just substitute Peppermint Schnapps for ½ or ¾ of the liquid portion of the cake.  Using fondant icing, you can create a beautiful snowflake design for the cake or you can use a Red and White Candy Cane theme.

For an even better effect, shape the cooled cake to look like a candy cane, then put a layer of icing on the cake and overpipe some red candy cane stripes on it. Garnish with small candy canes or small peppermints.  The Candy Cane cake is a great way to do something different that incorporates Christmas and a birthday for someone who has a holiday birthday.

The Pirate Cake

Ahoy matey! The adult in your life who has always wanted to be a pirate will love this Rum and ginger cake.  To make the cake part you need to make a traditional English ginger cake called a parkin. Parkin cake has a moist, sticky texture similar to a pound cake. 

How To Make A Pirate Cake

There are easy to make Parkin recipes on the Internet so finding a recipe shouldn’t be difficult.  Replace the water portion of the Parkin recipe with ½ or ¾ premium Rum.  You can also create a rich Rum frosting by using a standard frosting recipe and replacing ½ or ¾ of the water portion with Rum. Garnish with some fresh ginger and you will have a tasty treat that will make even the gruffest pirate smile!

You can also create other fun alcohol flavored cakes using your imagination and your favorite cocktail.  Alcohol flavored cakes are very popular, but make sure that you have an alcohol free cake available for anyone who doesn’t want to have the alcohol flavored cake or for any children who may be attending the party.