Rescuing a 50th birthday......

TBagpuss

I agree with previous posters, you can get cakes from all major supermarkets, and most do plain iced cakes which you can then decorate yourself. Or you could buy a decoarated cake and then get some icing pens and wriate a personalised message on the cake baord or on a separate chocolate plaque.


You could sheck whether there is another bakery locally which might be able to take on a rush job.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

Lots of people don't like a fuss on their birthdays. I actually think expensive celebration cakes aren't that nice, as I don't like jam and cream together, or thick sickly royal icing. Often fancy cakes are more about the sugarcraft than the actual taste.

If he has a favourite type of cake then buy a big one of those, or just get his favourite dessert/treats in. If there are any kids on your road you could enlist their help with decorating a plain cake with sweeties- fun for them, cheap for you and it's a nice gesture without going over the top.

spirit

Cupcakes are the new celebration cakes I'm told.


Get a nice cake stand and some nice cupcakes from the bakers and Bob's your uncle.

ciderboy2009

Good luck getting it sorted OP - it's my 50th on Saturday as well and, for a brief moment, I wondered if you were my wife :-)

My suggestion would be to make him a fake cardboard cake - it is April Fools Day after all (it would make me smile if my wife did something silly like that anyway).

professor~yaffle

I was going to suggest you try baking a cake yourself, but you'd have trouble doing that without him noticing..

Anoneemoose

Caking is my passion and I would be happy to offer any tips or help if you wanted to have a go yourself.

I am also on a few cake groups on FB, so I could ask on there to see if anyone could squeeze one in for Saturday - would just need the area you're in (general would be ok), so you don't need to give your specific whereabouts.

Also, I agree regarding the shop bought ones, they would be fine, however I have to say I cannot stand the supermarket ones..I just think they taste nasty. M&S however, are lovely. We've had a few of theirs over the years before I started caking.

usernameisvalid

For my Dhs big days, it's always a homemade cake. Nothing fancy, a Victoria Sponge with cream and jam and sprinkled with icing sugar

He's a ' don't want a fuss' type but he loves that I bake this one cake especially for him.

chesky

Do you have an old fashioned bakers shop near you, or a Patisserie Valerie or Maison Blanc. Or a tea shop?

warehouse

As someone who was 50 recently and with exactly the same view as your husband, (no party please), I have to agree with the above posters. My wife got me a small but quite expensive cake which tasted divine. A single candle, happy birthday sung by the wife and kids, then a nice cup of tea and slice of cake and I was in heaven.

For me an evening out at a good restaurant with my closest friends was much much better than a tacky party.

gettingtheresometime

thanks guys for all your suggestions.


I know I'm having a 'throwing my dolls out of the pram' moment but I can't help but feel that this is the latest in a long line of gts trying to plan something nice but it all going belly up.


As I said I'd originally thought of organising a cottage away somewhere with a couple of friends but that didn't pan out - then it was a nice meal with a couple of friends which also didn't pan out so the cake was not so much the icing on the cake but the whole cake if that makes sense.


I've tried phoning a couple of places but you can hear them wondering if I think they're miracle workers when I tell them I need it for Saturday.


I've come to the conclusion that it will have to be the ice slice....I'm no cook - in fact my inability to cook is legendary.


I'm guessing I wouldn't feel so bad if I could have a little empathy from the son......but even that is rarer than hens teeth