Inside: The sweetest candy bar birthday cake

I am all about the cakes whether they are store-bought, homemade, or even baked inside a pumpkin… any cake will do in my book. And today I am excited to share our latest rendition of a cake, without a cake. A candy cake! No baking, no mess, just pure candy bliss. This is a particularly fun idea for classroom cakes or large parties. No forks, no dishes, no finding a knife to cut even pieces. Guests can just grab their favorite candies and have a sweet treat to celebrate.

This candy bar birthday cake is a total showstopper at any party. Just in time for my Halloween sweet tooth to come to life.

I mean… candy stacked as high as imaginable! I’m not sure I’ve ever seen something I adore quite this much.

A Few Sweet Supplies

To make the candy birthday cake you will need:

• Candy in various forms – we found it best to use larger boxes for the bottom layers, lose candy for the top and small bars/boxes for filling in
• Frosting to act as glue and to decorate any small holes in the cake
• A firm cake stand or piece of cardboard wrapped in tinfoil
• Tiered baking circles (find these in the baking section at a craft store)
• Hot glue

The Sweetest Candy Birthday Cake

1. The cake building works the best when you build out the layers and then put the cake together. To build out the bottom layer we used large boxes of candy. As long as the candy is covered by a box or wrapper hot glue is the easiest way to get everything to stick in place. For loose candy, frosting can also be used, but especially on the bottom layers I would suggest busting out the hot glue gun. Depending on the party size you can fill the cake all the way inside or just build a hollow outside – since it will be covered by the tiers a hollow inside will hold up just fine.

2. Top the bottom layer with the largest candy birthday cake tier and begin filling in the second level of the cake. Doing a second level of boxes that are a little smaller than the bottom will add good height to the cake without too much effort. These again can be hot glued.

3. Once that is done begin to fill out the top level by stacking loose candy and candy bars. We finished off the cake with a handful of lollipops and a large one in the center as a stand-in for a birthday candle. Candles can be incorporated into the cake either at the top or throughout.

4. Once you have all the layers are built out the candy bar birthday cake then assemble together. Use hot glue wherever you are able when it is not directly touching candy, and frosting wherever there is food contact. Finish any holes with piping of frosting to put a real birthday cake look to your creation.

This candy birthday cake is what my dreams are made of and a sure-fire hit for the season of candy love. Plus it requires no baking skills which makes any cake an easy win in my book.

PS. Another cake that requires no baking and one that is full of color!

(Photography ©A Subtle Revelry by Erin Holland).