Velociraptor Birthday Party Cake

And just like that… over three months have passed since I last posted here. It wasn’t planned. Because life sometimes has other plans. The last quarter has been pretty insane and unpredictable, and for many reasons. A rollercoaster of emotions and hell at work. It was supposed to be a quiet year. And I have noticed that I say this more often than I should. But when times are difficult, it’s all the more important to reflect on the precious things in life. To take the time to appreciate the people who are always there for you and who never fail to make you smile. Your friends and family, whether it be your chosen or biological family. And what better way to do that than surprising them with a birthday cake! This one was made for my wonderful husband, who loves tanks and dinosaurs. So, of course, for his very special birthday party this year, he got a velociraptor birthday party cake!

This isn’t a recipe for the cake itself – although it will follow, because it’s a German classic and one of my husband’s favourites. It’s a quick and simple instruction for a quick and simple way to decorate a birthday cake for your favourite dinosaur lover. (And the best thing is: you are never too old to love dinosaurs!)

I mean, look at that smile. What a charmer!

material & ingredients

• 1 birthday cake of your choice with your favourite chocolate frosting
• 1/2 cup of crushed Graham crackers or crushed sweet biscuits
• 1/4 cup of chocolate frosting
• 40-50 wafer rolls (depending on the size of your cake)
• 1 or 2 toy velociraptors (or other dinosaurs) that fit the size of your cake
• 3-5 fake/plastic succulents

and for the tiny dinosaur party hat (optional):

• scrapbook paper or wrapping paper with a pattern of your choice
• one tiny pompom
• 2-3 inches/ 5-8 cm of yarn (optional)
• a round glass or tin with a diameter of about two inches (5 cm)
• pencil
• scissors
• glue

instructions

Cut your wafer rolls into different lengths using a sharp knife. Depending on the size and height of a cake, the smallest pieces should be about one inch (2,5 cm) long, the longest about 1 to 2 inches (2,5f to 5 cm) longer than your cake is tall. Apply a thin layer of chocolate frosting to the back of each wafer roll to make them stick to your cake. Now press them gently against the side of your cake, creating a wave-like pattern, starting with the shortest ones, then gradually using the longer ones and ending with the short ones again. (Just look at the pictures, you’ll get the gist.) This will be your “fence” for the dangerous dinosaurs.

Use your crushed Graham Crackers or sweet biscuits to create a small mound of “sand” on top of your cake. (Use a food processor on pulse or the classic ziploc-bag-and-rolling-pin method to crush your crackers. You don’t want to grind them into a powder, so leave a few chunky bits inside.)

Clean and dry your toy velociraptor (or velociraptors) and fake succulents. Place the dinosaur (or dinosaurs) onto the cake first, preferably in the centre. Then arrange the fake succulents around them. This will be your prehistoric vegetation.

If you don’t want to give your dinosaur a funny party hat, you’re already done here! Simple, isn’t it?

But everything is better with party hats, right? And a velociraptor birthday party cake just wouldn’t be complete without them.

the party hat

To make the party hat, use the tin or glass to draw a circle on the back of the paper. Now cut along the line and cut the circle in halves. Use one half to roll into a cone. Your paper will overlap quite a bit, but that’s fine. Because like this, you can determine how wide or narrow your cone will be. Every dinosaur head is different, after all. Glue the cone together, then glue your little pompom on top of it. Now glue the ends of the yarn to opposite ends of the inside of the party hat to match the width of your velociraptor’s head. Or just glue it directly on top of your dinosaur. Works just as well and is faster.

Now you’re done!

Told you, it’s quick and simple and you don’t need crazy cake decorating skills or fondant knowledge to make a cake that will impress and bring a smile to the faces of the people who make you smile.