special birthday cake with animals

mindful celebrations: a beautifully decorated birthday cake with animals that will make children's and adults' eyes light up, recipe for a zebra-themed cake

Birthday celebrations are always special occasions that offer us the opportunity to be mindful in the moment, to be grateful for everything we are able to experience together and to celebrate life with our loved ones. I experience the birthdays of my own children as particularly emotional events, as they bring home to me how central the day of birth was and how quickly the little treasures grow up and become more independent... This fills me with pride, joy, curiosity about everything that awaits us and, at the same time, melancholy and a little sadness at letting go a little more each year.

For me, a beautifully decorated birthday cake is part of a birthday celebration and delights both children and adults. Today I'd like to share a DIY idea for a lovingly designed yet simple birthday cake decorated with candles, a string of washitape bunting and a creepy animal with a birthday hat. You can choose the animals according to your preferences and favourite animals - in our case it's a zebra and a giraffe. For a cake with a zebra look, you can also find a recipe for zebra cake with beautiful zebra stripes in this post.

Materials and ingredients:

• A delicious birthday cake (preferably with zebra stripes on the inside for the zebra look) - it doesn't have to be a cake, cheesecake, marble cake or fruit cake with sour cream icing, for example, are also ideal for decorating.

• Icing sugar for dusting, sugar confetti if required

• Birthday candles

• Washitape in different colours and patterns

• Twine

• Shashlik skewers or thin wooden sticks

• A toy animal (e.g. a zebra or giraffe) and small pieces of coloured paper for the birthday hat, small pom-pom if required
  

Recipe for zebra cake

5 egg yolks

250 g sugar

1 sachet vanilla sugar stir until frothy

125 ml lukewarm water

Stir in 250 ml cooking oil stir in

375 g wheat flour

1 sachet baking powder mix in

5 egg beaten whites fold in

2 tbsp cocoa powder stir into half of the batter

To create the special zebra pattern on the inside of the cake, add 2 tbsp of the light and dark batter alternately to the centre of the springform pan. This creates concentric circles when viewed from above, always alternating between light and dark. When cut open, this creates the typical and decorative zebra pattern on the side, matching a small zebra perched on top of the cake.

You can also use your favourite marble cake recipe. The cake is baked at 180 degrees for 50-60 minutes. If you like, you can frost it afterwards or dust it with icing sugar.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Bake your favourite cake.

2. Make a pennant chain from washitape: Cut small pieces of washi tape and fold them around a piece of sewing thread so that they look like little pennants. Cut the ends into a V-shape or like a W as shown in the photos to achieve the typical pennant look. Attach the pennant chain to two shashlik skewers and place them on the cake.

3. Creepy animal with birthday hat: Make a small birthday hat for the creepy animal by shaping a piece of coloured paper into a cone and attaching it with glue. If you like, you can glue a small pom-pom to the top of the hat. Attach the hat to the animal's head with some glue or sellotape and carefully place the creepy-crawly on the cake.

4. Add candles: Stick some colourful candles in the cake to add to the festive flair.

Mindfulness when celebrating:

A birthday provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate mindfully and consciously savour the moment. Here are some tips on how you can make your family's birthdays mindful:

• Preparation as a mindfulness exercise: take time to calmly prepare the cake and decorations. Concentrate on every step and enjoy the creative process. This will fuel the anticipation of the party for the whole family.

• Decorate together: Involve your children in the preparation. For example, get your siblings to help you make the bunting or the birthday hat for the creepy-crawly. This time together is valuable and strengthens the bond. The pride of having contributed to a gift is always great.

• Be present during the party: Be present during the party and enjoy every moment. Observe the joy in the eyes of your child and their guests when they see the beautifully decorated cake.

• Express gratitude: Take a moment to feel gratitude for the past year and the wonderful experiences you've shared together. Share these thoughts with your family. Perhaps this will lead to beautiful and profound conversations.

Great table decoration:

In addition to the cake, you can also decorate the table lovingly and thoughtfully. Use matching tablecloths, colourful plates and cups as well as themed napkins. Small creepy-crawlies can also be used as table decorations and a string of washitape bunting can also be stretched across the table.

With these ideas, the birthday will not only be a visual highlight, but also a thoughtful celebration that will be remembered for a long time. The lovingly decorated cake and mindful preparation will make this special day an unforgettable experience for young and old alike.

If you enjoyed this post, I would be delighted if you left a comment. Take a look at my other recipe ideas and DIY ideas for life with children. You'll soon find an article on my blog with more birthday ideas for children and children at heart...

A hug and see you soon!