My DH is lame at b-days and worse yet, he's German and doesn't appreciate the American birthday cake (sweetness factor). I've been wanting to try out some of the gourmet combo flavors, so I was thinking about throwing myself a party and making a gigantic cupcake tree with a bunch of different cupcakes in gourmet flavors. And while the idea sounds ok, the logistics of all the baking and dealing with cupcakes just overwhelms me, so I return to the idea of just baking myself a multi-tiered cake with a few different flavors. And then THAT idea sounds lame if I think of people learnng that I baked my own ginormous birthday cake.
SO... would you bake your own multi-tiered cake, or do a few separate cakes, or do cupcakes, or would you just chuck the idea and go out to dinner?
VERY interesting you would ask such a question today. Today is MY birthday and I'm sitting here knowing that unless I make it there will be NO cake.
...unless son goes to Dillions or Wal-Mart and he KNOWS BETTER than to even consider that!
I say do whatever your heart desires!! Make it baby, make it!! 
The ONLY way for me to get a birthday cake that I really like is to bake it myself. I do it all the time. And I enjoy it thoroughly because I don't have to please anyone but myself. In fact, I've been saving photos from Cake Central for the past year in anticipation of baking this year's cake.
Happy Birthday to me! And you.
I dont' do birthdays. Not because of the stereotypical crap about not getting older (I CELEBRATE my gray hairs!!!!) but because when I was growing up, they weren't a really big deal and I just can't get into the "all about me" birthday stuff I see; the stuff that turns normal easy to get along with adults into dumba$$es! 
My kids know my birthday is sometime in the winter and that's really fine with me. Much as I love a stage and a microphone, I am VERY uncomfortable with center-of-birthday-attention situations. Hubby knows the fastest way to a divorce is to even THINK about throwing a surprise birthday bash for me! 
But ... on my 50th, I wanted a big-a$$ cake so I made a huge 3-tier square. Hubby suggested that maybe he should be planning this for me. I said, "Yeah maybe, but I want it done right, so I'll do it myself!" That's not a slam against what he would have done .... just a little control issue at this end!
I shared my 3-tier cake at a catering I did for "my" fraternity guys. As I told them, "This is every old lady's dream .... to spend her 50th birthday with a roomful of good looking young college guys!"
Bottom line ..... As I understand the "posta" rules for birthdays, the birthday person is "posta" be able to do whatever they want. And if you want to bake your own darn cake, then do it! 
Yesterday was my birthday. My birthday cake was put together from the scraps of the cake I was making for somebody else yesterday. It's not as bad as it sounds. I actually had a complete layer in the scraps and plenty of filling and icing.
The ironic thing is that seeing Collete Peters' Pasta cake in a book is what started my decorating passion. I saw it and thought, "I have to make that for my next birthday!"
Well that birthday was 6 months away and my research and learning led to a whole world of cakes and, many years later, I still haven't gotten around to making the pasta cake...or for that matter, any other cake for myself that didn't come from the scraps of somebody else's cake.
But someday, I will make this cake for myself!!!
kansaslaura--Happy Birthday!
My DH is wonderful, but I have learned that there are a few things (like a cake on my birthday), that if I want to have I will have to do myself. I look at it as a no-risk opportunity for me to try something new (flavor, style, technique).
Happy birthday kansaslaura.
Make your cake. Have a blast with it. In my family, I make all the cakes for all occasions except my birthday (wish I did). So everyone gets the cake they want except me because the family doesn't think I should have to make my own cake. So every year I get a crappyfrom the store cake that I have to gag down. Don't be a wuss like me. Make whatever cake or cupcakes you want. Enjoy every second of it too. 
Last year for my birthday I baked an 8" round and gave the kids (little ones) some icing in icing bags and some sprinkles and they "decorated" my cake.
This year was my 30th and I was having a party, so I designed a really cool, complex cake, which of course got downgraded due to other orders LOL!
In the end I had a simple, funky topsy-turvy cake and it was yum!
I share a birthday with my darling dil.......I couldn't ask for a better way to bake the cake of her (and my) dreams, and have the grand-kids help decorate. The filling is made of pure love! Birthdays are the day to "have your cake, and eat it too"
I haven't had a birthday cake in a long time. Since I started decorating I've been wanting to make a really nice elegant cake for my birthday, but every year I'm never told when we're going to be doing something until the night of.
This year there was cake. Sure, it was baked from a box mix and canned icing was used, but it was made by my brother who is NOT a baker. The fact that he MADE my favorite cake (carrot with cream cheese icing) instead of just buying one from the grocery store means a lot to me. He's a trucker and gets 1.5 days off every week. and he spent at least half of that making this for me. I luv mah bro!!!!
I have a likeness for cupcakes, so I suggest your cupcake idea. Although if all the gourmet flavors sounds a little overwhelming, just pick two or three to try.
That was a really sweet thing your brother did! Cake mix or not, canned frosting or not, that had to be ONE special cake!!
One of my best friends has a birthday just a few days before mine. So I bake a gorgeous cake for "us" and we get together with a pack of girlfriends for a birthday celebration. Everyone seems to love it. It's the only way I'll ever get a cake because everyone is now afraid to buy or bake me one. I'd love it no matter what, but they're afraid it wouldn't be good enough. So how about a cheesecake, or brownies, or ?????
I say make your own cake! My 21st is coming up in a little under a month and while I am not home (I'm working in a different state for the summer), I am making my cake and no one can stop me. Some of the people around here asked what kind of cake I wanted and I already said to not worry about it and I was going to take care of it. I would normally feel bad about that but sorry, it's my birthday, I'm making my own damn cake. If they want to do something, take care of the party aspect. But the cake is mine!!! 
I guess we can all get a tad bit controlling when it comes to how we want things but from where I stand, who the hell cares!
As for the birthday cake, it'll be Dr. Seuss themed and I'm very excited to make it!
-mccorda- Love that idea. Am totally going to do that next year.
I'm an American living in Germany and I always make my own cakes! First of all, nobody else will do it. Second: in Germany it's actually tradition that you throw your own party. You invite people, you provide the food, entertainment, etc. If you want to celebrate your birthday with your nearest and dearest, you decide how you want to do it and take the initiative. I say make your own cake, invite a few friends over and tell them you're doing it the German way!!! 
Jenny
PS - Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!!!
Last year for my birthday I baked an 8" round and gave the kids (little ones) some icing in icing bags and some sprinkles and they "decorated" my cake.
This year was my 30th and I was having a party, so I designed a really cool, complex cake, which of course got downgraded due to other orders LOL!
In the end I had a simple, funky topsy-turvy cake and it was yum!
That is what I do. I make a small cake and my girls decorate it for me. It usually ends up with more sprinkles than could ever stick to it piled as high as they can. And they are never frosted evenly, but they are made by my girls and I love it. They even help me bake it. It's tons of fun and they get to make mommy a cake instead of mommy doing all the work.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KANSASLAURA!!
Jenny- as I mentioned before, I'm married to a German and I actually lived there for 3 years. How are you able to find people to enjoy your cakes? Do you use AMBC? I guess it might be quite the novelty among the expat community. If I'd heard of someone who could make a rockin' b-day cake, I would have been just elated. For one b-day, my SIL contacted my mom in the US and had her send a box of cake mix and a can of frosting so she could make me an "American cake." It was such a nice gesture.
Ok, so I'm no longer shy about baking something for myself. Just have to plan a party to get enough ppl to eat it.
My friends and family have gotten used to the cakes although they're still a bit sweet for some. I've reduced the amount of sugar in the cake recipe by nearly half (with a big decrease in butter, too) and generally use IMBC. After getting past the colors, people find that they like the cake and look forward to the regular birthdays where my cake is to be found!
And in my last post I forgot to add that in the last couple years, my gift to myself has been the time to make my own cake. Since it's something I enjoy and I get to do whatever I want, I just have fun with some guilt-free decorating time (who cares if other things are higher priority and the cleaning isn't getting done!). It's playtime!
Happy baking!
Jenny
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