We have so many family birthdays in one month we have decided this year to celebrate together. However, we want to create one cake for 4 children ranging from a first birthday, then 5, then 9 and then 17. Decoration ideas please!

For FOUR people???? If it was me ..... and if it was my family ......

I'd tell them "Screw this noise! You're all getting one cake. *I* get to pick how I decorate it. YOU dont' get to complain for one second." And then I dont' worry about a "theme" for each age group. I make whatever I want. If it fits in with the 5 year or with the 17 yr old doesn't matter to me.

My two grandchildren's birthdays are 2 weeks apart and my daughter always had one birthday party. They spend almost a year deciding what kind of cake Banna is going to make, but bottom line is that Banna is making ONE cake. So they either share the theme, or ONE of them gets to pick it, and then the next year, the other gets to pick it. First year was grandson's Mickey Mouse ... next year was granddaughter's Jonas Bros .... last year was grandson's Spiderman. But the standing rule is if they can't decide, then Banna decides!

By the way, it was the same at my house. I was the oldest of 6. Four of us were born in August! One on the 2nd, one the 14th (she was born 3 days early); 2 on the 17th (they were NOT twins ... they were 7 years apart!). My sister and I were about 9 or 10 when we figured out that our mom's birthday, Nov 18th, was EXACTLY 9 months prior to August 17th!

We are taught in school that we are supposed to "share". But, birthdays?? Naaahaaa!!! Not in my family!

Actually we did try it a couple of times in my family. But when my brother was turning 21 and my daughter was turning 2 within 4 days of each other, I couldn't figure out what the heck to put on the cake! My daughter wanted "My Little Pony" and my brother wanted...well, let's just say "something a little more grown up".

Well, unfortunately the decision was mine so....I have a picture from 27 years ago of the two of them with their cake with a "pink "My Little Pony" on one side of the cake and a blue "My Little Pony" on the other side of the cake. My daughter was all smiles...but my brother...well we won't go there!

I wasn't very creative back then, and maybe not much more now. But I don't do "combo" cakes anymore. Besides it screws up the birthday song...Happy birthday Susie, Billy, David and Sarah...phew...Happy birthday to you!!

My suggestion if you are definitely having one party...possibly do 4 smaller "simple" cakes each geared to the particular child's age. A small cake with a number "1" for the baby. A small cake a little more age appropriate for the 17 year old...and so on.

Granted it may be a little more work, but that would make their day just a little more special...

JUST MY OPINION...
Good Luck with whatever you decide...I'll be anxious to see what you come up with...do post a pic?!

if its a cake for two or more people, who dont all love the same hobby or food (an ice cream themed cake could be swesome) then i would do something generic - retro circles, stripes, autum/ winter theme.
i dont really like cakes which have items related to each person, if they dont somehow relate to each other - plus thats a lot of modelling for four people!
xx

How about a large rectangular cake, which you could then section into 4 and decorate each quarter to what each child would like - just a an idea, hope it helps

How about a large rectangular cake, which you could then section into 4 and decorate each quarter to what each child would like - just a an idea, hope it helps

I say ignore all of their themes and do one cake that is a generically decorated birthday cake that doesn't particularly reflect any of them over the other. Stripes, stars, flowers, whatever.

One thing to consider, particularly if you divide a tiered cake into four themes is the difficulties you'll have at serving time. "I want Billy's part!" "No, I want Mary's side!" You'll be cutting from 4 parts of the same cake at once. Good luck! One solution would be to pre-cut and lay them all out for folks to pick from. But what if everyone favors one or two of the themes? You'll have lots of leftover pre-cut cake in the less popular themes and you'll have to go back and cut more of the popular ones.

I have 8 birthdays from middle of Aug to first of Oct. They are both grown-ups and kids. A couple of years ago, I had one large dinner party for all of them and I did a small cake for each of them. I did something different for each cake and they took them all home. We all shared my mil's ice cream cake at the dinner party. It was fun, but a lot of work. I always want each person to have their own birthday cake.

Either pick a generic style of cake or do a theme and make a themed cake. Or maybe a cake for the season that all of their birthdays are in. Winter or fall themed maybe. That or you could divide the cake into 4 sections and decorate each one based on that person.