By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on August 26, 2022
Out with the old and in with the new. We have started using cheesecake for our birthdays! Here’s how to decorate a cheesecake for a birthday!
Not that there’s anything wrong with traditional birthday cake, but who said you can’t change things up every once in a while? These are some of the best and easiest birthday cheesecake decorating ideas that are all very easily customizable.
How To Decorate A Cheesecake For A Birthday
Using a cheesecake for your birthday cake is a fantastic way to spice things up a little. But, let’s be honest These cheesecakes, no matter how well they bake, aren’t always the most pretty cakes to look at.
And, it’s not like you can just plop a bunch of buttercream frosting on there and call it a day. Or can you? Here, we will look at some simple and some more elaborate cheesecake decorating ideas.
Funfetti Cheesecake
We have all probably seen those incredibly fun and colorful confetti spongecakes. Basically what they are is a cake batter that has been doused with jimmy sprinkles. Then, the top is further covered with these sprinkles in a very decorative manner.
Now, usually, these cakes are easier to decorate because you simply cover them with buttercream frosting. While cheesecake will be more difficult, it won’t be impossible!
You can still use some type of buttercream frosting that will help the sprinkles adhere to the cake in the areas that you want. So, this will allow you to evenly coat the sides of the cheesecake with sprinkles.
This is an easy option for how to decorate a cheesecake for a birthday that works for kids and adults alike.
Candy Themed
These cakes are extremely fun and easy to make. And, kids will love them too!
You can use melted chocolate to stick some candy bars around the sides of the cake. We prefer using thinner pieces, like KitKats, because they can create a nice circle without any prominent edges.
Then, you can load the top of the cake with delicious candy-like M&Ms, jelly candies, hard candies, or cookies. There is literally no wrong answer! You can customize this cheesecake birthday cake to your liking or to the person you are making it for.
Drip-effect
This is also a very pretty and elegant decorating idea, especially for birthday cakes. To make this drip effect, you just have to make a simple glaze or semi-runny ganache.
Then, while the ganache is still pourable, you start pouring it from the inside of the cheesecake and slowly move outwards. At the edges, you only add drips here and there that simulated an overflowing top.
Once your drip has set, you can add other decorations on the top like meringues, piped buttercream details, candy, or freshly cut fruit.
There are a ton of recipes explaining what the perfect consistency is to create the drip effect, like this one. It uses a different technique to the one we have explained above but works equally well.
Fruity and Fresh
Last, but certainly not least, you can keep the birthday cake cheesecake simple and only add some delicious fresh-cut fruits with some pretty edible flowers.
You can still add a glaze or frosting if you would like to, but it is not necessary.
What we love most about this cheesecake birthday cake decorating technique, is that you use healthier alternatives that won’t stuff your body with calories and carbs.
And, it is also extremely customizable. You can choose any fruit that you like and even create fun themes.
What You Will Need To Make This Confetti Cheesecake
Ingredients for the Cheesecake
- Cheesecake batter
- 2 cups Jimmy sprinkles
Ingredients for the Frosting and Decorations
- 1 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring, optional
- 3-6 tablespoons milk
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Rubber or silicone spatula
- Piping bag
- Piping nozzle
How To Decorate A Cheesecake For A Birthday – Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Bake the Cheesecake
First, once your cheesecake batter has been made, add the jimmy sprinkles (or sprinkles of your choice) to the batter. Pour the batter into a lined cheesecake pan and bake it according to the recipe’s times and temperatures.
Once the cheesecake has been fully baked, allow it to cool completely. You can leave the cheesecake to set in the fridge overnight.
Step 2: Make the Frosting
First, place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat it until it becomes light and fluffy. You have to beat it until the color lightens to prevent it from coming out yellow.
Next, slowly add in sifted powdered sugar and continue creaming the mixture. Once all of these ingredients are well combined, add the vanilla extract and food coloring.
Then, beat the frosting for about 10 minutes. The consistency will soften and become creamier and more voluminous.
If after 10 minutes of beating it, it still hasn’t reached the consistency that you want, you can add some milk to help thin it out.
Step 3: Decorate your Cheesecake
Finally, place your buttercream frosting in a piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle of your choice. First, spread an even layer of buttercream over the top of the cheesecake to make a level surface, You can also cover the sides of the cheesecake.
Then, we like to pipe between 8 to 10 dollops on top of the cheesecake that are equally spaced.
And, of course for the final touch, you can add some more sprinkles over the entire top of the cheesecake.
Tips and Tricks for Decorated Birthday Cheesecake
- You can use any type of sprinkle that you’d like. And believe us when we say, these are hundreds and thousands to choose from – pun intended! This can help you create a theme too.
- It is crucial, like with regular cakes too, that you allow the cake to cool down completely before decorating it. For cheesecake, the cooling process is a little bit more time-consuming in order to prevent any cracks from forming. To cool a cheesecake, first, cool it in a switched-off oven for an hour. Then, cool it at room temperature for an hour. Finally, allow the cheesecake to set in the fridge overnight.
- Instead of regular butter, you can use white baking margarine t get snow-white frosting. Making frosting from regular butter will give it a slight yellow hue, which is fine if you are adding food coloring to the frosting.
- There are hundreds of different decorations you can use with the two simple decorations we have provided; sprinkled and frosting. You can play around with it a lot and create a new cake every time!
How To Decorate A Cheesecake For A Birthday – Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are a bunch of fun and easy ways on how to decorate a cheesecake for a birthday. And, you can create simple or elaborate designs – it’s entirely up to you. Let us know in the comments below how you decorate your cheesecake for birthdays!
Confetti Cheesecake
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Rubber or silicone spatula
- Piping bag
- Piping nozzle
Ingredients
- Cheesecake batter
- 2 cups Jimmy sprinkles
Ingredients for the Frosting and Decorations
- 1 cup salted butter softened at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring optional
- 3-6 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- First, once your cheesecake batter has been made, add the jimmy sprinkles (or sprinkles of your choice) to the batter. Pour the batter into a lined cheesecake pan and bake it according to the recipe's times and temperatures.
- Once the cheesecake has been fully baked, allow it to cool completely. You can leave the cheesecake to set in the fridge overnight.
- First, place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat it until it becomes light and fluffy. You have to beat it until the color lightens to prevent it from coming out yellow.
- Next, slowly add in sifted powdered sugar and continue creaming the mixture. Once all of these ingredients are well combined, add the vanilla extract and food coloring.
- Then, beat the frosting for about 10 minutes. The consistency will soften and become creamier and more voluminous.
- If after 10 minutes of beating it, it still hasn't reached the consistency that you want, you can add some milk to help thin it out.
- Finally, place your buttercream frosting in a piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle of your choice. First, spread an even layer of buttercream over the top of the cheesecake to make a level surface, You can also cover the sides of the cheesecake.
- Then, we like to pipe between 8 to 10 dollops on top of the cheesecake that are equally spaced.
- And, of course for the final touch, you can add some more sprinkles over the entire top of the cheesecake.
Notes
It is crucial, like with regular cakes too, that you allow the cake to cool down completely before decorating it. For cheesecake, the cooling process is a little bit more time-consuming in order to prevent any cracks from forming. To cool a cheesecake, first, cool it in a switched-off oven for an hour. Then, cool it at room temperature for an hour. Finally, allow the cheesecake to set in the fridge overnight.
Lindy Van Schalkwyk is a culinary specialist with a background in Advanced Cooking, Advanced Pâtisserie, Media Communications and Nutrition. She has gained invaluable experience in the culinary industry having worked in some of the top restaurants in Africa in 2016 and 2017. Her expertise in nutrition has enabled her to develop recipes for special dietary needs. In 2018, Lindy began working in the Food Media industry, focusing on recipe development, recipe writing, food writing and food styling.