Children have simple and completely non-negotiable opinions about cake. It should be chocolate, or it should be vanilla and pink. Everything else is an adult's idea of what a child might enjoy, and it comes back to the kitchen uneaten.
If you are ordering kids' birthday cakes in Christchurch, that is the useful constraint to design around.
The flavours that work
Straight chocolate is undefeated. The Double Choc is the version for a child who has strong feelings on the matter. On the other side, Pink Lemonade does the pink job without tasting of nothing, and the Sunrise pairs vanilla with berry.
The Biscoff mini is the sleeper hit — caramelised biscuit is a flavour children recognise instantly, and it tends to win over the parents as well.
Check for alcohol
It is worth asking, because plenty of classic cakes are soaked in something. Our Black Forest is made without kirsch, which is unusual for the style and makes it a genuinely safe choice for a room full of children.
One each beats one big one
Children eat less cake than you plan for, and half the slices get abandoned after two bites. Mini cakes are a single serving each, and they come as a tray of six or twelve — which for a kids' party is close to the perfect format. Everyone gets a whole cake to themselves, nothing needs cutting, and there is no argument about who got the corner piece.
If you would rather have a centrepiece to put candles in, our four-layer cakes come in 15cm (12 to 15 slices), 20cm (20 to 25) and 25cm (30 to 35). For a children's party that is usually more cake than you think — there is a fuller guide on our birthday cakes page. Mini desserts and slices work the same one-each way.
The candles
Small thing, but it matters on the day. We stock natural beeswax birthday candles made by Hōhepa — they burn cleanly, they photograph well, and they are made right here.
Make the party the activity
For older children and teenagers, our Mini-Cake Decorating Challenge turns the cake into the entertainment. Everyone gets their own mini cake and a palette of buttercream and garnishes, 90 minutes to decorate and compete, and then they eat the evidence. Groups of four to twelve, Tuesday to Friday, and we handle all the setup and cleanup. Details on the group experiences page.
Keeping the adults happy
The parents are there too, and they have been to a lot of these. A few petit fours or a good coffee from our espresso menu buys you considerable goodwill.
How to order
Order online and choose a collection date at least two days out — the date picker will only offer dates we can meet. Collect from The Welder on Welles Street, 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on Saturday. Browse the celebration cake range or read our guide to choosing, storing and serving a birthday cake before you decide.
