Five Stunning Shakespeare-Inspired Birthday Cake Ideas For The Literary Nerd In Your Life

Are you more ‘Romeo and Juliet’ or do you prefer plays like ‘Macbeth’? Shakespeare has a play for every mood and we have a Bard-inspired cake for every theme.

William Shakespeare is undoubtedly among the most well known English language writers the world over. His works, written roughly 400 years ago, have fledging afterlives today, being adapted and translated into innumerable languages and cultures all over the world.

While most school students forced to study Shaekspreare develop a mental block against his language, with time, many come to appreciate the complexity and nuance of the worlds he creates. His works present a range of emotions, from timeless love to enduring envy, and from excruciating tragedy to side-splitting humor. Here are some cake ideas inspired by the great playwright, for the Shakespeare fans in your life.

1. The Globe Cake

Create a miniature replica of Shakespeare’s Globe, the open air theater where his works were performed. The cake will have to be multi-layered and shaped octagonally. White and brown fondant will complete the outside of the cake. The cakes will also have to be hollowed out. At the base, put fondant figurines of people standing on the ground and looking at the stage. Or, to avoid all the complication, put browned grated coconut shavings on top, giving the Globe a thatch covering. Add a string of fairy lights around the cake to add to its wholesome magic.

2. The First Folio Cake

Shakespeare’s First Folios are famous and important books in the literary world. They've traveled all over the world, one copy even coming to India a few years back.

To make this cake, create an open book with browned pages. On one side, use edible ink to print an image of the writer. On the other page, you can recreate the intro page or any other page you prefer. You can also simply create an index listing a few of his more famous plays and poems, or focus on the favorites of the birthday person. Add a fondant-made string bookmark and other elements to accentuate the literary feel of the cake.

3. Writing Table Cake

One of the greatest authors of all time must have used a desk to do his writing. Create a brown base to reflect wood and on that create different Shaekspearean motifs. Include a feather and ink pot that one could imagine him using for writing. Make parchments that he would have written on. Add candles that would have aided him with his writing in the evenings. You can also add other related motifs like a globe, recalling the Globe theater. Put a skull, in memory of the famously gothic scene from Hamlet where he talks to one. You could also plantsome masks like the ones Romeo and Juliet would have worn.

4. Sonnet Cake or Quote Cake

This is an especially poetic and lyrical cake to make. Design a cake in the look and feel of a parchment page. Add some brown blotches to the page and make sure it has tattered edges for a more authentic look. Onto this, with a thin piping tip, write out your favorite sonnet or some of the most famous quotes. Popular sonnet choices include Sonnet 18: “Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day” and Sonnet 116: “Let Me Not To The Marriage Of True Minds Admit Impediments”. And popular quotes include “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?”, “To be, or not to be: that is the question” and “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

5. Play Specific Play

If you’re baking a cake for a well-versed Shaekspeare fan, they probably have a favorite play. Dedicate the cake to that play entirely. For instance, if it’s Romeo and Juliet that they love, then create a multilayered cake with a balcony on the upper layer. Put a female fondant figurine on the balcony and a male one at the base of the cake. And on the sides of the cake, stick on motifs using frosting. These can include masks they used at the ball, poison bottle and dagger, the lost letter, and other romantic elements like a rose and a heart. Do a close reading of the play—if you have an interest in doing so—to find special lines and phrases, and pipe those on to the sides as well.