Hi Everyone,

I donate the birthday cakes for the teenage boys at a foster group home near me. I'm out of ideas!!!

I don't know these boys at all, like hobbies, favorite sports teams, etc., so I'm at a loss as to how to decorate them.

I have the next one due this Thursday morning, so any help at all would be appreciated. TIA!

Julie

I would think anything to do with music or video games. Maybe a multi theme sports cake, that way, all is covered. It is very good of you to do this...thanks to your good heart.

What a lovely thing to do.
I would hazard a guess that it wouldn't matter what you do it is the fact you took the time to bake one for them that would have the most impact.
Most teenagers are into brands so anything with a logo on I think they may like. At the very least just seeing their name on a cake would mean much I'm sure. I don't work in buttercream so can't give you much advice, just wanted to say best wishes in what you do and I'm sure you will get lots of great advice on here.

Do you get mailbox news or American cake decorating magazine? They always have some great ideas for boy's birthday cakes.

when I have to do something for someone I have no idea on, I usually decorate it with candles - piped on in buttercream. I will see if I can attach a picture....hopefully that might help!

(I can't find it! UGH!) basically I just pipe candles all around the sides and on top of the cake!

another idea I thought of...since it is close to football season, do you have a local football team (NFL, etc) That usually interested a child that age!

I would also agree with a music theme/ video game. I am doing a cake later this month for a teenage boy and his mom said anything music, like Rock Band and Guitar Hero!

Skateboarding is also popular with teen boys.

Hope that helps

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1045933

I made this for my friend's 16 year old and he LOVED it. He called me himself to tell me how cool it was and how much he loved it. When a 16 year old boy calls to rave about a cake, you gotta figure you did something right.

Good luck finding the right design and hats off to you for being so wonderful and generous.

Is there any way you can make a template for the people taking care of them ? Just something with basic info...favorite sports, sports teams, colors....just basic things that would help point you in a direction. A friend of mine is a CASA rep and I thought about doing the same thing....but you took it farther. Congratulations on being someone with a great heart ! It means more than money ever will to those kids.

Thanks, everyone, for the ideas. I ended up going with just a generic cake in boy-friendly colors. I just remember that, when my own son was a teenager, he had no interest in sports, video games, etc. He lived for the guitar (still does, come to think of it!). So, I hated to just choose something that Cody might not like. Here's the photo:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1440441

As some of you said, maybe any cake will be special to him. Get your Kleenex ready, everyone . . . Usually, the kids have birthdays during the school year, so they aren't there when I drop off the cakes. Last summer, though, I had said I'd deliver one in the morning. Well, I was just doing stuff around the house and didn't go over till about 10 am. Do you believe that the teenage birthday boy was sitting at the end of the driveway in a lawn chair waiting for me? I was choking back tears, thinking that I could've taken it over much earlier. I have no idea how long he'd been there waiting. I'm starting to cry now just thinking about it. You wouldn't think that a boy that age would even care about a birthday cake, but apparently they do.

that is so great that you do this. wish there was a place around here i could do that just to make someones day a little brighter.

Your cake turned out great! Black and blue are perfect colors for a boy! I think it's wonderful that you donate their birthday cakes. Your story made my day.