Circus Cakes - Cake Geek Magazine

Circus cakes are a great all round cake design for birthdays – they work as boy’s cakes, girl’s cakes and right up to 21st cakes. We have a beautiful selection of designs below, from simpler styles to more dramatic creations to inspire your own circus cake design.

The fabulous feature cake above was created by the UK’s Bite Me Bakery for a carnival themed party, incorporating beautifully hand-painted icing appliques to give the cake an extra 3-D dimension (image by Clare Tam-Im Photography).

Another handpainted design, this time by the very talented Erin Schaefgen of the Three Little Blackbirds Bakery with a classic comedy clown as a side design, topped with polka dot ribbon and red sugar flowers for a whimsical touch.

Arty Crafty Cakes have designed the terrific vintage circus cake below, incorporating red and white circus tent stripes, a whimsical harlequin pattern, carnival style bunting and a wonderfully crafted elephant cake topper.

The two fabulous cake designs below are a perfect example of the kind of circus cake that would work for a Sweet 16, 18th or 21st birthday party – vintage, sophisticated cake designs by Stevi Auble’s Hey There Cupcake below left (image by Hailey Faria Photography) and by Brazil’s Arte de Ka, below right.

South Africa’s Cakes by Chef Sam have created the magical cartoon style circus cake below with fantastic cartoon animal characters.

The simple, but beautiful circus cake (below left) was designed byRichard Festen of Baking Arts, with the polka dot pattered cake board really adding to the overall design. To the right, Cakes by Lorinda have designed a perfect circus cake for a little boy’s birthday, complete with super cute fondant animals.

To make circus animals for your cake design, you’ll find tutorials here to help you:

baby elephant tutorial (no longer available)
fondant lion tutorial
fondant seal tutorial (no longer available)
clown model tutorial

Ringmaster sugar models add a fabulous theatrical touch to the two imaginative cake designs below by Kim Stubbins of Australia’s Cake by Kim (below left) and Florida’s Make Me My Cake (below right).

You’ll find a tutorial for a simple ringmaster cake topper here.

A very cute circus cake below by Miss Shell’s Cakes, with the little birthday boy peeking out of the circus tent with his circus friends. You’ll find a greatu tutorial here for a circus tent cake from Chicago’s Cake Girls: circus cake tutorial.

The impressive four-tier circus cake design below left was created by US cake stars, Cakelava (below left), with a beautiful design for a young child’s birthday by Sugarnana (below right).

Portland’s former Bakery Bar designed the innovative circus tent cake (below left) and Australian cake blogger, Kara Conaty of Butter Hearts Sugar, created the wonderful 1st birthday cake below for a carnival themed party.

Two terrific circus cake designs below full of drama and rings-side action (images via Pinterest).

Giant lollipops and a Ferris wheel add a whimisical touch to Lulu Cake Boutique‘s circus cake design below left, with an equally imaginative and lively design (below right) by Viva La Cake.

If you’re short on time for decorating and need to whip up a circus cake quickly, you’ll find these super cute free printable circus cake toppers (no longer available) here from One Charming Party.

Below, we have a fabulous circus tent cake for a carnival theme party by Cake Central contributor, Julesmcm.

Below, we have two brilliant circus cake designs for girls with pink and purple stripes by Jelly Cake UK (below left) and via Hostess With The Mostess (below right).

If you’re putting together a dessert table or sweet table for a circus theme party, then look out for these fantastic ferris wheel cupcake stands in homeware stores (image via Cupcakepedia).

Below right, we have another great circus theme cake for a girl’s Sweet 16 or 21st party in pink with classic red and blue from the brilliant, Arte de Ka.