Sweet-inspired costumes are always fun, and this year I wanted to be a birthday cake. Jeff prefers dressing as a person, so we compromised: I became the cake and he became the birthday boy. The idea grew out of a birthday cake piñata I made previously, and this costume is basically a larger, wearable version with me as the candle. I had a blast building it and even enlisted Jeff to join in—he wore a bow tie and party hat and made the perfect counterpart.
Because this project involved a lot of gluing, I partnered with Elmer’s—my go-to glue for piñatas and similar crafts. Below is a step-by-step guide so you can recreate this birthday cake costume yourself.
Supplies Needed
- Large sheets of cardboard (I used two 40×60 sheets; sizes can be adjusted to fit you)
- Crepe paper: one color for the cake, one for the frosting, and several colors for sprinkles
- Elmer’s Glue-All
- Elmer’s extra strength glue sticks
- Yellow cardstock (for the flame)
- Headband (for the flame)
- Ribbon (for straps)
- Hot glue and/or strong tape (to assemble the base and secure the flame)
- Scissors and a box cutter
- Stapler
Step-by-Step Birthday Cake Costume Tutorial
- Cut four cardboard pieces to form the slice. Sizes depend on the wearer; for reference I used two rectangles 32″ x 22″ for the sides.
- Cut a triangle with a curved bottom to form the front slice shape. The sides of this pie shape should match the length of your rectangles; mine was 25″ at the widest point.
- Cut a final rectangle for the back of the slice. It should match the curved edge length of the pie shape and the height of the side rectangles.
- Bend the back piece gradually to create a curve so it fits the slice shape.
- Cut an opening in the wider part of the triangle so you can step into the costume.
- Assemble the structure using strong tape, hot glue, or both. Attach the side panels to the triangle, close the front point, then attach the curved back.
- Prepare fringe from crepe paper. Cut rolls into sheets matching the height of the cake sides, fold them, then cut 1½” strips and fringe, leaving about ½” uncut at the top. I used roughly two rolls of brown for the frosting and one and a half rolls of white for the cake.
- Start at the bottom of one side and glue a strip of fringe with Elmer’s Glue-All. Work in horizontal rows, spacing each row about ½” above the last.
- Alternate layers of cake color and frosting color to create the striped effect. I made three layers of cake and three layers of frosting on each side.
- Repeat the same process on the other side of the slice.
- Fringe the back using only the frosting color so it looks like the cake’s icing when viewed from behind.
- For the top of the slice, start at the point and work back. Place a solid triangle of crepe paper at the tip to anchor the first row, then apply curved rows of fringe to follow the slice’s shape.
- Cut sprinkles from various crepe paper colors by folding and cutting small rectangles; this is the fastest way to produce many sprinkles.
- Use glue sticks to attach sprinkles liberally. For a funfetti look, cover the frosting areas and scatter sprinkles over the cake sides and top.
- Attach shoulder straps by flipping back a few rows of fringe, stapling ribbons to the front, trying the costume on for length, and stapling the ribbons to the back. Fold the fringe back down to hide staples and add hot glue for extra hold if needed.
- Make the flame: cut a flame shape from yellow cardstock and leave the bottom edge flat. Lay the headband along the bottom edge and trace, then cut a small slot or matching piece so the headband fits behind the flame.
- Hot glue the flame to the headband, gluing mainly in the center so the headband can still flex when you put it on.
- Finish styling your look with a simple outfit beneath the costume. Solid colors or stripes work well. For a finishing touch, glue a few extra sprinkles onto a small circle of cardstock, clip it to your shoes with a bobby pin, or glue directly to the shoe.
If you want a couples costume, have your partner dress as the birthday boy or girl with a bow tie and party hat. The look is simple and instantly adorable. You can expand the theme into a whole family set: cake, birthday child, piñata, and a present would be delightful together.
After Halloween the costume can be converted back into a piñata. Cut another triangle for the bottom, cover it with fringe, attach it to the base, and use the saved top triangle piece covered in fringe to seal. Fill it and you’ll have a giant, reusable piñata.
All photos by Studio DIY
I would love to see a whole birthday-family set: multiple cakes, a birthday kid, a piñata, and wrapped presents. The cake could be any flavor—red velvet, chocolate, vanilla—so pick colors to match your chosen flavor.
p.s. This costume converts easily into a piñata after the season: attach a bottom triangle, cover with fringe, seal, and fill for a second life as party decor.
This DIY project is sponsored by Elmer’s. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you to the sponsors that help keep Studio DIY going.