Creative Birthday Dessert Recipes For People Who Don't Like Cake

Celebrating birthdays never gets old, no matter what age. The one thing that can be switched up for every party plan is the traditional birthday cake. After all, not everyone likes to eat cake, and it's really fun to step out of the expected cake box and think of something a bit more creative to serve for your friend, loved one, or co-worker on their special day.

Once you add some sparkler candles and maybe even some fun sprinkles to the treat, just about any unique dessert can have a dazzling birthday flair. From a delectable giant glazed lavender donut to cream-filled whoopie pies to colorful rice crispy treats with Fruity Pebbles, these Mashed recipes will help you dare to be different for the next birthday occasion.

Whip up one of our dessert suggestions for the special birthday guy or gal who would love a sweet surprise other than cake. Top it with candles for them to blow out as you give them your very best wishes for another amazing year around the sun.

If you want to make a really grand impression, you have to think big ... like a jumbo-size glazed donut! This giant donut is the stuff of birthday dreams come true. It's infused with a sweet lavender extract paste, and so is the icing.

To make the lavender donut, you'll need a bunch of ingredients: three large eggs, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, whole milk, butter, vanilla Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, lavender extract paste, nutmeg, salt, and vegetable oil to coat your baking pan. For the lavender icing, you'll need to gather confectioners' sugar, milk, lavender extract paste, vanilla extract, and salt. We sprinkled the top of the donut with whimsical unicorn sprinkles and added colorful candles to give it that special birthday touch.

This lavender sprinkled confectionery delight is almost too pretty to eat and will definitely give a huge "Happy Birthday" wish to your special someone. Place this creation on a pedestal because it's truly what's called for.

How about a silver platter filled with homemade rice crispy treats with Fruity Pebbles? This is a sweet spin on such a nostalgic treat that will deliver all the happy wishes a cake would, but the presentation is so fun and undeniably different. Plus, it will look super cute in any and all birthday Instagram stories.

The best part is, these sweet treats will be ready in just 13 minutes. That way, if you're hosting, you can whip up the main dessert with lots of time to set up decorations and do whatever else needs to be done.

All you need for this birthday treat is butter, mini marshmallows, Rice Krispies cereal, and Fruity Pebbles cereal. Sprinkle edible confetti around the platter to match the fruity pebbles, and then get ready to party.

Whoopie pies can and should be homemade and would absolutely make a sweet switch-up instead of serving cake at the next birthday celebration that you plan. These nostalgic treats are chewy cookie sandwiches with an undeniably creamy vanilla center. 

To whip up a batch of these beautiful whoopie pies, you'll need to gather all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, buttermilk, butter, baking powder, salt, baking soda, vegetable oil, packed brown sugar, two large eggs, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar, and marshmallow fluff. They will look as great as they taste.

This dessert comes together in 38 minutes, and our recipe makes 16 whoopie pies that would look so pretty stacked on a glass platter with birthday candles. Your guest of honor will surely be surprised. What can we say ... whoopie!

A deep-fried dessert? Sign us up. These beignets will transport everyone at this birthday celebration to New Orleans, Louisiana. They are absolute deep-fried sweetness, and they're a perfect way to celebrate a birthday. This platter will surely be unique, unlike any birthday cake anyone has ever seen.

We'll admit, beignets are pretty time-consuming to make, as the overall process can take an hour and 40 minutes. But your end result will prove this dessert is definitely worth the extra time, effort, and love you put into them. Keep in mind that our recipe makes 22 beignets, so you may have to adjust the recipe depending on how many people are attending this birthday. But we advise you to make as many as you can because you will really enjoy having the leftovers.

First, gather your ingredients. Pull together white sugar, instant yeast, an egg, salt, warm water, evaporated milk, all-purpose flour, shortening, vegetable oil, confectioner's sugar, and non-stick spray. Then, once your beignets are finished frying, you can arrange them on a pretty pedestal, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, and even put some dipping dishes of honey on the side.

If you want a birthday dessert that's sweet but healthy, consider making this fruit pizza recipe! It is super fun to serve and eat and can definitely be dressed up for a candlelit birthday treat. Plus, you'll be sure to get very colorful pictures of your birthday event to post on social media and share with all of your friends.

The ingredients you'll need are unsalted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, an egg, flour, baking soda, salt, a brick of cream cheese, milk, almond extract, and powdered sugar. As we point out in the recipe, you can really give this fruit pizza a personalized touch by adding the fruits of your choosing and even using food coloring in the cream cheese topping. You can complete this recipe in 33 minutes, and the end result is sure to be a colorful masterpiece.

Let's be honest: Everybody who's a fan of peanut butter would totally love receiving these no-bake peanut butter bars to the tune of "Happy Birthday." What you will need for this peanut butter delight recipe is unsalted butter, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, semi-sweet chocolate chips, powdered sugar, and sea salt. And by the way, you can whip up this deliciousness in just 20 minutes — you don't even have to bake it! 

How cute would it be to have these peanut butter squares laid out and a pretty platter or pedestal with just the right color of candles all lit up? Don't forget to top off your bars with dollops of whipped cream and fresh strawberries, just to make the presentation extra sweet.

Our recipe for churros is something you can make in an hour. It would be a very original kind of birthday surprise for the Disney lover in your life, plated perfectly with just the right toppings. You can even set up a churros bar with your freshly fried churros, different-colored birthday sprinkles, chopped walnuts or pecans, and tasty dipping sauces such as chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, melted white chocolate, or even melted marshmallow fluff. Be as creative as you'd like. These treats look oh-so-festive when they are dipped and sprinkled.

The ingredients for preparing this yummy treat include sugar, canola oil, flour, eggs, unsalted butter, brown cinnamon, salt, and water. Stack them high, grab some candles, and you will be ready to present a real Disney-inspired birthday surprise.