The Costco Muffin Hack For Effortless Birthday Cakes

Birthdays can be stressful. Planning a special day for your loved one may seem like an impossible task. After all, there are plenty of aspects of birthday planning to cover, from decorations to picking out the perfect gift. You might find yourself lost in the planning process. And there's one aspect of birthday planning that can be particularly onerous: the birthday cake. Yes, the cake is the centerpiece of most birthday celebrations, but what if you need one quickly? Costco and Amy Droubay — the mom and baker known as Neurotic Mom on TikTok and Instagram — have a perfect shortcut that will come in handy. 

In an Instagram reel, Droubay showed her trick to turn two Costco muffins into a perfect smash cake. Smash cakes are small cakes, usually set apart from the main birthday cake, that are given to small children for them to smash on their birthday. It's a great way of involving toddlers in enjoying cake while also preserving a larger cake for party guests. Droubay's hack involves cutting the top off of two Costco muffins, stacking them, and icing them as you would a birthday cake — complete with sprinkles, frosting swirls, and cherries. Of course, you can go your own way with decorations, perhaps decorating a Victorian cake with Lambeth piping to show off your skills. This hack is the perfect move for those hoping to create a special moment for their tot, and it's just the solution for a last-minute birthday celebration.

But what makes Costco muffins the perfect base for this cake hack? For one, they're relatively inexpensive. And Costco doesn't skimp on its muffins. The baked goods, like most of Costco's products, are larger than life and have a cult following, and the muffins are no exception. And with 14 flavors of Costco muffins to choose from, you're almost guaranteed to find a flavor that works for you, or for the person you're preparing the birthday cake for. The large, round, and flat shape makes them the perfect canvas for preparing a miniature cake. Amy Droubay suggests using two Costco muffins for a small child's smash cake for best results.

However, this hack isn't just for smash cakes. It can be used for other small cakes as well. For example, you can make a few small cakes for your party guests (the muffins come in packs of six, after all), especially if you're planning a small gathering. You can get extra customization out of these cakes by whipping up different flavors of classic buttercream frosting for each cake. And, if you're planning a solo or more intimate birthday celebration, you can simply use this hack to make a small (yet incredibly delicious) centerpiece cake. So, if you're pressed for time, or you simply want a shortcut in your cake-making process, give this delectable Costco hack a try.