Easy Cake Decorating Ideas That Require NO Skill!

Let's face it, decorating a cake is not always easy, so sometimes having a few shortcuts up our sleeves can be a lifesaver when you need to present an attractive cake but lack the skills to do something too elaborate.  These easy birthday cakes are practically no fail, and someone with very little to no cake decorating experience could whip them together in a snap!

Like all of our round-ups, all photos in this post belong to the individual bloggers.  There are links provided to the original tutorials beneath each photo.  If you use one of the ideas, please leave these talented bloggers some comments so that they know how it worked out for you!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake by Kelly Luna - If you're not skilled in spreading on perfectly smooth frosting, you can still have a gorgeous cake by covering the outside in delicious chocolate chip cookies and little chocolate chips!

Kit Kat M&M Cake by Making Life Delicious - this popular cake design is popping up everywhere lately, and this tutorial will tell you how to use Kit Kats and M&Ms (or any small candies you want!) on any cake that you want for a totally professional result.

Reese's Pieces Basketball Cake by Dukes & Duchesses - This is a super fast idea for a basketball themed cake - cover it in Reese's!  Totally genius.

Kit Kat Beach Party Cake by Lovely Party Things - another take on the Kit Kat cake, but this one has a beach twist!  Click through to see how this blog uses Teddy Grahams, brown sugar, and other candy pieces to create a positively adorable beach scene - no skill required!

Chocolate Pirouette Cake by Pepperidge Farm - are you sensing a theme here yet?  This cake uses Pirouette Cookies to cover up the frosting on the side, and the top can be garnished with sprinkles or any extra embellishments that you want.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake by Created by Diane.   Maybe you're not so great at baking cakes, but can make a mean chocolate chip cookie?  You've got to read Diane's idea for creating a stacked chocolate chip cookie cake that you can even slice just like a regular cake.  Make this with premade cookies to simplify it even more!

Campfire Cake by All The quiet Things - I am in LOVE with this one!  Crushed cookies, rock candy, and Pirouette Cookies.  The rustic chocolate icing is very forgiving, and you'll have to click through to the blog post to see what those flames are made out of and where the light is coming from - SO cool!

Melting Ice Cream Cone Cake by Just Stephanie - a cake that's meant to look a little messy is the perfect approach for novice cake decorators.  This cake uses a Rice Krispies treat shaped into the shape of a scoop of ice cream, and then the whole thing gets covered in chocolate ganache that drizzles down the side to create the melting effect.