10 Festive Birthday Desserts (Other Than Cake)

Vanessa M. said:  I recently made this for my son's birthday. It turned out fantastic, and my family is pleading with me to make it again!

Kelly R said:  Way easier than traditional chocolate chip cookies but somehow more special, this is one of the go-to birthday desserts in our house. Everyone loves it!

Shila said:  Prepare a batch of freshly baked cookies using either a boxed cookie mix or one of your go-to easy baking recipes for kids (chocolate chip, oatmeal, etc). Once cooled, gently press two cookies together with a scoop of ice cream in between. Kids especially love to dab the outside of the ice cream into sprinkles or miniature chocolate chips!

Kelly R said:  This is the perfect treat for birthday celebrations if you don't want cake but still need a frosting fix! You can adjust the frosting color and sprinkles if you want to match a particular party theme.

Kelly R said:  We made this incredible brownie pudding for my daughter's birthday dessert, and I'm sure we'll be making it again before another birthday rolls around! The warm molten brownie doesn't play well with candles, so we stuck one in a scoop of ice cream.

Alexandra F. said:  We're not huge fans of cake in our house, so most of us request birthday desserts that aren't cake. One of our favorites is Ina Garten's fresh fruit tart! Aside from being delicious (and beautiful), it's also easy to make. You make a tart shell following Ina's recipe, along with a batch her decadent pastry cream. When you are getting ready to sing Happy Birthday, just spread the cream on the tart, and arrange some fresh fruit on top! We like to use strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

This is an easy but impressive birthday dessert for ice cream lovers. Use whatever store-bought ice cream or sorbet flavors are favorites in your family.

Chocolate mousse is a deceptively easy dessert that looks fancy enough for a birthday celebration.

Trifles are fun for kids to help assemble, and look impressive as a birthday dessert when you don't want to bother making cake. This one starts with a regular boxed brownie mix!

This simple and delicious layered banana pudding can be made in individual dishes, a 9x13 pan, or a trifle dish for a fancy birthday-worthy presentation.