Monday, June 18, 2012

Birthday cake candles

Expat Mum just blogged about the kind of candle holders you put on a birthday cake and said that they don't seem to be an American thing. Well, I know they don't sell the holders with the candles, but I definitely have some in my kitchen drawer and they didn't come from the UK. As MsCaroline, one of her commenters, suggested, maybe they are an east coast thing in the US?





Come to think of it, the ones in my kitchen drawer aren't exactly in wonderful condition - they do look a little chewed . . .  And they don't always stop the cake from ending up covered in candle wax  - the way some kids huff and puff at the candles, the wax ends up spraying over the cake anyway! I only appear to have eight of them. I'm pretty sure they don't sell them in packages of eight. I wonder where the others went and where I can buy any more? Maybe I'll just keep buying the tall skinny candles the kids insisted on for their father's birthday a couple of years ago. Better yet, we'll just use the regular candles the way most other people over here seem to and just shove them in the cake. After all, we've got plenty of candles because every time you buy a birthday cake here they automatically include a packet of 20 candles. I don't remember the last time I bought a birthday cake as opposed to making one, and we still have enough candles in the kitchen drawer to see us through several more birthdays! Well, so long as they're kids' birthdays :-)


9 comments:

Moe said...

You should be able to get the candle holders at any grocery store. They sell them next to the candles. However, they are pretty useless, which is why most people just shove the candles directly in the cake. It's a right of passage to get bits of wax on your slice of cake. Since I'm not a big fan of frosting, I tend to slide most of it off the cake I'm eating (and therefore the above mentioned wax).

I do have to say, that it was a nice surprise to see that the birthday candles I bought here in the UK had the holder thing attached already. Still a bit useless in regards to wax on cake, but it looked nicer. Good job UK!

Expat mum said...

Wow - you get candles with the cakes? That's very impressive. I have to say, the lack of holders hasn't been a problem for us in the States as we often get the number candles anyway.
And yes, the wax from the little candles has been known to fly through the air when one child or another blows too hard!

nappy valley girl said...

I haven't seen them here (although I haven't looked that hard, I just assumed they didn't have them). I just dig the candles well into the cake and hope they don't fall over!

Paul said...

Yes, my wife had a birthday cake with candles in holders here - so they aren't a rarity in Florida, as far as I'm aware!

AliBlahBlah said...

I can't say I've missed them terribly to tell you the truth. I've always found that an enthusiastic candle-blower will always manage to spray wax over the cake whether there's a holder or not. Cute candles on the cake photo btw.

AliBlahBlah said...

I suppose that considering I hadn't missed candle holders since living over here that I don't think they're that useful. Or maybe I eat my cake too fast to worry about a bit of candle wax(!)

lynneguist said...

I used to get them with candles (otherwise I'd never have owned them), but never used them because they were too annoying. My UK mother-in-law didn't like me not using them, though--Americans seem to have a higher tolerance for eating around the wax. :) I don't think it's a regional thing, particularly.

Almost American said...

Expat Mum - yes, if you buy the sheet cakes at the supermarket, they come with candles.

Moe - if it's a store-bought cake, I tend to not eat the frosting too!

Ali - we like the tall skinny candles a lot - less wax! That was DH's birthday cake a couple of years ago BTW. It was a 'big' birthday. I love that picture - not just all the candles, but the amount of smoke :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm in the Midwest and yes they do have the candle holders here but we never used them. We always stuck the candles into large marshmallows placed on top or usually around the outside on the cake platter. Occasionally, the wax would still get on the cake but the marshmallows really do catch most it.

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