Big celebrities rarely limit themselves when it comes to their birthdays. Just look at Ellen DeGeneres — her big bashes bring all of Hollywood together, and every guest has interesting (or embarrassing) stories about what goes down. Are Ellen’s shindigs some of the most legendary parties of all time? Probably. But there’s one thing that most celebrity birthday parties have in common.
Every extravaganza has food. A lot of celebs play it safe and hold their birthday bashes at luxe restaurants. That way, they can ensure privacy, and the guests can order whatever they want. But other celebrities take risks and offer a bunch of odd food to either fit a theme or stand out from the rest.
Celebs especially go all out for their children’s birthday celebrations. They have unique creations filled with sugar. And what kid doesn’t want that?
If you’re planning a birthday party and want to get a little inspiration from your favorite celebrities, keep reading. Here are 17 of the most out-of-the-box foods from A-lister bashes.
1. Ariana Grande’s Mini-Ariana Cakes
.@FrankieJGrande’s Instagram Story (June 26) pic.twitter.com/8j88KAbiAG
— Ariana Grande Today ☀️ (@ArianaToday) June 26, 2018
These are beautifully done, but a little strange.
Who wants to eat a photo of their own face? Apparently, Ariana does. As far as standard decorations go, these are certainly more exciting. But in terms of party snacks, the Ariana cakes almost seem vain.
Buy hey, it’s her party and she can eat her own face if she wants to.
Fans of the pop star were thrilled with the many cakes that had Ariana’s face on it. Some of the photos were of lil baby Ariana, and we couldn’t help but “awww” just a little.
2. True Thompson’s Cotton Candy Animals
Not only did True get cotton candy on her birthday, she also got cotton candy animals.
Some of the treats are a little terrifying. But cotton candy is a pretty ideal treat for a one-year-old kid who might not have a ton of experience with chewing just yet. Khloé Kardashian did an exceptional job finding something everyone could enjoy.
That wasn’t the only sweet treat at True’s party.
Us Magazine reports that there was a literal wall of donuts that greeted guests, cake pops, cookies, and a three-tiered cake. If only we got to celebrate our first birthday (or any birthday, really) in this much style.
3. Selena Gomez’s Cheese Wheel Pasta
Selena Gomez’s Italian-themed party had to have Italian food, right?
After turning 26 in 2018, the celebrity threw the party of everyone’s dreams. According to Elle, the party took place on a private yacht and showcased a star chef. Apparently, he created “delicious Italian food including pasta made out of a cheese wheel.”
She really loves the Italy theme.
For her 27th birthday in 2019, Gomez stepped it up a notch and flew out a select crew of friends out to Italy.
4. Taylor Swift’s Spaghetti And Meatballs
When you think of party food, you don’t always think of spaghetti and meatballs, which are more of a classic family dinner dish.
But supposedly, that meal is Taylor Swift’s go-to dish for parties. Since Swift is pretty well connected, you can imagine she brings a plate of Ina Garten’s meaty pasta to a ton of celebrity birthday dinners.
The recipe is deceptively simple, too.
Swift uses ground beef and packaged bread crumbs for the meatball base, and of course, spaghetti is fairly easy to cook. No wonder why this is one of the singer’s go-to recipes!
5. Miley Cyrus’s Nearly Scandalous Cake
Let’s just say that Miley Cyrus’s 21st birthday was a crazy bash.
It took place back in 2013, and the festivities included adult dancers, someone dressed as the Lorax, and a cake with a maturely-themed doll on it. The figurine was in Miley’s likeness.
Yeah, this definitely reminds us of 2013 Miley’s aesthetic.
The party also featured paper masks of Miley’s face — naturally, with her tongue sticking out. Unfortunately, even if you have the funds, you will not be able to recreate this party, as Beacher’s Madhouse closed permanently in 2017.
6. Chrissy Teigen’s Airplane Food
Well, it’s not really airplane food.
We know Chrissy Teigen, who always creates some pretty bomb recipes in her cookbooks, wouldn’t serve actual airplane food at any of her parties. However, the menu from her 2017 theme party may have been inspired by some of the entrees served on planes during the 1960s.
It had some modern twists, too.
Teigen’s birthday cake was (oddly enough) Nintendo Switch-themed. Apparently she is a fan and had beaten a Mario game several days before her birthday.
7. Kanye West’s Face Cookies
You can put your face on a cake, so why not put it on a cookie? Why not?!
Kanye West’s 41st birthday party included both Kanye cookies and a Kanye latte. These items seem too absurd to be true, but they were definitely real. The cookies even featured different expressions, because variety is the spice of life.
He also had a cake inspired by Wyoming.
Yes, as in the state. West had just recorded Ye in Wyoming, and his cake looked just like the Rocky Mountains. At least everything he does is original, yeah?
8. Katy Perry’s Yellow And Green Mashed Potatoes
It seems like a weird dish, but these colorful potatoes apparently appeared at Katy Perry’s 25th birthday bash.
Blogger Perez Hilton was a huge fan. Centered around a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme, the party had a lot of sweets on the menu as well. Which makes perfect sense — especially for Katy Perry.
It wasn’t just the potatoes that were colorful, either.
Guests were asked to wear all white clothing to the shindig. As folks left Perry’s 25th birthday bash, they were covered in bright, splattered paint. We can only imagine what happened!
9. Simon Cowell’s Personalized Shepard’s Pie
It seems like multiple American Idol hosts served up wacky food at their celebrity birthday parties.
In 2009, Simon Cowell had a weird menu of his own. The servers wore masks and presented guests with Simon-Cowell-themed alphabet spaghetti and Shepard’s Pie. The items featured Cowell’s initials. Looks like he knows how to make his birthday all about him.
10. Pharrell’s Krabby Patty Cake
It’s not all that weird for a grown man to have a SpongeBob birthday, right?
Pharrell pulled all the stops for his birthday back in 2014. Coincidentally, that means his cake was a gigantic Krabby Patty. Nobody parties like Pharrell, and honestly, we’re inspired to have a SpongeBob-themed party of our own as we fully embrace our inner child.
11. Beyoncé’s Geode Cake
Queen Bey could literally get her birthday cake anywhere.
In 2017, though, she chose Philadelphia’s Cake Life Bake Shop to make her special dessert. The team delivered with this epic cake. It looks way more like a fabulous table centerpiece than something edible. But it likely tasted amazing. Because if it’s Beyoncé, you’re definitely going all out.
12. Paris Hilton’s 21-Tier Cake
Paris Hilton’s entire 21st birthday party seemed completely bonkers.
For starters, it took place in five different cities — London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas. Additionally, her cake (or one of her cakes) reportedly had 21 tiers for 21 years. It’s a clever idea, but it’s also very extra.
13. Travis Scott’s Sneaker Cake
.@KylieJenner really got @trvisXX a birthday cake of his own sneaker. Peep Stormi climbing up the laces too 😂
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) May 1, 2019
📸: @shotbyjuliann1 pic.twitter.com/8UmYbdBeVW
Now, okay, a birthday cake shaped like a Jordan sneaker is pretty cool.
But, typically, only children get cakes that feature shoes or clothes. We can certainly forgive (and maybe even understand) the throwback to a children’s birthday celebration, though. Kids do know how to have fun.
What we don’t understand, however, is that creepy figurine of Stormi.
She’s climbing up the cake’s shoestrings, and she just looks plain weird. Why did they think that was a good idea? And who got that slice of cake?
14. Britney Spears’ Edible Pikachus
Britney Spears has two sons, and they’re extremely close in age.
And luckily, the boys share an interest in Pokémon. Can you blame them? For Preston and Jayden’s joint birthday party in 2016, Spears provided guests with a collection of awesome edible Pokémon. What a perfect way to celebrate your boys’ special day.
15. Hugh Hefner’s Casablanca Birthday Cake
Hugh Hefner was a big fan of Casablanca. Every year on his birthday, he would suit up like Bogart and screen the film at the Playboy Mansion pic.twitter.com/AJcDyiY9fl
— Film Noir Movies (@FilmNoirMovies) September 28, 2017
Hugh Hefner lived to be 91, and it seems like he made the most of every year of life.
He hosted an annual screening of Casablanca to celebrate his birthday. But the funniest thing about his 2012 party was probably the cake. Reportedly, the dessert featured Hefner’s face on Humphrey Bogart’s body. A very talented baker likely deserves credit for that feat.
16. Paris Jackson’s Psychedelic Cake
Do you need another reason to love Paris Jackson?
Well, here’s one. For her 20th birthday party, Michael Jackson’s daughter served up a multi-colored sheet cake with her face on it. She took the normal route for entrees, however, and had chicken with fries. We love a down-to-earth entree followed by an out-of-this-world cake.
17. Travis Scott’s Adult Slurpees
Kylie Jenner helped throw a gas station party for Travis Scott.
It might sound a little crazy, but Kylie managed to pull off the wacky theme and make it look fun. And the spiked Slurpees probably helped everyone enjoy themselves even more. There’s truly no party like a Kylie Jenner party.
The entire party was over-the-top.
Guests had to walk in through a very large model of Travis Scott’s face. The space was decorated with fake products you would find in a gas station, and also… trees with Nike shoes hanging off them? Ah, to be a gazillionaire.
18. Tori Spelling’s Life-Sized Barbie Cake
This was technically for her daughter, but it still feels somewhat bizarre.
For her daughter’s second birthday, Tori Spelling went all out with a pink theme. She completed the very girly vibe with a life-sized Barbie cake. We’re not sure how you would cut this, but it is quite the spectacle!
