Let Them Knit Cake

Posted on

by Hannah (BitterSweet)

Approximately one million years ago when I started making knit food, I found the extensive list of options to be quite impressive and some what intimidating. So much to knit, I never thought my needles could move fast enough to work through everything I wanted to create! All of a sudden, it seems that I’m now on the other side, wondering what type of knit-food I haven’t yet made, what remains on that list for me. I guess that’s what ending up driving me to write my own pattern in the first place.

The whole time I wrote up my first few, I was still testing the waters. I had never knit without a pattern before, so to make my own was all new territory for me. I’m still not confident in my ability to come up with knit or crocheted objects from scratch, but I decided to finally dive in and make that one thing that I had wanted a pattern for since the day I started making food out of yarn – A slice of cake.

It’s far from perfect, and I’m still terrible at color-work so I’m sure that for people more skilled in that area, the filling between the two layers of cake shouldn’t stick out for you nearly as much. Feel free to switch up the colors, as always; I just thought that it would be easiest to distinguish as a chocolate birthday cake, but I’d love to see any other variations that people might come up with.

Frosting

Using size 8 (US) needles and medium brown worsted weight yarn, CO 15
Starting with a knit row, knit in st st for 18 rows, ending on a purl row
19: P across [ridge]
20: P across
21-24: St st
25: K1, k2tog, knit across until the last 3 stitches, ssk, k1
26-28: St st
29: K1, k2tog, knit across until the last 3 stitches, ssk, k1
30-32: St st
33: K1, k2tog, knit across until the last 3 stitches, ssk, 1
34-36: St st
37: K1, k2tog, knit across until the last 3 stitches, ssk, 1
38-40: St st
41: K1, k2tog, knit across until the last 3 stitches, ssk, k1
42-44: St st
45: K1, k3tog, k1
46: Purl across
47: K3tog

Bottom

In dark brown, CO15
Repeat the instructions for the frosting, rows 21 through 47

Layers

K7 stitches in dark brown, k2 stitches in cream, k7 remaining stitches dark brown
Continuing with this color scheme, st st for 24 cm
End on a purl row, and BO

Frosting Decoration (Make 2)

CO 1
1: Kfb 3 times (6 sts)
2-4: St st
5: Ssk, k2tog, k2tog
6: p3tog
Repeat rows 1 through 6 [4] times

Candle

CO 3 in light blue, and knit i-cord for 2”
Gather stitches together and tie off
Cut flame out of yellow felt and attach to tip by means of fabric glue

Assembly

With right sides facing, line up the butt of the triangle for the bottom with the CO edge of the frosting. Whip stitch across and secure, but do not cut yarn. Line up the cake layers facing inward and whip stitch first along the side, and then across top edge, lining up the side of the cake between the bottom rectangle and the ridge.

Sew half of bottom to cake layers, and turn right side out.

Measure and cut a piece of cardboard approximately 24 cm x 7 cm. Fold or score the center and insert into cake so that it provides structure and prevents the walls from puffing out. Insert stuffing between the two folded sides, into the middle of the cake

Sew one of your frosting decorations to the bottom of the frosting piece, and the other one to the ridge one top.Attach candle to desired spot on top of the cake.

56 thoughts on “Let Them Knit Cake”

  1. ooooh, how cute! i love knitting food, too, even though i’ve never figured out what to DO with it once i’ve knit it up… : )

  7. THANK-YOU SO MUCH!!!! ~ Now, will you sing “HAppy Birthday” for me too ~?? This came just a few days before my Birthday, what a great way to celebrate for the day

  8. WOW-
    Just love this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Now that is a pattern that you can use all year round for any occasion, and save on calories too !!!! Thanks for this!!!!

  12. I know nothing about knitting, and stumbled in here quite by accident. I have to say though that best opening words to a blog post that I’ve seen in a long time would have to be
    “Approximately one million years ago when I started making knit food…”

    Thanks for giving me a smile and keep up the good work. 8-)

  15. Get out of my head! After I knitted the Slice O’ Cherry Pie, I imagined this very design in my head thinking I would be so original if I took her pattern and adapted it EXACTLY the way you did. Nice job! You saved me having to write out a pattern.

  17. Hi,
    thanks for sharing all your wonderful creation. I really like all your food patterns especially the knit ones knowing how hard it is to desgin knitted things like toys and food.
    thank you
    Jenn

  19. There’s more to this knitting cake stuff than meets the eye. I love the ideas, and the sheer fun of the creativity is infectious. What offends me slightly, although I expect I’ll get over it, is that you have to use such horrible colours – think of knitted Battenburg, for example – that you’d normally avoid. But if you don’t want to restrict yourself to knitting wholemeal scones, I suppose you just have to bite the bullet and knit acrylic. By the way, why are there so few recipes (sorry, patterns) out there? Does anyone have one for knitted Battenburg?

  20. VERY cute… I can’t wait to dig around in my yarn and find a calorie-free color!

    :)

  21. that is great,any chance it can be converted to crochet, this would be great for persons birthday who doesn’t want real cake great job

  22. Ohhhhhhhhh, my. I was searching for a piece of cake to knit for my sisters birthday. Thanks for the pattern!!!

  24. looking for somthing new to knit. came to the food one. just love them. will do loads for next lot off birthdays this year. thank you for them all.

  25. Hi,

    I just love the Birthday Cake pattern and have saved it quite awhile ago.
    My sisters birthday happens to be right on Valentines Day, so I knittied this up for her in pink/white.

    I would really appreciate it if you would view the two pics I have posted on my link. They are under misc. on the left column of the page.

    Although, the cake part I knit with the filling I knit the opposite way. I’m not that great working with a few colors of yarn at the same time.

    Thanks so much for this pattern,

    Patti :-)

  26. I love this! Your patterns are wonderful and I will make this one for sure. I like how the frosting sticks out a little as I think it would on a real cake. I would prefer mine to come out like that. Thanks for all your great patterns.

  29. OMG!!! sooooooooooo cute… definately gonna make this… i might try making a few peices…putting them together for a full fat-free cake!!! Thanks, i really appriciete u taking time out of your day to share these wonderful creations with us. Thankyou soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much :)

  30. I too like your pattern, however I am at a loss with some of your abbreviations.
    I am a new knitter:
    I am assuming that CO is cast on.
    BO is bind off.
    Could you please let me know what Kfb is:
    and Ssk is???

    Thanks, Andrea

  32. I love this pattern! Thank you so much! I think I’m probably going to end up making a few for my cousin for christmas.

  33. I can’t thank you enough for this pattern! :) I scoured through numerous web pages and this is the best pattern I’ve found. Thanks! I’m going to knit it for my mom’s birthday and I’m certain she’ll love it! Keep posting patterns! :) :) :)

  34. Some one said they didn’t know what to do with the cake!? How about donating it to a pre-school? Kids love to play picnic!
    What a yummy way to learn and share!

  36. The best part is the simplicity. It’s a really good piece to learn decreases on.
    The hardest part will be choosing what kind of cake to make. I’ve got visions of a white cake with berry filling….

    :)

  38. I made this and it turned out wonderful! I made a cherry/chocolate cake. I found I only needed 3 of the frosting curls. Not sure why. I just unraveled the 4th one. I did not make the candle.

    This was a lot of fun to make and I’ll make it again. Thank you!!

  40. Put another candle on your birthday cake and when you do a wish you’ll make.. yummy! making a french vanilla with lime speckled frosting!

  42. Would you mind if I made one and gave it to someone for their birthday? It’s not like I’d tell them I made the pattern.. I just made it, all kudos to you for making the pattern ;3

  44. I was looking for a cute easy project to knit for my friends birthday and I think I just found it!

  47. I started this; did the top and bottom crust. But….you don’t mention how many stiches to start to make the cake!!! Help!

  53. Really cute food nitting. I’m visiting this post first time since it published but i’ve not seen any post related to this. Good work.

Leave a Reply