Easy Minnie Mouse Birthday Cake & Thrifty Party Ideas

This adorable Minnie Mouse birthday cake is super easy to make and the perfect party centerpiece!

Easy Minnie Mouse Birthday Cake & Thrifty Party Ideas

My “baby” turned two years old this month (where does the time go??) She is a huge Minnie fan, so of course we threw a Minnie Mouse Birthday Party to celebrate!

I had two goals for this party:

1- Everyone have fun! (Kids AND adults!)

2- Not spend a ton of money (birthdays can get very pricey if you’re not careful!)

Minnie Mouse Inspired Cake

I was astonished when I saw how much my mother-in-law spent on a “simple” birthday cake for our oldest daughter’s party last year, so this time I decided the DIY approach would be friendlier on the budget.

Plus I really enjoyed baking and decorating the cake and I was so happy with the results! I’m not known for my talents in the kitchen, so if I could make this cake, then trust me…it’s easy!!

I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience in re-creating this recipe; disclosure policy available here.

What you need:

• 2 boxes chocolate cake mix
• 2 cans dark chocolate frosting
• 1 can white frosting
• Red gel food coloring
• 10″ round pan & 6″ round cake pans (you could also use a 9″ and 5″, etc.)

This made more than enough for all of our 25-30 guests!

STEP ONE: Prepare and bake cake according to directions on box. We baked in two shifts, as we reused the 6″ pan instead of buying two of them.

STEP TWO: After cakes have completely cooled, use a serrated knife to trim the tops of the three cakes so they will be even in height. Arrange in the shape of the head and ears. Frost entire cake with dark chocolate frosting.

TIP: If you don’t have a serving platter large enough for this cake, you can cover a piece of cardboard with aluminum foil like we did.

STEP THREE: Create the “bow” with cake scraps from when you trimmed the tops of the three cakes. In a small mixing bowl, add 1/2 can of white frosting. Stir in red food coloring a couple drops at a time until you have a light pink. Cover the bow with pink frosting.

STEP FOUR: Use leftover white frosting to make polka dots on the bow.

Easy Minnie Mouse Goodie Bags

I didn’t want to waste a lot of time on fancy bags, since kids just rip into them, but I still wanted them to be festive and match the theme. I simply bought pink paper bags (they were $2 for a pack of 12 when I bought them…score!) and cut circles out of black construction paper to make “ears.”

What’s inside our goodie bags:

• Light up gummy rings
• Mini Play Doh
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse stickers
• Neon mini bubbles

We had both boys and girls at the party, so I tried to find things that would be fun for everyone. I also tried to find things they could actually play with instead of junky favors.

Other ways we kept costs low at our Minnie Mouse Birthday Party:

• My husband cooked all of the food and chose a menu that was inexpensive and could be bought in bulk: Mexican rice, carne guisada (click here for recipe), shredded marinated chicken, and taco fixings. It was self-serve so everyone could take as much as they wanted and we had plenty leftover so our guests could make to-go plates too!
• For entertainment for the kids, we had a bouncy house — we found a friend of a friend who rented them out so we were able to get a deal. Always ask around if you’re looking for big-ticket items to find better prices or discounts.
• For the adults, we made a festive tropical rum punch instead of serving individual drinks like bottled beer. For about $20 we had enough punch to serve 20 people…can’t beat that! This also allowed us to make a punch that tasted amazing and be able to keep an eye on the amount of alcohol served. (Always enjoy responsibly and have a designated driver!)

• The gorgeous (and gigantic!) piñata was a gift from Grandma, but you could make your own to save money.
• We encouraged guests to dress up, but also let them know that kids were welcome to wear the costume of their favorite character, even if it wasn’t Minnie-related. That way no one had to go buy anything just for this party (including us!) My oldest daughter wore her favorite Elsa-inspired dress (we have more than gotten our money’s worth on that one!) and the birthday girl wore a Minnie Mouse costume we were provided for a recent Disney sponsored post (how fortunate was that?!)

This was one of the best parties we’ve ever hosted (in my humble opinion) because everyone had a blast, stayed for hours, and left with happy tummies! Plus, there was no crying, which is a big indicator of success at a kid’s birthday party!

The birthday girl with her Grandpa, who won the unofficial award for best dressed grown-up in his pirate costume:

Disclaimer: The ideas in this post are inspired by Minnie Mouse because we are huge fans, but this is not associated with Disney.

More of our favorite birthday party success tips:

Time Saving Kids Birthday Party Hacks

What Really Happens at a Chuck E. Cheese’s Birthday Party

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