Does McDonald’s Still Sell Birthday Cakes? Yes, & I’ve Tried One!
McDonald’s still sells birthday sheet cakes for cheap and I’m here to tell you all about them!
There was nothing like a McDonald’s birthday cake when we were kids. 🍰
I have such fond memories of these McDonald’s birthday cakes from when I was younger, and I had no idea you could still get them…for under $10 no less! Having (or being invited to) a birthday party at McDonald’s was always exciting when you were little. Along with the Happy Meal and spending time crawling through the Play Palace with your friends, enjoying a piece of this tasty cake was definitely on the list of things to look forward to.
Oh the nostalgia…
I had totally forgotten about them, though, until I recently asked my local McDonald’s if they still carried them. To my surprise, they did! I thought it would be fun to pick one up to share with my kiddo, as even my husband had good memories of these cakes.
Here’s how I ordered it & how it compared to the cake I so fondly remembered!
First, I just stopped by my local McDonald’s and asked for the birthday cake.
The girl who was taking my order was very confused at first, but when she returned to the speaker, she was shocked to learn that they did, indeed, carry these cakes! I had hoped for vanilla, but they only had chocolate in stock at the moment, so we went with that.
However, not all McDonald’s locations are participating, so it’s probably best to call ahead before you get your hopes up.
Once I got home, my hubs and kiddo gathered around the table as I officially unboxed the cake. It was surprisingly the same as I remembered: plain, white frosting with a Ronald McDonald sugar print on the center. If appearances were anything to go by, we were looking at the real deal!
Then we cut into the cake…
And sadly, to say we were disappointed is an understatement.
The cake was super dry and the frosting did not taste anything like the frosting I remembered. It was sweet, but oddly enough, it also had almost no flavor. I know that taste buds can change over time, but I don’t think this was my memory playing tricks on me or a case of changing tastes. To me, personally, it seems like they’ve changed the recipe over the years and this was no longer a winner for me or the family. 😔
The bright side? McDonald’s birthday cakes are super cheap!
The cake itself only cost me $6, so if you’re interested in trying one for yourself to see if they live up to the hype and memories, you won’t be out a big investment! It’s totally possible that the cake we tried was stale, or maybe they were just having an off day. Despite the disappointment, the cake is cheap enough that you may find it worth ordering for the nostalgia alone.
Note: While I scored the cake for $6, others are saying they paid anywhere from $6-$10, so prices may vary by region.
And did you know that McDonald’s actually has its very own secret menu?
That’s right! While most of us are familiar with the Starbucks secret menu, McDonald’s has one as well!
From fries covered in Big Mac sauce to Neapolitan shakes to some creation known as the Land, Sea, and Air Burger, McDonald’s has a neat set of non-menu meals for adventurous eaters–the only catch is that some of them are region-specific and not all locations participate. As usual, it’s probably best to call ahead, although it never hurts to ask the next time you find yourself in the drive-thru!
Nothing like a little dosage of McDonald’s hacks to put the happy in Happy Meal! 😄
Speaking of cake, treat yourself to a super-easy pumpkin spice mug cake!
Wow – this unlocked a childhood memory that I did not know I had. I am an early nineties model 😉
Memories!! BUT, do they offer the high fructose corn syrup orange drink in Ronald McDonald cups to go with it? Lol! Awesome post that floods memories! Thanks Hip2Save!
You’re very welcome! Glad you enjoyed thinking back on these!
Yes yes they do!
Ha! I totally remember these. The cakes were super sweet back then!
The cakes sit in their freezer area. Normally they have only enough in stock for their employees birthdays or birthday parties. Atleasr at the local one I worked at that was the case.
I used to be the McDonald’s birthday party hostess when I worked there. It was always so awkward hosting a birthday party in the middle of a section of the lobby. Yes, we used to serve this cake as part of the package!
Blast from the past…I was also a hostess back in 1983-84. This was before playlands. Would be called a simple party today…. games, burgers, and cake. The kids always were always excited and had a fun time.
Hip2Save, I’m having problems with the app on my iPhone. When I click on a post, the app closes. I’ve tried deleting and reinstalling the app, restarting my phone, etc. to no avail. Please help.
SO sorry about that. We were just able to fix this if you wanted to grab the update in the app store! That should do the trick!
The update worked. Thank you!
Yay! You’re so welcome!
Glad to hear it! You’re very welcome!
It’s been doing this for me too on iOS for a few days and there’s no update available 😕
We have been working around the clock to get this fixed, and a fix is now in the App Store and available to update! Make sure to update or uninstall/reinstall and it should be working now. We’ve been getting great feedback from readers who emailed in!
I still don’t have an update available. No worries though. Comments are working and I can use the browser for now! 🙂
On a related note, up until about a month ago, when we would click on a post from the main listing, that post would open in a new tab. Now it doesn’t, causing us to have to “go back” each time to return to the main page.
Was this change intentional? I find this makes it so much harder to keep my place now when reviewing the posts! (This is on the mobile website, not in the app.)
Thanks for any help.
Hey Lunafalls, that change was intentional. It helps speed up the site immensely to open in the same tab. You can still hold to open in a new tab, though.
I had no idea about these cakes! How big are they, what flavour are they, and what does it look like inside? Do you have to preorder them?
It’s totally up to the McD’s manager to decide whether to stock them or not, so you definitely need to call ahead and ask. Liza said even the cashier didn’t know they had them so she had to ask a manager! If they have them, you do not have to pre-order.
We’d say they were 1/4 sheet cake size. They come in either vanilla or chocolate, but it will vary on what your local McD’s will have in stock. The inside is just sponge cake – no icing in the middle or anything like that.
Omg I’m so doing this for my husband’s 40th birthday 🤣
Ha! I seriously love this idea! Let him know they’ve been freezing it since 1981 so it is perfectly aged. 🤪
Bahahaha! 🤣
For $6-$10, I would not expect much. And since they have it in stock, it means it’s been sitting in the freezer for who knows how long.
Oh my! I sound like a cake snob 😂. I am not. I just like the cake moist. And I love, love DQ ice cream cake!
Haha! I totally understand what you mean, Tinkerblue196! They were definitely fresh cakes – the box was completely shrinkwrapped and it had an expiration date really far in the future. But moist they were not! LOL!
The last birthday party we attended at a McD’s, they purchased the cake from the restaurant. He did not taste it because once it was served to the kids, they all spit it out. There was gagging and one child even spit up. The birthday boys mom tasted it and said she had never tasted anything that freezer burned.😬
Oh no! The one I bought was definitely dry, but it wasn’t bad enough that anyone gagged. That would be terrible! 😳
This is actually so neat. Kids today think they need a $300+ birthday party but I keep hearing people’s happy memories from a simple McDonald’s bday 🙂 I would probably try getting the cake at one of the locations that have the bakery stuff. Now I want to lol 😆
I don’t know if the kids think they need a $300 party or that’s just what most locations that offer party packages charge. Unless you have a large house/backyard and can host the party or it’s the right climate/time of year for something at the local park it’s hard to find inexpensive options, at least in my area. If you have a secret indoors, public place with inexpensive parties, please share!
I agree! Luckily my kids were born in summer and fall. We live in the Deep South, but I still do parties at playgrounds, regardless of how hot it is (thankfully no Aug bdays here, so it’s been ok).
Just the cake is $25+, then a piñata is $25+. Most people here opt to rent a bounce house for entertainment, which is $200. We don’t do that because we use the playground lol, but my parties still cost well over $100 with themed plates, cups, drinks, food, favors, and of course the birthday gift.
Even Chuck E Cheese is over $200 now. I took only my 3 kids to an arcade for one bday and it still cost us over $100 for food and games. We booked a tiny community building for one child’s first bday and just those undecorated 4 walls cost $300. We did one party at a place like the old Discovery Zone. Didn’t even invite any kids – just family. Still over $200.
While I was reading this, I was actually thinking about how nice these McD parties must’ve been for parents 🤣 I was born in ’89 and can’t recall ever going to a party there, so I guess the popularity was fading by then. But it sounds so convenient and economical! If only they hadn’t torn down all the playsets 😢
Between horribly poor bday party attendance (parents think “oh I’d rather do something else that day” and have zero consideration for the bday child and how they feel anymore. Just insanely self-centered, and most of the time you have to contact them 3+ times for an RSVP because they won’t give it to you. It’s “we’ll come if we have time/ it’s convenient”) & the cost of everything, I’m working on trying to get my kids to opt for a family outing or day trip instead.
I’m 45 and my mom bought me one of these recently for my birthday, for some reason (cheapness I would guess). I think she had fond memories of it from decades ago? I hope it was very cheap, because I think it’s the worst cake I’ve ever had in my adult life. Dry as cardboard, no flavor, insipid/greasy frosting, and a sad illustration of the clown. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND!
Darn! Thanks so much for taking a moment to share your honest thoughts with us about the cake, PJ C! 💗
What location did you specifically find this at?
Hey there, Andrew! This was at a location in Maine, but I would definitely recommend calling a store near you to see if they offer these. 🤗❤️
What exact location in Maine?
So sorry, Andrew! I’m not sure of the exact location. Hoping you might be able to find a location that still has them! 💕