Welcome & What You’ll Make
This beginner-friendly project guides you through a cute round birthday cake box with a fitted lid, ruffled “icing,” and strawberry toppers. The body is sturdy enough to hold small gifts, hair clips, or notions, and the lid sits neatly on top.
Everything is worked in simple stitches with easy shaping. If you’re brand new to crochet, don’t worry—each step is explained clearly and slowly, and you’ll see exactly where to join trims and add decorations so your cake looks like the photos.
Materials & Tools
- Yarn: Cotton or acrylic DK/Light Worsted (Category 3) in
White (cream), Pastel Yellow (drip), Pink or Red (ruffles), Light Pink (cake layers), Green (leaves), Red (strawberries), Orange & Yellow (flame), a small amount of any color for heart appliqués.
You can also use Worsted (Cat. 4) for a larger cake; just keep your hook a bit smaller than usual for firm fabric. - Hook: 3.0–3.5 mm for DK (or 3.5–4.0 mm for Worsted). Choose a size that gives a dense, gap-free fabric.
- Stuffing: A handful for the strawberries and the candle.
- Notions: Yarn needle, scissors, stitch markers, pins, and optional hot glue.
Optional structure & finish: thin plastic canvas or cardboard for the base, and a piece of gingham fabric to line the inside (as shown in the photos). - Gauge & Size: Gauge is not critical. With DK yarn and a 3.0–3.25 mm hook, the finished cake box is roughly 11–12 cm (4.5–5 in) across; with Worsted it will be larger. Add or remove body rounds to change height.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- MR – magic ring
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- inc – increase (2 sc in the same stitch)
- dec – decrease (sc2tog)
- BLO/FLO – back/front loop only
- pop-6 (icing puff) – [yo, insert, yo, pull up, yo, pull through 2] repeated 6 times in the same spot, then yo and pull through all loops. This makes a full, round “icing” puff.
Tip: Place a marker in the first stitch of each round so you don’t lose your place.
How the Cake Is Built (at a glance)
- Bottom & Walls (Body): A flat circle worked up to 84 sts, then straight rounds for height.
- Lid: Same diameter as the body so it fits snugly; a ridge is left to anchor the top icing.
- Ruffled Trims: A red “piped” cream around the lower body and a soft white trim under it.
- Icing Puffs: Two long strings of pop-6 puffs—one sewn around the body edge, one around the lid.
- Toppers: Strawberries with a leafy calyx, a small candle with a double-layered flame, and tiny heart appliqués.
- Lining (optional): Neaten the inside with fabric.
1) Crochet the Cake Body (Base + Side Walls)
Round 1: MR, 14 sc, pull ring tight. (14)
Round 2: inc in each st around. (28)
Round 3: (sc, inc) repeat around 14 times. (42)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) repeat around 14 times. (56)
Round 5: (3 sc, inc) repeat around 14 times. (70)
Round 6: (4 sc, inc) repeat around 14 times. (84)
You now have the full cake diameter.
Round 7 (turning round): FLO sc in each st around. (84) This front-loop round creates a neat ridge and turns your work upward for the walls.
Rounds 8–11: sc in each st around. (84)
Round 12: sc around (through both loops) to lock the wall. (84)
Rounds 13–15: sc in each st around. (84)
Note: Adjust height by adding or removing straight rounds here. If you plan to line with cardboard/plastic canvas, cut a circle to the inner size once you finish the base.
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2) Crochet the Lid
Work as for Rounds 1–6 of the body to reach 84 sts.
Round 7: sc around (84).
Round 8: FLO sc around (84). This exposed front-loop ridge is where the top icing will attach.
Try the lid on the body. It should sit nicely without dropping inside. If it’s loose, add one plain round; if it’s tight, steam-block lightly or go up one hook size for the lid only.
3) Red “Piped” Cream at the Bottom Edge
Join red to the exposed front loops from Body Round 7.
Work the following all the way around, spacing as needed for a full ruffle (every stitch or every other stitch depending on your yarn thickness):
- (ch 3, pop-6 in the same spot, ch 1, sl st in the next stitch).
Repeat to the end of the round, then fasten off. This makes rounded puffs that look like piped red icing beads.
4) White Cream Under the Bottom Edge
Join white to the same front-loop ridge (under the red trim) or just below it, depending on how “stacked” you want the effect.
Work 3 gentle rounds to build a soft cushion of cream:
- Round A: (sc, inc) around.
- Round B: sc around.
- Round C: (sc, inc) around again for extra body.
Feel free to adjust spacing so the trim lies flat—yarns behave differently, and it’s okay to tweak.
5) Icing Puffs for the Middle Band (Body)
This is the pretty white pearl band sandwiched between layers.
- With white, make a long chain. For each link of icing:
ch 4, pop-6 in the first ch, ch 1 to close the puff, then immediately ch 4 again for the next puff. - Keep repeating until the strand easily wraps around the cake at the height you want (usually mid-wall). Do not stretch tight—leave a little slack so the puffs sit round.
- Sew the strip to the body with small stitches hidden between puffs. Keep it level as you go.
6) Icing Puffs for the Lid Rim
Make a second identical white puff strip. Wrap it around the FLO ridge of Lid Round 8 and stitch in place. This frames the strawberries beautifully and helps the lid read as the “top layer” of cake.
7) Crochet the Strawberries (make 5–7)
Use red.
- R1: MR, 6 sc. (6)
- R2: (sc, inc) ×3. (9)
- R3: (2 sc, inc) ×3. (12)
- R4: (3 sc, inc) ×3. (15)
- R5: (4 sc, inc) ×3. (18)
- R6: (5 sc, inc) ×3. (21)
- R7: (6 sc, inc) ×3. (24)
- R8: (7 sc, inc) ×3. (27)
- R9–R10: sc around. (27)
- R11: 13 dec, 1 sc. (14)
- R12: 7 dec, close and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Lightly stuff before closing. With white embroidery thread or a tiny bit of white yarn, add small surface “seeds” as scattered diagonal stitches.
Leafy Calyx (make 1 per berry, green):
- Calyx Round: MR, 18 sc, join.
- Make 6 leaves around: sl st in next st, ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next ch, hdc in next, dc in next; skip 2 sts on the ring and sl st in the next st.
Repeat from * to * a total of 6 times to form six pointed leaves. Fasten off. Stitch a calyx to the top of each strawberry and weave in ends.
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8) Tiny Hearts (optional side décor)
Use any contrast color.
Into an MR work: ch 3, 3 tr, 3 dc, ch 1, 1 tr, ch 1, 3 dc, 3 tr, ch 3, then sl st into the ring and pull tight to shape a plump heart. Leave a tail for sewing. Make 2–4 and stitch them evenly around the cake wall.
9) Birthday Candle (optional)
Candle (any color):
- R1: MR, 8 sc. (8)
- R2: BLO sc around. (8)
- R3–R9: sc around. (8)
- R10: 4 dec to close the top. (4)
Stuff lightly as you go so it stands straight.
Flame (make 2; yellow and/or orange):
Row 1: ch 6, working back: sl st in 2nd ch, sc, hdc, dc, tr in last ch.
Row 2 (around the other side of the chain): dc, hdc, sc, sl st down the other edge to the start. Fasten off each piece.
Place two flames back-to-back (yellow front, orange back), whip stitch around, then sew to the candle tip.
Stitch the candle to the very center of the lid, slightly nestled into the icing puffs.
10) Optional Gingham Lining
Cut one fabric circle to the inner base size plus 1 cm (⅜ in) seam allowance and one rectangle long enough to go around the inside wall plus the same allowance. Fold the top of the rectangle down and hem for a clean rim. Make a simple cylinder, stitch or glue it inside the cake, and add the circle at the bottom. A few dots of hot glue can help secure the fabric neatly (use sparingly).
11) Assembly & Finishing
- Weave in ends neatly inside the cake and lid.
- Sew the red ruffle securely along the lower ridge if you haven’t already.
- Attach the white under-icing just beneath the red ruffle for a layered effect.
- Sew the white puff band around the body midline. Keep it level and avoid stretching.
- Sew the second puff band around the lid rim (FLO ridge).
- Arrange strawberries in a circle on the lid. Pin first, then sew each fruit through the calyx so stitches are invisible.
- Add the candle at center, if using.
- Stitch tiny hearts to the cake wall. Space them evenly for a polished look.
- Block lightly with steam if needed (avoid heavy steam on acrylic; hover the iron and pat into shape).
Tips for Beginners
- Tension: Use a smaller hook than the label suggests so stuffing doesn’t peek through. If your fabric ripples on the flat rounds, your tension is too loose; if it cups, your tension is too tight—lightly block or adjust hook size.
- Counting without stress: Place a marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up every round. Say the repeat out loud (for example, “one, two, inc” for Round 4).
- Neat joins: For trims and puff strings, start at the back of the cake so joins are hidden. Always leave a long tail for sewing; it’s easier than adding new yarn for tiny stitches.
