A birthday celebration is a chance for everyone to have fun, forget the diets and enjoy some cake. No matter what type of birthday cake you are serving, the message inscribed gives it a touch of personality. The message can be personal to the birthday celebrant or generic. Most bakers and cake designers will allow you to choose a message or pick from their collection. If you are baking the cake yourself, stencils are available at most cooking stores.

If the cake is for a work colleague or a casual acquaintance, a simple generic message may be best, such as "Birthday Wishes," "Happy Birthday" or "Best Wishes." They will not offend anyone and can be appropriate for anyone.

For a sports fanatic, you can tailor a birthday message to a specific sport. For example, a cake with a golf or baseball theme might say something like, "Swinging Into Another Year." A cake for a basketball fan might use the person's name, followed by "Sinks (or Dunks) Another Year." The cake might also reflect a team’s colors.

Although every birthday is special, some are considered landmarks, such as the 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 65th, 80th and 100th birthdays. Adding a special message to the cake can be good. Think about messages such as "Happy (Insert Number) Birthday," "Happy Half Century" or "Turning (Insert Number) Is a Piece of Cake."

Add a touch of good-natured humor to the birthday cake with a punchy line or two. Messages such as "40 Isn’t Old (For a Tree)" or "You're How Old?" might be good for people who are self-conscious of their age. Messages that say things like "Calorie Free for a Day" or "Don’t Birthdays Just Frost Your. . ." can be used for almost anyone with a sense of humor. Take inspiration from greeting cards if you are trying to come up with your own.