Gender Reveal Cakes a Growing Trend

More and more Pittsburgh-area couples are finding out the sex of their babies in a much sweeter way—with a gender reveal cake.

"We've definitely seen a growing trend," said Megan Fialkovick, an employee.

"It's kind of just starting to pop up all over the place," said Courtney Seymour, a employee.

Some couples choose to keep the moment private and intimate or with close family and friends. Others use it as an excuse to throw a party or make their baby shower even more exciting.

Here's how a gender reveal cake generally works: An ultrasound technician writes the sex of your baby down on a piece of paper and seals it in an envelope. The mom and dad then take the sealed envelope—if they can stand the suspense—to their favorite bakery. Once in the clear, a baker opens the envelope to find out if the couple's baby is a boy or a girl and bakes a cake accordingly. A cake with blue batter or blue filling is for couples having a boy, and one with pink indicates a girl.

The outside of the cake is decorated in neutral colors, and the big reveal comes when the couple slices into the cake.

"It's really fun and exciting for us (the bakers)," said Beverly Coulter, a Bethel Bakery employee. "We're the second ones to know."

"Honestly, I think it's really cool," said Brooke Carroll, a employee. "That's what I would want to do so I can be surprised with my family and friends."

Dave's Terrace Bakery, a local favorite in south , made its first gender reveal cake not too long ago, according to employee Amber Hecker.

Dave's Terrace bakers dye batter blue or pink. An eight-inch cake goes for $17.75, and a full sheet cake costs $64.

Bethel Bakery

The well-known bakery in Bethel Park has made a number of gender reveal cakes, and employees said that they would like to make more.

The trend picked up in the summer of 2011, according to Julie Lytle, a sales and marketing employee at the bakery. Lytle said that Bethel was "probably doing two or three a week."

Bethel bakers use French buttercream or white cake batter to dye blue or pink and often decorate the outside of cakes with blue and pink question marks. Prices depend on the size and design details of the cakes.

The Peters Township bakery has made three or four gender reveal cakes, according to Carroll.

Most of the time, she said, they will dye vanilla cake batter pink or blue. Dying a buttercream filling is also an option.

Prices range from $15.99 for a six-inch round cake or $76.99 for a full sheet cake.

Leslie Kribel, owner of Kribel's, which has locations in Pittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood and in Pleasant Hills Borough, said that gender reveal cakes are just starting to become popular.

Kribel's bakers will fill their cakes with dyed buttercream frosting and decorate their outsides in pink, yellow and blue colors.

The popular bakery in Oakmont Borough has made a number of gender reveal cakes and one or two orders of filled cupcakes.

"The sky's the limit," Fialkovick said.

The Oakmont Bakery does not provide custom batters. Instead, bakers there dye a buttercream filling blue or pink to reveal the baby's gender.

Depending on size, cake prices vary from $25.50 to $81.

Seymour said that this Dormont Borough bakery has made two gender reveal cakes in recent months. For one couple, Potomac bakers created two cakes for twins. One cake was labeled "Baby A" and the other "Baby B."

Interested gender reveal cake customers will pay a small, extra fee to dye the batter or filling. Total cost depends on the size of the cake.

Bakers at this Upper St. Clair Township location have made a couple of gender reveal cakes.

"People are starting to read about them on websites like Pinterest and Facebook," baker Kirsten McGrath said.

Pie Place options include dying batter or icing blue or pink.

McGrath said that she could also create a special sugar box for the top of a cake and place blue or pink sugar baby booties inside. If the box and booties don't get wet, they can be kept as mementos.

McGrath added that she could make a cake for two people for a more intimate reveal.

Email cake@thepieplace.net to place an order.

 in Canonsburg Borough and  in Forest Hills Borough haven't had any requests for gender reveal cakes, but representatives of those places said that they could provide them to interested customers.

What do you think of gender reveal cakes? Great idea or too much fuss? Tell us in the comments section below.

This article originally appeared on the .

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