Navigating: birthday cakes for procrastinators

Lido Bakery

The cake: This mom-and-pop-and-son bakery is renowned for cakes that both look and taste great. A good selection of four different flavors is on hand every day, but the berries-and-cream is far and away the most popular. If birthday gal or boy has something against berries, the chocolate fudge or Italian rum cakesmight suit fruit-averse taste buds better.

The price: $26-$30 for 6-inch cakes.

The extras: There is no charge for writing, but decorations will cost you extra—and can get pricey if they’re time-consuming.

If you have more time: Lido will recreate your own favorite recipe, which bakers recently did for a customer from Georgia longing for his family’s red velvet cake.