I like craft beer, but with cake, milk or coffee please! Maybe something to spike the coffee?

I think the Rosemary Lavendar Cocktail that Serious Eats posted today would be a lovely pairing for cake tasting!

Or how about affogati? Coffee cocktails? I'm sure you could come up with a variation of a White Russian that would work well here.

Sounds fun - maybe try serving some quality chocolate stout? Or Smitten Kitchen's milk punch?

Milk and coffee immediately came to mind for me, but champagne can be nice with cake too.

Horchata?

Might be fun to include Left Hand brewery's Milk Stout or Double Chocolate Porter if you can get your hands on some. Either would be yummy!

I would also consider doing a Cava or Prosecco (both dry, inexpensive sparkling). They would cut some of the sweetness but pair great with desserts. I actually (respectfully) disagree with drinking wines that are sweeter than your dessert. Sugar overkill!

I'm known for hosting chocolate fondue parties. At those, I serve milk, coffee, and tea -- anything to cut the sweetness of the chocolate! I imagine the same would be true of cake parties.

scratch that: Left Hand's porter is called Blackjack porter, but it is brewed with dark chocolate and espresso. Not sweet, but has the delicious chocolatey flavor.

http://www.lefthandbrewing.com/beers/black-jack-porter

I'd serve Moscato d'asti, it's delicious and low-alcohol. Some real champagne for those that want more, and some fresh lemonade for those that don't want any. Yum, what a fun party!

iced tea! for me, unsweetened tea would be perfect to balance out with the sweetness of all the baked goods. i've never heard of beer with cake, sounds awful. fresh lemonade sounds good too, if it's not too sweet.

I like beverages that cut the sweetness when I'm eating cake. I wouldn't want a drink that contributed much additional sweetness. That's why things like milk and coffee work so well. I would vote for tea and water also making an appearance.

Hot and/or iced tea, maybe one unsweetened black and then one flavored to mix it up, lemon slices for serving. And then a pitcher of still or sparkling water with cucumber slices and another with lemon or other fruit slices. Booze is optional but could be added to any of these items.

@likethunder, a rich, dark stout would be perfectly delightful with cake, believe it or not. Stouts are creamy, not fizzy or tangy like other beers, and they come in the milk, chocolate, coffee and oatmeal variety. However, they're probably also pretty heavy for summertime fare.

Iced coffee also gets my vote...it doesn't need to be overly sweet, but still cold and milky. Lemonade would also be a refreshing break from the sweetness. Of course, I don't see anything wrong with adults drinking milk either, but that's just my opinion.

Champagne with cake is nice. But I'll bet folks will want coffee and milk as options, too.

I second (third? fourth?) the suggestions for Champagne. It's the BEST with cake! A dry rose would be a lovely pairing -- and the bubbles are a good palate cleanser. Agua fresca is cheap and easy, and doesn't have to be super-sweet. And milk is, of course, always a good option. (Check w/ a local school to ask about buying in cartons--I did this for a kid party and it was a big hit.)

I'd probably also offer a few salty snacks (even something like Cheez-Its or Cape Cod chips or pistachios) ... just something to break up all the sugar.

Have you seen this?
What to Drink With Cake.

It's a really nice breakdown of different kinds of cakes and the kind of beverages that complement their flavor profiles.

I automatically thought of Horchata or a juice Spritzer, little juice like cranberry or peach and some soda water. Delicious and refreshing!

Thanks everyone! A dry-ish champagne is a great idea, as is unsweetened tea! I'll be sure to have some coffee on hand too.

Sparkling water? Have a great party!

Try a riesling (to go with yellow or fruity cakes) or a dessert zinfandel (to go with chocolate). A sparkling shiraz also might be nice, simply since you will be outside.

I recently hosted a milk-and-cookies party for adults and served ginger/champagne cocktails (from allrecipes, I believe), Smitten Kitchen's milk punch, a coffee bar (with Kahlua and Bailey's available), and white and strawberry milk. Both the cocktails were big hits and went well with the sweet cookies.

@Jaime L. & jon (in Columbus) -- why not attribute it as Canal House's Milk Punch as that is where SK got her recipe from? Sorry, pet peeve. But you'd sound so discerning too as that particular OOP issue of Canal House is now worth about 2-1/2 times its original price.

Champagne. Don't you dare have a party without booze. Don't you even think of it :)
But iced coffee and milk fun additions

KAHLUA!!!

@Slow Lorus,
I get where you're coming from, my biggest pet peeve is people who post things on their blogs with no mention of where it came from,
but expecting someone to post the whole history of a recipe when just providing a link is a bit extreme. Anyone going to SK's website would find she credits Canal House, as well as noticing that she has adapted it.
Also, I'm sure Canal House got their recipe from somewhere too, or at least adapted it. Do they claim their source (I have no idea because we don't get it in Australia).
Your fight is a good fight, but keep it relevant to the context.

Prosecco... If you wanna be fancy, a prosecco cocktail.

Coffee with kahlua & cream sounds awesome too.

Love the iced tea idea, I like drinks that cut the sweetness of the cake. Perhaps some sparking water with mint or basil thrown in?

Fresh brewed Kona coffee, served with superfine sugar and a variety of milks and cream.

Cake is my favorite dessert and this post has liiteralllly (a la Rob Lowe on Parks & Rec) made me happy!

Great sounding suggestions from everyone!

@bkk -- True enough, your point is well-taken, SK is pretty conscientious about citing her sources. There are definitely worse offenders out there. I just notice how popular bloggers try a recipe once, without any substantive changes or modifications, and post it online it’s often suddenly somehow perceived as their recipe. It’s both the practice and the reception, hand in hand, that is disconcerting to me.

@Anita83 -- love it!

I wouldn't serve to sugary drinks- you already have enough sugar with the cake! I would go simple, milk, unsweetened tea, coffee, water, maybe some nice dessert wines.

Pimms Cup! Pimms, Vodka, lemonade and gingerale. If you want to be British add sliced cucumber, strawberries and some mint. Perfect for an afternoon party!

A good palette cleanser and nice accompaniment might be a slightly acidic black tea. Like PG Tips or Lipton, unsweetened and not to hot to re-set the taste buds and wash away the cloying sweetness of the cake. Or coffee which is often used to clean the palette when trying out different perfumes.

nickilee your comment made me laugh so hard!!!

Okay so the party is tomorrow & I'm doing a pitcher of unsweeted tea with lemon slices, hot coffee (luckily my husband roasts his own beans), a pitcher of chilled water with cucumbers & mint leaves, and I'm going to pick up some very dry champagne. I might do iced coffee too if I can borrow another pitcher from someone.

You guys have all been super helpful! Thanks so much!!!