The Ultimate Birthday Cake

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Birthdays can be a challenge. If it’s not the counting of the irrevocably passing years, it’s the pressure of picking the right gift or a tasty cake. And since January birthdays follow on the heels of the holiday season, it makes for a double-whammy. January is quite the banner birthday month in our family—not only does my own annual hoorah fall in January, but there’s also a handful of extended family, friends and in-laws that are Capricorns and Aquarians. And when my son was born 15 years ago, another special birthday was added to the year’s beginning.

Thirteen years ago, desperate for an easy and quick way to jazz up his second birthday cake, I hit upon the idea of buying a few small Matchbox trucks to dress-up the top. Thus, with a dump truck, grader, crane and street-sweeper (his particular fave at the time), and some crushed cookie crumbs (and just one tube of icing), year one of a new and different exciting birthday cake tradition was created. It was a birthday roadway/construction cake. Right after the candles were blown out, his eyes were alight with plans. Plans to dig in and get some work done. And it wasn’t long before all the trucks had delivered loads of crumbs, the grader had smoothed, and the crane had lifted graham cracker panels. The street sweeper blessedly cleaned it all up.

Never mind a little bit of crumbly mess, this was edible art—and it was a total and practical enjoyment of a birthday cake that surpassed even the enjoyment of eating it. It was in this fun experiment that the ultimate birthday cake tradition was born: to let the kids make (and decorate) their own birthday cakes.

So when the following year rolled around and he said he’d love a cake with trucks again, I was ready:

“How about if you help make it?”

I could not have uttered words that would have thrilled him more.

He loved it--and so did I (Me possibly more).

How come? Well, birthday cakes have never truly been my forté—in fact, I’ve been known to have to bake them twice (sometimes late at night), after the first one has flopped. After hours of frustration, the cake would be ready, yet often disappointingly grand. After two kids and 23 total birthday celebrations, the only professionally perfect cake I’ve ever presented was purchased from a local bakery, complete with a blue sea and colorful fish. But I finally discovered that’s not always the only—or the best—way to come up with a satisfying celebration cake.

It really was no big chore for me to set those expectations aside (ha!) and go for what makes the kids happy. Even better yet, I was counting up the hours regained in frustration and hapless mutterings.

With our new tradition, all I needed was one cake mix, a tube of icing, a package of crushable cookies, and one enthusiastic kid—plus a few cars and trucks (son), or butterflies and Polly Pocket dolls (daughter).

That first cake was truly was a joint endeavor—my son helped to mix and prepare the cake to bake. I pulled it out of the oven and frosted it. He got to smash cookies, plan and design and decorate—and place the trucks in just the right spots. I got to clean up … truly, the easier job! It’s not that messy or complicated either. Really. If you leave a sinkful of soapy water ready to wash hands or wipe sprinkles and crumbs off the floor, it’s truly not bad.

The creativity that burst forth during that first cake-decorating endeavor was the start of something wonderful, for in the years that have passed, the kids have both come up with more original and creative works of art than anything mom (or dad) could have. We've had butterfly gardens, American flags and building demolition sites—all designed and created by the kids.

Like many kitchen activities, we discovered that the true enjoyment is in the doing. Kids are superb at enjoying the moment. Whereas we adults are masters at planning, orchestrating (and worrying and working), if we all put our best skills to use we may just all be able to make the most of what we’re each good at.

Instead of laboring over a surprise birthday cake or spending a lot on a bakery-prepared cake, how about engaging your kids in making their own masterpiece this year? With a cake mix, sprinkles and several tubes of icing, kids can create works of art beyond compare. After all, the true fun is in the mixing, squeezing, sprinkling, and designing!

And best of all, you’ll have something delicious to bite into when all done. And who knows, by the time 15 years roll by, your kids just might be making you a birthday cake on your special day.