I love creative ideas for serving dessert at birthday parties and a new baking pan from NodicWare is a terrific innovation!  The heavy, cast aluminum pan bakes 6 cupcakes shaped just like ice cream cones which you can then top with a scoop of ice cream and some sprinkles!  Voila – cake and ice cream in one fun and easy package!  (Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Pan, $34.98)

And for more fun and quick tips, come follow me on Twitter – you’ll have to join but it’s easy and free!

Here’s the recipe for Family Fun’s Pail of Sand Cake!  This is a great cake for a beach or summer party!

Ingredients:

• 2 baked 8″ round yellow cakes
• 8-9 cup capacity new, plastic, washed sand pail
• 3 oz. package vanilla pudding, prepared
• 3/4c. crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers
• Chocolate shell candies*
• 1 plastic shovel

Directions:

• Cut the cake into 1 inch pieces.  Fill the pail, alternating layers of cake pieces and pudding, ending with the pudding. 
• Sprinkle on the crushed cookie sand and top with shell candies.
• Serve with the plastic shovel!

*In my town, there is a little candy shop that will make shell candies if ordered in advance.  If this resource isn’t available to you, consider candy molds from a craft store and make your own!  In a pinch, just skip them! 

You may also enjoy:

• Desserts for Kids’ Parties
• Cookie Pizza
• School Birthday Treats
• Host a Fabulous Beach Birthday Party

Tags: pail of sand cake, beach themed cake, beach cake, birthday cake, beach birthday party

Adorable Sleepover Cake  

This cake is perfect for an almost sleepover party.

Ingredients

• 1 baked 13 x 9 x 2 inch cake
• 6 cups frosting (pink and light pink)
• 5 Twinkies
• 5 marshmallows
• 5 vanilla or chocolate wafers
• Gel icing (pink and green)
• Mini jawbreakers
• Pink and green Fruit by the Foot

Directions

• Turn the cake upside down and lightly frost it.  To make the bodies, cut the Twinkies in half lengthwise and place the tops cut-side down on the cake bed.
• Frost a pink bed sheet on the top third of the cake, flatten the marshmallows for pillows and position the wafer faces on the pillows. (Curly hair and big smiles can me made with gel icing; mini jawbreakers are perfect for eyes.)
• Frost a light-pink blanket over the Twinkies and the remaining cake.  For flowers, use pink and green gel icing; for frills, cut Fruit by the Foot and ruffle it to make a snappy bed skirt.

Credits:  Recipe from Family Fun Magazine, 2005.