I’ve discussed in the past our family’s evolution from throwing picture perfect birthday parties to establishing birthday traditions instead. Recently C turned four and this year was no exception.
We celebrated him by sharing dollar store trinkets with his preschool class, embarking on a special outing to the Space Needle and Seattle’s monorail, having dinner at his favorite restaurant with the grandparents, and letting him help make his birthday cake. There was a present or two thrown in there for good measure as well.
Today I wanted to share with you guys the DIY birthday cake we made him – which was a repeat of last year’s cake per his request. Honestly, he loves it so much I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a three-peat showing next year too. The fabulous thing about this cake is that it looks amazing with VERY little effort and if you happen to have a construction vehicle fiend at home like I do, he (or she) will absolutely love it.
To make your own construction cake, you’ll need two things:
- A plain cake from your local bakery in the flavor of your little one’s choice. (If you have a Costco nearby, I highly recommend the chocolate version shown above. It’s very big and rich so it will feed a ton of people. Plus the height is perfect for this kind of cake and I think the large chocolate shavings kind of add to the demolition zone look. Plus it’s a total steal at only $17!)
- 3 – 5 mini construction vehicles. Last year we ordered these from Amazon. This year I just picked some up at Toys R Us.
To assemble, simply cut a chunk out of the cake and arrange the construction vehicles on it to appear as though they’re working on it – dig down with the shovels, plunge in with the fork lifts, etc. If you’re not looking to surprise your little one, it’s fun to let them help set up the scene.
And there’s one more added bonus to this cake. Because of it’s disheveled appearance, you can use it for more than one party and no one will ever know! Last year, on C’s birthday we went to a sensory art class with a few friends and shared this cake after. The next day we just cut a bigger section out of the cake, rearranged the vehicles a bit and we were all set for our extended family celebration.
Will you guys try this? Have any birthday recipes of your own that you fall back on year after year