1...2...3... FUN!

1...2...3... FUN!
Summer Birthday Party Ideas

Treasure Chest Cake
Splish Splash Cake
Rabbit in the Hat Cake

(Family Features) - Planning a summer birthday party? Then you need new ideas - fast!

Start with a theme and a special cake. Make waves at a Splashy Blast Party complete with a Splish Splash Cake (how cool is that?). Wave your wand (it's almost that easy) and you'll produce a Rabbit in the Hat Cake for a Magic Party. Or fill a Treasure Chest Cake with fun, colorful candy "loot" for a swashbuckling Pirate Party.

Then, go to brightideas.com, where you'll find everything you need to host the coolest summer birthday bash.

Treasure Chest Cake

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) bag M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies

1 (13-ounce) bag Twix Miniatures

1 (13-ounce) bag Snickers Mixed Miniatures

1 cup M&M'S Peanut Chocolate Candies

1 stick Starburst Tropical Fruit Chews

1 (16-ounce) box pound cake mix

1 (16-ounce) can chocolate frosting

1 cup vanilla frosting

1 cup ground vanilla wafers

Yellow food coloring

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 1 (9- x 5-inch) loaf pan with waxed paper, grease and flour. Reserve 16 Snickers. Unwrap remainder and roughly chop; set aside.
Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Fold chopped Snickers into batter before pouring into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Unmold cake and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Reserve 1 tablespoon chocolate frosting and put into resealable plastic bag. Snip one bottom corner and set bag aside.
Tint remaining vanilla frosting yellow; set aside.
Cut off top third of cake lengthwise. Place bottom piece on serving platter. Frost sides of cake with chocolate frosting, and top with yellow-tinted vanilla frosting, reserving 1 tablespoon. Spoon 1 tablespoon yellow frosting into another resealable plastic bag, snip a bottom corner and pipe decorative edge around top edge of cake.
Facing front of cake, arrange unwrapped candies across front area of yellow frosting. Let candies spill over edge.
Put on cake top at an angle, resting on candies arranged along front edge, so that "chest" looks slightly open. Carefully frost top with remaining chocolate frosting. Pull fork tines through chocolate frosting, creating wood-grain effect on cake.
Using photo as guide, decorate chest as follows - Line M&M'S on top and sides of chest to look like decorative bands.
Press 1 unwrapped Twix bar on each side of chest as handles, and place 1 yellow M&M on both ends of each handle (using a dot of chocolate frosting if necessary).
Slightly flatten 1 yellow Starburst piece as a lock. Use chocolate frosting in resealable plastic bag to pipe keyhole in center of Starburst "lock." Attach at center of front edge of lid.
Sprinkle ground vanilla wafers around chest as "sand." Scatter M&M'S, Twix candies, Snickers bars, M&M'S peanut candies and Starburst chews over "sand" as treasures.

Preparation Time
20 minutes

Baking Time
50 to 60 minutes

Decoration Time
25 minutes

Serves

Makes 1 cake

Splish Splash Cake

Ingredients

1 (13-ounce) bag Snickers Minis

1 (14-ounce) bag M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies

1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding

2 (16-ounce) cans vanilla frosting

Red, green, blue, yellow and orange food coloring

Ground vanilla wafers, optional

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 1 (12-cup) tube cake pan.
Roughly chop 2 cups Snickers. Prepare cake mix according to package instructions for pound cake, including instant pudding. Pour batter into prepared tube cake pan and sprinkle chopped Snickers over top.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack and cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert, remove pan and cool completely.
Spoon 1/2 cup vanilla frosting into resealable plastic bag with 1 bottom corner snipped; set aside. Divide remaining frosting equally into 5 separate cups, tint each one a color. Spoon each color into separate resealable plastic bags with a bottom corner snipped.
Place cake on serving platter. Using photograph as guide, mark off cake into 5 sections and frost each section 1 solid color. Pipe vanilla frosting line between colors, and cover line with M&M'S. Spread ground vanilla wafers around tube, both inside and outside ring.

Preparation Time
10 minutes

Baking Time
50 minutes

Decoration Time
20 minutes

Serves

Makes 1 cake

Rabbit in the Hat Cake

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) bag M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies

1 (13-ounce) bag M&M'S Peanut Chocolate Candies

1 (13-ounce) bag Twix Fun Size Bars

1 (18.25-ounce) box devil's food cake mix

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup oil

1 (3.4-ounce) box chocolate instant pudding

1 (18-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 (16-ounce) can chocolate frosting

2 (16-ounce) cans vanilla frosting

1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional

Purple food coloring

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) cake pans.
Prepare cake by combining devil's food mix with eggs, water, oil and pudding; blend. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans; bake 18 to 21 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in each center comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely.
Meanwhile, knead cookie dough and flour until smooth. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using templates (www.brightideas.com), cut out bunny's head and hat brim. Transfer to cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Before baking, insert 4 to 5 toothpicks as anchors into bottom edge of bunny's head. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack; cool completely.
Place one cake layer on serving plate, and spread 3/4 cup chocolate frosting on top. Top with another layer and spread surface with frosting. Add third layer, but don't spread frosting on its top surface. Spread remaining chocolate frosting over sides, leaving no gaps between layers. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, or until firm.
Spread bunny's head with vanilla frosting, and sprinkle with shredded coconut if desired. Decorate bunny's face (eyes, nose, inside of ears) with M&M'S; set aside.
Tint remaining vanilla frosting light purple, and spread evenly over cake until completely covered. Decorate sides with evenly spaced vertical lines of M&M'S.
Line sheet pan with waxed paper and place baked cookie brim on top. Microwave remaining purple-tinted frosting, stirring occasionally until texture resembles slightly whipped cream. Pour frosting over brim, covering it completely. Refrigerate 15 minutes, or until set.
Remove cookie brim from refrigerator, and place on top of layer cake. Line brim's edges with M&M'S. Insert bunny's head in open center of brim, and fill remaining space inside brim with brown M&M'S.
Arrange 4 unwrapped Twix bars end-to-end, and attach a yellow peanut M&M at tip to form wand.

Preparation Time
25 minutes

Baking Time
Cake 18 to 21 minutes; Cookie 12 to 15 minutes

Decoration Time
40 minutes

Serves

Makes 1 cake

SOURCE:

M&M'S Seasonal Brands