Layered Love

Miniature cakes for Valentine's Day

Planning a baking project with your kids this Valentine's Day? We've got the one for you. Working in the kitchen with children can be a delight, but it can also be messy and totally out of control. With all of the potential pitfalls in mind, we came up with this method for making mini layer cakes. Aren't we all a bit bored of cupcakes (and the time it takes to frost 24 of them for a whole second-grade class)?

All you have to do is make a sheet cake (and make it pink if you're doing this on February 14th!). Use your biggest tray, and spread the batter thin (about 3/4 of an inch). Bake the cake, cool it, and give it a thin layer of icing or frosting. Then, take a cookie cutter, and cut pieces out of the cake. We used a heart shape for Valentine's Day. Stack the pieces on top of each other, and tada! You  have a mini layer cake.

Kids will love cutting, stacking, and decorating the mini cakes. Baking and icing is a breeze when you're making just one or two thin sheet cakes—no cupcake tins or papers are necessary, and frosting happens in one fell swoop. Best of all? They're super cute and look far more complicated than they are. Stick them with cocktail forks and serve at a party, or pack them up and send them to school the next time you're on cupcake duty. It's a recipe for success! —Hally Wolhandler