Tie Dye Cake

We loved this cake idea so much, we used it a few times.  At our elementary school, the kids with summer birthdays each got assigned a day during the last few weeks of school to celebrate with their classmates. Mikey happened to get assigned to do his school birthday celebration on 60’s Day.  All the kids would be wearing tie-dye or their best hippie outfits, so we decided to go with the theme.

We used a few different shades of batter and put them in lava lamp style to make a tie dye effect in the cake itself. Then we did a rainbow swirl on top and used a toothpick to drag them together and make them look tie-dyed.

Trust me when I tell you, I have almost zero cake decorating skills. With only one exception, every theme party my kids had, I made a Duncan Heinz cake, frosted it poorly and stuck in some theme-related toys or candles.  That’s pretty much it.

The One Exception

Will’s second birthday party was sea life themed.  Here are the cupcakes. The decorations are jellybean coral, sour candy seaweed and gummy fish.  Voila!

I know many families are spending their hard-earned money on expensive custom cakes for their kids. To each their own, but…my humble advice would be to put that money in the college fund and bake an inexpensive cake yourself or order a reasonable one from your local grocery store. I can tell you from experience, Costco makes delicious cakes at reasonable prices.  A little of the theme goes a long way.

College options for kids with special needs increase every year. Even if your child does not go to college, money put aside in a 529 plan can be used for special needs children in other ways. There are often free online webinars that share information about financial planning for a child with special needs. Get more information, once you’re done enjoying your cake.