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Party food for children’s parties
Children get really excited about their birthday party. Most start planning it in their minds at least six months before the big day, so no pressure on us parents then!
There are many things to plan before the party itself and the food and drink is just one of them. When I say party food, as far as the children are concerned it is cake and sweets with anything healthy, very much an optional extra.
The key to children’s party food is keep it simple and use small portions.
Children will not appreciate food any more just because you spent hours preparing it so a selection of good quality chips, sausages and burgers normally goes down a treat.
The centerpiece of any party is the birthday cake. Below I have outlined some recipies which I hope you will try but if time is short there is plenty of help and I have included details of a selection of specialist party cake shops.
 Beehive Children’s Party Cake
FOR THE CAKE
175 g (6 oz) soft margarine
75 g (3 oz) soft brown sugar
80 ml (4 Tbs) clear honey
3 x size 2 eggs, separated
175 g (6 oz) self-raising flour
About 60 ml (3 Tbs) milk
25 g (1 oz) Bournville cocoa
1 lemon
Yellow food colouring (optional)
TO DECORATE
350 g (12 oz) Vanilla Butter Icing (to make see below)
125 g (4 oz) lemon curd
1 Cadbury Flake family box
A 1.1 litre (2-pint) ovenproof basin, greased lightly, bee and flower cake decorations (optional)
VANILLA BUTTER ICING
175 g (6 oz) slightly salted butter
250 g (9 oz) icing sugar
Vanilla essence
Soften the butter, but do not melt in the oven or it will be too soft. Cream the butter well in a bowl, preferably with an electric mixer. Sift in the icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence; beat really hard until the mixture has a good fluffy texture and is pale in colour.
For the cake, cream the fat and sugar with 60ml (3 tablespoons) of the honey. When well beaten, add the egg yolks, then the flour and milk to make a dropping consistency. Halve the mixture, adding cocoa to one amount, and the finely grated lemon rind and colouring, if used, to the other. Whisk the egg whites and fold half into each mixture. Spread alternate coloured layers in the basin, then hollow out the centre a little. Bake at Gas Mark 4/180ºC/350ºF for about 1¼ hours, until cooked through.
Test with a warm skewer. Heat the remaining honey in the juice of half the lemon and then soak the cake with this, in the basin, poking it in with a skewer. Leave for 5 minutes before turning out to cool.
Cut the cake horizontally through twice, making three pieces. Have the butter icing ready. Mix a good spoonful of lemon curd into the icing. Use the remaining lemon curd to sandwich the cake together.
 Children’s Party Teddy Bear Cakes
INGREDIENTS ( For 12 Cakes)
100g (4oz) Soft margarine
100g (4oz) Caster Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Essence
2 Eggs
100g (4oz) Self Raising Flour
Chocolate Smarties
Jelly Tots
Chocolate Buttons
BAKING
Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas mark 4. Put all the ingredients for the cakes into a bowl or food processor and beat together until smooth. Spoon into 12 paper cases and place these into the sections of a 12-hole bun tray. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until well risen and the sponge springs back when you press with your fingertips.
Decorate the cakes to look like Teddy Bears. Put a blob of black Writing Icing in the centre of the Smarties and attach these to the cakes with some Writing icing. Add a Jelly Tot for the nose, draw on the mouth using black Writing Icing and stick on chocolate buttons for the ears.
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