Flip-Flop Cakes —rsquo; Because Two Cakes Are Better Than One

Owen is walking as his primary mode of transportation. He made the switch sometime last week without fanfare: one day he was crawling with occasional walking, and the next day he was walking with occasional sitting down, and by Thursday he was crossing the living room with his arms slightly out at his sides, the stance of a person who is still calibrating but has committed to the method. He does not look triumphant. He looks like he was always going to do this.

Nora has been walking for weeks and she has had the time to develop opinions about walking, specifically about the places she wants to walk to, which include: my legs, the refrigerator, the corner of the living room where the basket of board books lives, and any location where Owen currently is, especially if Owen has a toy. She is not taking his toys. She is simply repositioning herself in his vicinity. There is a difference.

Birthday planning: I have a list. The list has: party venue (Steves), guest list (both families, two NICU nurses, two close friends with kids), cake (Patty is making one, I am making one, there will be two cakes), food (not a full meal, a spread, because people with eleven-month-olds cannot organize a full sit-down meal), timeline (noon to three), nap strategy (everyone involved has been briefed). I feel good about this plan. I know from experience that the plan will survive contact with the day to approximately sixty percent, and the forty percent that doesn't survive will become the stories we tell later.

Slow cooker beef stew on Sunday: Aldi beef chuck cut into chunks, potatoes, carrots, onion, beef broth, a tablespoon of tomato paste, thyme. Eight hours on low. I ate it with bread from the Jewel bakery and thought: I have been making this stew every January for four years and it has been good every time and it will be good next January and the January after that. Some things are just right and stay right.

The stew is January comfort food, the kind of thing that just works and keeps working — but while it simmered on Sunday, most of my brain was already at noon-to-three on birthday day, sorting through the cake logistics. Patty has her cake covered and I have mine, and when I started thinking about what “my” cake should actually look like for two one-year-olds who have no strong opinions yet but will someday, these Flip-Flop Cakes felt exactly right: cheerful, a little silly, and the kind of thing that photographs well and gets eaten completely. The forty percent of the plan that doesn’t survive the day will not be the cake.

Flip-Flop Cakes

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 1 hr 30 min (includes cooling) | Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 1 box (15.25 oz) white cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Gel food coloring in 2 to 3 bright colors (pink, turquoise, yellow)
• 12 fruit roll-up sheets (for flip-flop straps)
• Assorted small round sprinkles or nonpareils (for toe-post detail)
• White sparkling sugar or colored sanding sugar (optional, for top)

Instructions

1. Prep the pans. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners or grease well with nonstick spray.
2. Mix the batter. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth and no dry streaks remain.
3. Fill and bake. Divide batter evenly among the 24 cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely, at least 45 minutes.
4. Make the buttercream. Beat softened butter in a medium bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk, then beat on medium-high for 2 minutes until light and smooth. Add the remaining tablespoon of milk if needed to reach a spreadable consistency.
5. Color the frosting. Divide the buttercream into 2 or 3 small bowls. Tint each portion with a different gel food color, stirring well to combine.
6. Frost the cakes. Spread or pipe a generous swirl of colored buttercream onto the top of each cooled cupcake, smoothing it into an oval shape to suggest the sole of a flip-flop.
7. Cut the straps. Unroll fruit roll-up sheets and cut thin strips, approximately 1/4 inch wide and 3 to 4 inches long. For each cake, form a Y-shape by pressing one horizontal strip across the upper third of the frosted top and one diagonal strip from each end down to a center point to create the classic flip-flop strap silhouette.
8. Add the toe-post detail. Press a single round sprinkle or nonpareil at the center point where the straps meet to finish the look. Add a dusting of sanding sugar over the frosting if desired.
9. Serve. Arrange on a platter or tiered stand. These hold well at room temperature for up to 4 hours, making them ideal for a party spread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 160mg