Make a fun and colorful birthday cake with household items you’re sure to have on hand!
To make this DIY play cake you will need:
- The lower portion of a cylindrical oatmeal box. We cut ours to be about 5 1/4″ high
- small extra sheets of cardboard (or sides from cereal boxes so it’s the same fiberboard as the oatmeal box)
- 4 wooden dowels each cut to 3″ high for the candles
- Duct tape in various colors
- hot glue gun and glue
To make this cake:
- Cut out a triangle “slice” from one side of the oatmeal box.
- Fill in the sides of the inside of the cake as well as the slice you just cut out. Tape together to hold.
- Cut out a shape for the top of the cake based on the bottom base . Tape together to hold.
- Decorate the cake by covering in duct tape. We chose white for the exterior and pink for the interior. Cut a couple of stripes of white for the interior to indicate cake layers. We also cut up an assortment of colorful triangles to suggest sprinkles atop the cake.
- Cover each wooden dowel candle in a different color of duct tape.
- Cut out thin strips of white duct tape and coil around each candle.
- To make the wick of each candle, roll together a bit of duct tape, about 1/2″ high. Glue wick to top of each candle with hot glue.
- Using hot glue, glue on each candle around the top of the cake, being sure to center one of them atop the cut out slice of cake. (you could also use sticky velcro of you wanted to candles to come on and off). Let dry.

Your cake is now complete and ready to be played with! Place it on a platter and celebrate by serving it to a host of friends, both imaginary and real!
posted by Merrilee of Mer Mag