Along with a cleverly built checkerboard cake, be creative with the many different themes appropriate for chilldren's and adult's birthday parties.
Chess or Checkers Theme Birthday Party
The name of the cake does lend itself to this idea. For the chess aficionado's birthday, bake a black and white checkerboard cake with chocolate frosting.
Melt Wilton candy melts in a double boiler, and mold white chess pieces to use to decorate the top of the cake. For a checkers theme, mold the candy melts into discs. Wilton candy melts are available in craft and baking supply stores, as well as online. They are easy to use; simply melt them in a double boiler and pour into candy molds.
Candy molds are also relatively easy to find. Popular shapes such as discs and flowers are readily available at craft and baking supply stores. For specialty plastic candy molds such as chess pieces, order directly from companies that manufacture candy molds. There is also a chess- or checkerboard candy mold that makes a nice checkerboard cake topper.
Wrap birthday presents in chess or checkerboard paper.
Magic Theme Birthday Party
For a wizard's or sorcerer's birthday party, don't tell anybody that the cake is a checkerboard cake. Perform a magic trick just before cutting into the cake -- imagine everyone's surprise when the cake really is magical!
Use one rainbow sprinkles cake mix and one chocolate cake mix for a little magical sparkle.
An alternative is to frost one side of the cake chocolate, and the other side an opaque vanilla. Make a big deal about performing a magic trick over the cake to switch flavors. Of course, partygoers will assume there is a half chocolate cake frosted with vanilla, and half a vanilla cake frosted with chocolate frosting. Imagine their surprise when they see the true mixture of chocolate and vanilla in the form of a checkerboard cake.
After enjoying a magical birthday party, send guests home with little bags stuffed with a few dime-store magic tricks.
Lego Theme Birthday Party
Children love Legos. Bake a checkerboard cake for a Lego theme birthday party.
After the cakes are cool and out of their pans, trim four edges off of each circle to make a square (see illustration below). Trim as little as needed. Save the trimmings. Build and frost the cake. Cut the trimmings into little circles and arrange them on top of the cake similar to a Lego. Frost. The guests will get an extra surprise when the Lego cake looks like a Lego building on the inside.
Party favors for a Lego theme birthday can be smallest Lego sets. Alternatively, buy bulk Legos (eBay is one source) and divide them into smaller packages for party favors.
Block Theme Birthday Party
Block theme birthday parties are appropriate for preschool age children. Welcome the young guests with block play upon arrival at the party.
Similar to the directions for a Lego theme checkerboard cake, trim just two opposite sides of each circle, not all four sides. This will look like a rounded off rectangle, appropriate for a block theme. Build and frost as usual.
When cutting into the block theme checkerboard cake, tell guests it looks just like building blocks!
Sweet 16
For a sweet 16 birthday party, surprise the guest of honor with a pink and white checkerboard cake with pink or chocolate frosting. Or use one rainbow sprinkles cake mix, and one pink or chocolate cake mix. (White cake mix with rainbow sprinkles cake mix will probably not show enough variation.) A sweet surprise for a sweet 16.
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