Age group(s) for this recipe:
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School
Middle School
High School & Beyond

Estimated time:
Will be listed on the cake mix box; plus about 10 min. or so decorating time.

Number of servings:
With, or without ice cream? Consult box.

Ingredients: (Hit your return key to start a new line)
Buy an extra cake mix (or 2 or 3) and a tub of white frosting, or ingredients for your own buttercream frosting.

Green food coloring (optional)

Sprinkles, M and M's, cinnamon dots

Birthday candles

Directions:
A tree-shaped cake pan is the most fun, but any shape will do. If using the tree pan, tint the frosting pastel green. This will be easier if you first warm the frosting in the microwave for 10-15 seconds (try 10 first!).

Bake the cake according to the recipe on the box. Decorate with all your "goodies", then arrange some birthday candles on top. On a tree shaped cake, have a candle on each branch, and a few in the middle as well.

Other suggestions and comments:
I made a simple Birthday Cake for a Christmas Carolling potluck one year when I was too frazzled to make cookies from "his mom's family recipe". Now, I sort of like to make it for Christmas Eve to give my kids a simple message. It is usually a "gotcha!"; little ones might slip and ask who's birthday it is...then they really like participating and singing "Happy Birthday."

The candles also help keep plastic wrap from messing up the frosting too much if you have to transport the cake someplace.

It doesn't pay to make it too big a cake, with all the abundance of holiday goodies about. It is primarily a visual reminder for children.

Hannukah adaptations are possible, but I can't advise in detail. I have seen pictures of cakes made in a dreidel shape, and also a cake made to resemble a menorah. I think the latter may have had candles formed with pound cake chunks, because they are somewhat easier to cut evenly, in multiples.

Kids just like to be a part of things, not bystanders. And they are not generally keen on fruitcake!