sleepover ever

From Nighttime Munchies to a Breakfast Bonanza

The Best

he easiest way to host a proper sleepover party is to settle the kids onto the couch or throw pillows, serve Half-Moon Black and White Cookies (page 58), and play an age-appropriate movie. If you want to keep it simple, classic salt-and-butter popcorn, one of my favorite snacks, is equally delicious. When the movie is over, there is always charades; or, for older children or teens, set a table with candles, turn out the lights, and play Ouija or foretell the future with tarot cards and palm reading. And the nights grand finale: CAKE! What could be more perfect for a sleepover party than a three-dimensional bed decorated with your childs favorite colors or patterns? Then its time for bedHA! Let the giggling begin.

In the morning, wake the kids with the delicious aroma of Banana Bear Pancakes, Oven French Toast, and Cinnamon Bread. These breakfast treats are classic and kid friendlyfull of banana, cinnamon, chocolate, and, of course, sugarand theyre so irresistible youll want to make them every weekend. Heres an idea you might not have thought of: my friend Jamie toyed with the idea of having a girls sleepover, but the girls she had in mind were all grown-up moms. Sometimes you just need to get together with your best friends, wear comfy pjs, eat good food (yes, I mean cake), and relax.

Kids can help make this batter from start to finish. You dont even need an electric mixer, just a bowl and a spoon. If the children are old enough to be near the stove, they can pour the batter onto the griddle and design their own pancake animals.

Kids can

ART #020

Banana Bear pancakes

When I was a little girl my mom made me teddy bear pancakes, then I made them for myself, and now I make them for my son. My mom, the queen of overripe and spotted bananas, always sliced a few extra to add on top. This time around, they are pureed so they more thoroughly incorporate into the batter, adding a wonderful and aromatic flavor. Liv Yield: approximately 12 pancakes
Have on hand a griddle or a frying pan. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Sift into a bowl:
2 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons sugar

ART #018

Have on hand:
cup vegetable shortening or nonstick spray cup chocolate chips

Heat a griddle or a frying pan over medium heat and grease the pan with shortening or nonstick spray (butter has a tendency to burn). To create the outline of the eyes and the snout when the pancake is turned over, squeeze out a 2-inch oval of batter onto the hot pan and pipe two dots above the oval, offset from each other. Let cook for approximately 15 seconds. Overpipe a large circle, covering the oval and dots. Pipe 2 ears on the top, offset from each other. Flip the pancakes when bubbles form (1 to 2 minutes per side). Press chocolate chips into the center of the eyes and oval (nose). Repeat with the remaining batter. Remove the pancakes and serve immediately.

In a separate bowl, mix together:

3 extra-large egg yolks 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter 1 cups milk cup mashed bananas (about 1 banana)

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix; the batter will be slightly lumpy. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat at high speed until soft peaks form:
3 extra-large egg whites

Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. To make bear pancakes, pour the batter into a squeeze bottle.

ART #018 the Best sleepover ever 61

For the kid in all of us . . .

Thank you to everyone who has ever baked one of our cakes or tried his
or her hand at decorating with chocolate. you made three a charm and our fourth effort even more special. For the riviera bakehouse staff, who hometested our recipes and sampled treat after treat (Kim Winder, sung yung Cho, Jaime raucci, sara romeo, becca deangelis, Nicole Vellucci, gina dibattista, mike deVito, and halle and andrea lerner), thank you for your encouragement and hard work. and none of this would be possible without the support of Carla glasser (our agent), the brilliance of ben Fink (our photographer), and the guidance of aliza Fogelson (our editor). thank you, thank you, and thank you!

Copyright 2010 by Liv Hansen and Kaye Hansen All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.crownpublishing.com www.clarksonpotter.com CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER with colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hansen, Liv. Kids cakes from the whimsical bakehouse: and other treats for colorful celebrations / Liv Hansen and Kaye Hansen. 1st ed. p. cm. Includes index. 1. Cake decorating. 2. Cake. I. Hansen, Kaye. II. Title. TX771.2.H335 2010 2009026752 641.86539dc22 ISBN 978-0-307-46384-5 Printed in China Design by Amy Sly Photographs by Ben Fink 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition