I don't know if you have the same feeling I have but birthdays seem to come back around faster than a boomerang can come back and hit you on the forehead. I mean, last time I checked I was 20 something and now, faster than a lightning bolt, I'm forty and my hair is growing gray so fast I've gotta go back to my hairdresser more often than I go visit my grandmother! That being said, baking cakes is still not something I've mastered... and God only knows how many I've had to bake, especially now, being the mother of 3 young monst**... I mean kids! Lets face it: baking is an art which is not given to everyone just like having a green thumb should feel like a miracle.
So when my sister-in-law's bday came around a few weeks back, I came to a dead-end. I mean, it's summer, the kids are running around making me go crazy out of my mind half the time, how the heck am I going to make a nice cake that sums up the love and appreciation I have for this person? N-E-V-E-R. Which is when I came upon this absolute genius of a recipe by Christina Tosi, the mastermind and creative thinker/baker behind David Chang's more than successful Momofuku Milk Bar. Now, I warn you, this is not for the faint of heart. I too was thrown off at first. I mean, I had never even tasted, let alone bought, Cool Whip EVER in my life before... my own mother would disown me if she ever found out I bought that probably cancer-creating-fake-sugar-digusting-beast! But I surrendered as I needed help... desperately....
This is when my 4 year old comes in. That's right: MY 4 YEAR OLD! He made the no-bake-3-ingredients-cake like a pro-baker and could sell that monster, that's how good it was. I swear I saw some people lick their plates! Ok, I did help the kid make the 'muddy' thing look pretty but really, I was able to do a bunch of other things while he was making it! This, to me, my fellow parents, is called MAGIC! So there. Make sure you teach your kid this recipe and that it is she/he who will make the coolest cake on the block for YOUR bday... and there'll hardly be a mess to clean up after... your kid will lick the floors if he has too! Trust me. Been there. Loved it!!!
Coolest Cake on the Block Serves 6 to 8 - Level : KID
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups of your favorite jelly or jam (you can go a little fancy with this ingredient if you like)
2 containers Cool Whip, defrosted in the refrigerator
1 (11.3 oz) box of Ritz crackers
PREPARATION
In a large bowl, whisk 1 cup of the Cool Whip onto the jelly/jam until the mixture is smooth. Gently fold in the remaining Cool Whip until homogenous.
To assemble the cake, spread a very thin layer of the coloured Cool Whip at the bottom of a pie tin or a cake stand. Anchor in an even layer of Ritz crackers so that they touch each other but do not overlap. Top with a thick layer of Cool Whip and repeat with the crackers. Repeat this process until the Cool Whip and crackers are all used up and the tower is complete. Decorate if according to your mood.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours, or, preferably, overnight before slicing and serving. ENJOY!
