How to make a first birthday cake

For this cake, you will need to bake an 8-in. square cake.

1. Refrigerate cake until it’s firm. Trim off the domed top with a long serrated knife.

2. Cut cake according to chart.

3. Arrange shapes on a platter, sticking pieces together by icing the cut edges.

4. Apply a thin layer of icing all over the cake and refrigerate.

5. Then add a second layer of icing.

Topper: Insert lollipops into cake in your desired pattern; trim the sticks if needed. (If lollipops present a choking hazard to any of your guests, remove them after the candles are blown out and photos have been taken. Or, top with colourful candy or cereal.)

A version of this article appeared in our April 2016 issue with the headline "Piece of cake", p. 51.

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