Kids' birthday cake ideas: Paint drip

Materials:

• three cake layers
• vanilla icing
• gel tube icing in assorted colours (as many or as few as you'd like)

Directions:

1. Stack cake layers, spreading vanilla icing between each layer. Completely cover cake with more icing. Smooth tops and sides with a palette knife or spatula.

2. Squeeze gel icing on top of cake to make a colour wheel (each wedge should be a different colour). Squeeze icing down the top edge of cake to make "paint drippings."

A version of this article appeared in the November 2013 issue of Today's Parent.

See more of our DIY birthday cake ideas here>