Easy Does It

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Cabbage Patch Kids. Beanie Babies. Turtle Rangers. Toys, like childhood, are fleeting.

Unless the toy is the Betty Crocker Easy-Bake Oven, which stands the test of time. No wonder. So simple! So satisfying! So very, very easy! The drill: Open a package, add water, and bake a sweet. (They even make Queasy-Bakes for boys, complete with slimy, wormy treats.)

But ambitious junior bakers — Nigella wanna-bes, mini Emerils, Bouleys-to-be — won’t be happy with such artless fare. They need a bigger culinary challenge. So we oblige, and present DailyCandy’s Easy-Bake recipes. They’re delicious treasures the kids (and you) can sink some teeth (and muscle) into.

Parents, get out of the kitchen. (But keep an eye on the proceedings.) Kids, get ready to impress. (And don’t forget the golden rules of cooking: Unplug the oven. And clean up after yourselves!)

1. Ambrosia Cream Pie
Super quick, but looks super fancy. (Perfect way to appease Mom and Dad when they need calming.)
Ingredients:
1 package pie-crust dough (like Betty Crocker)
1 serving vanilla pudding
whipped cream
bananas, sliced thin
strawberries, sliced thin
To make crust:

Unfold room-temperature pie-crust dough onto floured surface.

Cut a circular piece of dough by using cake tins as cookie cutters (turn upside-down), and roll lightly to make slightly thinner.

Place round of dough into Betty Crocker Easy-Bake baking tin, pushing edges up against sides to make crust.

Bake ten minutes in preheated Easy-Bake Oven.

Remove, let cool, and remove from tin. (It should come out easily.)
To make filling:

Place a layer of vanilla pudding in bottom of crust.

Put slices of strawberry and banana on top of pudding.

Spread a generous layer of whipped cream on top of fruit.

Decorate with a few more slices of banana and strawberry.

2. Handy Candy Fruit Pie
One part homemade pop tart, one part sophisticated pastry.
Ingredients:
1 package pie-crust dough
1 tablespoon fruit preserves or jam (strawberry works great!)

Unfold room-temperature pie-crust dough onto floured surface.

Using cake tins as cookie cutters (turn upside-down), cut two rounds of dough. (Save the rest for more pies.)

Spoon preserves into center of one round of dough. Dip your finger in water, and moisten the edges of the dough.

Place the second round on top of the first, and press around the wet edges to seal.

Place pie in tin. Using a knife (be careful!), cut three slits in top of pie.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove, and let cool for ten minutes.

Eat warm or cool. Especially yummy when served with ice cream, whipped cream, or sliced fruit.

3. Rainbow Surprise Seven-Layer Cake
This recipe takes some patience, but it’s all worth it when the secret surprise is revealed. A perfect birthday cake.
Ingredients:
1 box white-cake mix
1 can white frosting
1 package food-coloring drops (red, blue, green, yellow)
To make the cake layers:

Prepare cake batter as instructed on the box.

In four small paper cups, mix small quantities of batter with food-coloring drops to make red, yellow, blue, and purple (red + blue) batches of batter.

Bake each color separately in cake tins, fifteen minutes each. (Note: Do not overfill cake tins with batter. Enough to cover the bottom.)

Cool each finished layer ten minutes before removing from tin, then let cool completely.
To make the frosting:

While cake layers bake, mix three batches of frosting with food coloring in paper cups to make orange (red + yellow), green (blue + yellow), and indigo (red + blue).
To assemble the cake:

Once all the pieces are finished, here’s the order, from bottom to top:
red: cake
orange: frosting
yellow: cake
green: frosting
blue: cake
indigo: frosting
purple: cake

Frost the outside of the cake with white frosting.

Let the bake-off begin!

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