And Many Krispie Returns
May 25th, 2008 by Marilyn
We celebrated Josie’s birthday at her 6th grade class graduation party – a big BBQ by the lake with loads of wet, hyped and hungry 12-year olds. I’d bring the cake, but I didn’t want a fussy, frosted thing. Sandy kids would be swimming – too busy for forks and plates – so the best approach might be a grab-and-go treat. I remembered seeing a Rice Krispie tower years ago in a Martha magazine, and it seemed like the right idea. It was.
I decided to shock my daughter by studding the layers with bright, sugary bits.
She’s never seen me work with that much artificial color, and considered taking my temperature.
By the time I was done with jelly beans and chocolate and M & M’s and marshmallows, I had a Costco-sized sugar migraine, but hey – a herd of sixth graders bounces off the walls anyway, so who’d know the difference?
Here I am cutting layers with my special spastic duck-hand technique. I began with a river of Rice Krispies, a mountain of marshmallows and a counter full of cake pans. I made three double batches of the classic recipe – it’s on every box – threw in some additions, and finished by stacking three separate layers to feed 50 people:
Chocolate M & M – I added butter, cocoa powder, and mini M & M’s for a dark, chewy, and very melty krispie treat.
Jelly Belly – I used fruit-flavored pastel marshmallows, butter and mixed jelly beans for this confetti-sweet layer which, no shocker, was inhaled quickest by the kids.
Good Ol’ Krispies – the classic marshmallow treat forms the top. Snap! I can eat these by the dozen.
Each layer was first cut into small bars – who wants to bother with sticky knives by the lake? – and then assembled, brick by chewy brick, into a square-edged Krispie pyramid.
A few cut-out hearts to top it off, and done – a no-bake, no-fork, no-plate birthday cake that carried light and was chomped down by all. I’ve been baking and layering intricate, day-long buttercream affairs for years, and just this once, it was a treat to think outside the oven. It might not fly at every party…but at this one, it was just right. Go forth and Krispie!
WOW! Just WOW! I will have to file that idea away for future visits to see my niece at college. A no bake, no forks, no plate recipe is always good for 50 girls in a dorm!
Looks yummy! Hope the party was a success. We were thinking about you and keeping our fingers crossed for good weather!
I want to eat them all…and then I’ll whine that the roof of my mouth hurts…LOL
Can I eat a layer all by myself?
It is cereal and all. Thats like breakfast.
Wow, you’re a cool mom.
Seeing this reminded me I have some RK treats in a bag sitting on the printer! Yum! Great afternoon snack and looks like an awesome cake!
Holy cow! Now that is a cake designed perfectly for preteens!