The Father’s Day Surprise Cake

By Mella Bedell

Alisa helped her younger sister, Mikki, comb her long black hair. Then they hurried downstairs and ate breakfast. Tomorrow was Father’s Day, and the two girls were going shopping today for the ingredients to make a cake for their father. It was not going to be an ordinary cake—it would be filled with surprises!

As soon as they came home from the store, they took their aprons from the closet and helped each other tie them. Next they got all the ingredients out for the surprise cake and put them on the table. While Mikki greased and floured the cake pans, Alisa turned on the oven. Then, carefully measuring and stirring, the girls soon had the batter ready. Alisa spooned it into the cake pans while Mikki watched to see that both pans had the same amount.

At last the pans were in the oven, and the best part of making the cake batter had arrived. Alisa and Mikki each got a spoon and sat at the table and scraped the bowl.

Soon the cake layers were cooling on racks and the dishes were done. The girls ran up to their room to make the “surprise” part of the cake.

First they cut a piece of paper into several narrow strips. Then on each strip they wrote one thing that was special about their dad. Next they folded the strips and went back downstairs and wrapped each one in aluminum foil. With a knife Alisa carefully made little slits in the cake, and Mikki poked a wrapped strip into each slit.

Mother frosted the cake for them. She made pretty swirls around the edges and wrote “Happy Father’s Day” in the middle.

The next day after church they had a Father’s Day party. They sang Father’s favorite songs and played some games. When Mother cut the cake, she gave everyone a big piece. Father, of course, got the biggest one.

“What’s shining in my piece of cake?” he asked.

Alisa and Mikki looked at each other and grinned.

“That’s our surprise for you!” Alisa said.

“Yes,” Mikki told him. “You’re supposed to unwrap the foil and read the note out loud. Then we’ll take turns reading ours.”

Each person found and excitedly unwrapped the foil-covered surprises that had been hidden in the cake. Father’s face beamed as he read the first strip. It said, “We love you because you read stories to us.”

Mikki opened the next one and read, “We love you because you take care of us.”

Mother’s strip said, “We love you because you do things with us.”

Alisa had two surprise strips in her piece of cake. “We love you because you laugh a lot” was on the first one.

Alisa, Mikki, and Mother read the last one together: “We love you because you love us.”

“I really do,” Father said. “Thank you for a wonderful Father’s Day.”

(If you would like to make a surprise cake for someone, just follow the directions for “Chocolate Surprise Cake” in Kitchen Krafts.)

Illustrated by Pat Hoggan