When my children were little, I made fanciful birthday cakes. A round cake became a clown's face (with a red balloon for a nose), and a square (cut into triangles) became his hat and bow tie. A round cake became a flower, and a square cake, cut into rectangles and triangles, served as the stem and leaves. Whatever I was making, I coated it with frosting and added small candies for color and detail. These cakes were such a smash hit with the under-7 set that I started to fancy myself a cake decorator, and I purchased books on the subject. Suddenly, I was in a world of rolled fondant, leaf-veining tools, decorating turntables, airbrushes, gum paste and foam core. I was, in short, in way over my head.

Now, a book comes along that could be subtitled "Cake Decorating for the Artistically Impaired." Instead, it is called "Betty Crocker Decorating Cakes and Cupcakes" (Wiley, 2006). My clown and flower aren't in there, but a bunny pattern I used is, along with cakes made to look like trains, castles, Hawaiian shirts, gumball machines and monkeys. There are some elegant cakes as well (a wedding cake topped with white-chocolate ribbons, for example), but I was drawn to the fun, easy cakes (and cupcakes) that everyone - especially kids - will love and that don't require a degree in art or architecture. They don't require a degree in culinary arts, either, as most of the recipes begin with "1 box cake mix," but there are recipes in the back of the book for basic cakes and frostings.

If you want to get fancier without getting too insane, "Pretty Party Cakes" by Peggy Porschen (Clarkson Potter, 2006) is for you. Be forewarned: This book requires some talent, along with piping bags, flower nails and tilting turntables.

"Let them eat cake!" someone (but probably not Marie Antoinette, historians tell us) once said.

SAILBOAT CAKE

For the cake:

1 box cake mix with pudding (any flavor) or

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1-1/4 cups milk

3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

For the frosting:

1 (12-ounce) container white whipped frosting and 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder or

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup butter or other shortening, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon clear vanilla or almond extract

1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

For the decorations:

1 red licorice twist

1 roll chewy fruit "leather" (optional)

tiny star candies

miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

Lifesaver candies

Preheat the oven to 350 F. If using the cake mix, grease only the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan. If making the cake from scratch, grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan.

If using the cake mix, prepare the batter according to package directions and bake as directed in the prepared pan.

If making from scratch, beat all of the cake ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly. Beat on high for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool 15 minutes. Run a knife around the side of the pan to loosen the cake; carefully remove from pan and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Cut the cake into 3 sections. First cut the cake in half diagonally. This will give you a triangle measuring 9 inches on the shortest side, 13 on the next longest and 16 inches on the longest side. Then cut a strip about 2-3/4 inches wide, to form a trapezoid. This will be the boat. The top edge will measure 16 inches, the bottom 11 inches. The remaining piece will be a triangle measuring 6 by 9 by 11 inches. Arrange the slices on a tray. (You can also use a cutting board, cookie sheet or piece of cardboard, covered, that measures about 24 by 24 inches.) The trapezoid will be the boat, the triangles, the sails. Freeze uncovered for 1 hour for easier frosting.

If making frosting from scratch, beat the sugar and shortening with an electric mixer set on low speed. Beat in the vanilla and milk (start with 1 tablespoon, add a few drops more as needed) until smooth and spreadable.

Frost the sails with the white frosting, using about 1 cup.

Stir the cocoa into the remaining 1/2 cup frosting. Frost the boat.

To decorate: Place a stick of licorice where the sails meet to form the mast, and decorate the mast with "flags" cut from fruit leather, if desired. Place candies on the sails in stripes or any pattern. Place a row of Lifesavers along the top of the boat.

Yield: 15 servings

Recipe from "Betty Crocker Decorating Cakes and Cupcakes" (Wiley, 2006)

FIRECRACKER CAKES

For the cake:

1 box devil's-food-cake mix with pudding or

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-3/4 cups sugar

1/2 (1 stick) cup butter, at room temperature

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup miniature chocolate chips

1/2 cup drained, chopped maraschino cherries (optional)

For the frosting:

2 (16-ounce) containers vanilla creamy frosting or

1 double recipe of frosting for sailboat cake (above) without the cocoa

red paste or gel food coloring

For decorating:

12 birthday candles

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two muffin tins, each with 12 muffin cups, with paper baking cups, or grease and flour them.

If using the cake mix, prepare the batter according to package directions and bake as directed in the prepared muffin tins.

If making from scratch, beat all of the cake ingredients, except the chocolate chips and cherries (if using), in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly. Beat on high for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Fold in the chocolate chips and cherries (if using). Divide among the muffin cups and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of one cupcake comes out clean.

Cool 15 minutes. Remove from muffin tins and set the cupcakes on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely, about 1 hour. If using paper baking cups, peel them off the cupcakes. Freeze, uncovered, for 1 hour for easier frosting.

If making frosting from scratch, make as directed, above.

Measure out 2 cups of the frosting (homemade or store-bought) and tint deep red with food coloring. Leave the remainder white.

Place 2 cupcakes end to end, "cementing" them with a small amount of red frosting. Frost the sides of the firecracker with the red frosting. Repeat with remaining cupcakes, to make 12 firecrackers. Frost both ends of each firecracker with white frosting. Insert a birthday candle on one end of each firecracker to look like a wick.

Yield: 12 servings

"Betty Crocker Decorating Cakes and Cupcakes" (Wiley, 2006)

Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.