The Best
sleepover
ever
From Nighttime Munchies to
a Breakfast Bonanza
T he easiest way to host a proper
sleepover party is to settle the kids
onto the couch or throw pillows, serve
“Half-Moon” Black and White Cookies
(page 58), and play an age-appropriate
movie. If you want to keep it simple, classic
salt-and-butter popcorn, one of my favorite
snacks, is equally delicious. When the
movie is over, there is always charades; or,
for older children or teens, set a table with
candles, turn out the lights, and play Ouija
or foretell the future with tarot cards and
palm reading. And the night’s grand finale:
CAKE! What could be more perfect for a
sleepover party than a three-dimensional
bed decorated with your child’s favorite
colors or patterns? Then it’s time for
bed—HA! Let the giggling begin.
In the morning, wake the kids with the
delicious aroma of Banana Bear Pancakes,
Oven French Toast, and Cinnamon Bread.
These breakfast treats are classic and kid
friendly—full of banana, cinnamon, choco-
late, and, of course, sugar—and they’re so
irresistible you’ll want to make them every
weekend.
Here’s an idea you might not have
thought of: my friend Jamie toyed with the
idea of having a girls’ sleepover, but the
girls she had in mind were all grown-up
moms. Sometimes you just need to get
together with your best friends, wear
comfy pj’s, eat good food (yes, I mean
cake), and relax.
 The Best
sleepover
ever
From Nighttime Munchies to
a Breakfast Bonanza
T he easiest way to host a proper
sleepover party is to settle the kids
onto the couch or throw pillows, serve
“Half-Moon” Black and White Cookies
(page 58), and play an age-appropriate
movie. If you want to keep it simple, classic
salt-and-butter popcorn, one of my favorite
snacks, is equally delicious. When the
movie is over, there is always charades; or,
for older children or teens, set a table with
candles, turn out the lights, and play Ouija
or foretell the future with tarot cards and
palm reading. And the night’s grand finale:
CAKE! What could be more perfect for a
sleepover party than a three-dimensional
bed decorated with your child’s favorite
colors or patterns? Then it’s time for
bed—HA! Let the giggling begin.
In the morning, wake the kids with the
delicious aroma of Banana Bear Pancakes,
Oven French Toast, and Cinnamon Bread.
These breakfast treats are classic and kid
friendly—full of banana, cinnamon, choco-
late, and, of course, sugar—and they’re so
irresistible you’ll want to make them every
weekend.
Here’s an idea you might not have
thought of: my friend Jamie toyed with the
idea of having a girls’ sleepover, but the
girls she had in mind were all grown-up
moms. Sometimes you just need to get
together with your best friends, wear
comfy pj’s, eat good food (yes, I mean
cake), and relax.
 Kids can
Kids can help make this batter from start to
finish. You don’t even need an electric
mixer, just a bowl and a spoon. If the chil-

Banana Bear
dren are old enough to be near the stove,
they can pour the batter onto the griddle
and design their own pancake animals.

Pancakes
When I was a little girl my mom made me teddy bear pancakes, then I made ART #018
them for myself, and now I make them for my son. My mom, the queen of
overripe and spotted bananas, always sliced a few extra to add on top. This
time around, they are pureed so they more thoroughly incorporate into the
batter, adding a wonderful and aromatic flavor. —Liv
Yield: approximately 12 pancakes

Have on hand a griddle or a frying pan. Have all Have on hand:

ingredients at room temperature.
Sift into a bowl:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
In a separate bowl, mix together:
3 extra-large egg yolks
6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1¼ cups milk
½ cup mashed bananas (about 1 banana)
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and
whisk until just combined. Do not overmix; the
batter will be slightly lumpy.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat at high
speed until soft peaks form:
3 extra-large egg whites
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
To make bear pancakes, pour the batter into a
squeeze bottle.
¼ cup vegetable shortening or nonstick spray
¼ cup chocolate chips
Heat a griddle or a frying pan over medium heat
and grease the pan with shortening or nonstick
spray (butter has a tendency to burn).
To create the outline of the eyes and the snout
when the pancake is turned over, squeeze out a
2-inch oval of batter onto the hot pan and pipe
two dots above the oval, offset from each other.
Let cook for approximately 15 seconds. Overpipe
a large circle, covering the oval and dots. Pipe
2 “ears” on the top, offset from each other. Flip
the pancakes when bubbles form (1 to 2 min-
utes per side). Press chocolate chips
into the center of the eyes and
oval (nose). Repeat with
the remaining batter.
Remove the pan-
cakes and serve
immediately.

ART #018
ART #020
The Best Sleepover Ever 61
 Kids can
Kids can help make this batter from start to
finish. You don’t even need an electric
mixer, just a bowl and a spoon. If the chil-

Banana Bear
dren are old enough to be near the stove,
they can pour the batter onto the griddle
and design their own pancake animals.

Pancakes
When I was a little girl my mom made me teddy bear pancakes, then I made ART #018
them for myself, and now I make them for my son. My mom, the queen of
overripe and spotted bananas, always sliced a few extra to add on top. This
time around, they are pureed so they more thoroughly incorporate into the
batter, adding a wonderful and aromatic flavor. —Liv
Yield: approximately 12 pancakes

Have on hand a griddle or a frying pan. Have all Have on hand:

ingredients at room temperature.
Sift into a bowl:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
In a separate bowl, mix together:
3 extra-large egg yolks
6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1¼ cups milk
½ cup mashed bananas (about 1 banana)
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and
whisk until just combined. Do not overmix; the
batter will be slightly lumpy.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat at high
speed until soft peaks form:
3 extra-large egg whites
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
To make bear pancakes, pour the batter into a
squeeze bottle.
¼ cup vegetable shortening or nonstick spray
¼ cup chocolate chips
Heat a griddle or a frying pan over medium heat
and grease the pan with shortening or nonstick
spray (butter has a tendency to burn).
To create the outline of the eyes and the snout
when the pancake is turned over, squeeze out a
2-inch oval of batter onto the hot pan and pipe
two dots above the oval, offset from each other.
Let cook for approximately 15 seconds. Overpipe
a large circle, covering the oval and dots. Pipe
2 “ears” on the top, offset from each other. Flip
the pancakes when bubbles form (1 to 2 min-
utes per side). Press chocolate chips
into the center of the eyes and
oval (nose). Repeat with
the remaining batter.
Remove the pan-
cakes and serve
immediately.

ART #018
ART #020
The Best Sleepover Ever 61
 For the kid in all of us . . .
Thank you to everyone who has ever baked one of our cakes or tried his
Contents
or her hand at decorating with chocolate. You made three a charm and our
fourth effort even more special. For the Riviera Bakehouse staff, who home- Introduction 6 Start Your Engines
tested our recipes and sampled treat after treat (Kim Winder, Sung Yung Cho,
From Fire Trucks to Rockets,
Jaime Raucci, Sara Romeo, Becca DeAngelis, Nicole Vellucci, Gina DiBattista, The 1, 2, 3s: Getting Started 10
Desserts That Get You Going 
Mike DeVito, and Halle and Andrea Lerner), thank you for your encouragement Icing Recipes 11 • 97 •
and hard work. And none of this would be possible without the support of Carla
Filling Recipes 17
Glasser (our agent), the brilliance of Ben Fink (our photographer), and the
guidance of Aliza Fogelson (our editor). Thank you, thank you, and thank you! The Basics of Cake Assembly 21 Step Right Up
A One-Ring Circus Filled with
Piping 28
Yummy Attractions 
Copyright © 2010 by Liv Hansen and Kaye Hansen Confectioners’ Chocolate and • 109 •
the Chocolate Method 31
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown A Splash of Color 36 It’s a Zoo in There
Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Wild Creatures Inspire Wild Creations
www.crownpublishing.com
• 125 •
www.clarksonpotter.com
The Enchanted Tea Party
CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER with colophon is a registered Magical Delicacies for Your Fairy Princess  Trick AND Treat
trademark of Random House, Inc. • 39 • Spooky and Sugary Surprises 
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data • 137 •
Hansen, Liv. The Best Sleepover Ever
Kids’ cakes from the whimsical bakehouse: and other treats for colorful celebrations / From Nighttime Munchies to
Liv Hansen and Kaye Hansen. — 1st ed. What, No Cake?
p.  cm. a Breakfast Bonanza Alternative Sweet Endings
Includes index. • 53 • • 149 •
1. Cake decorating. 2. Cake. I. Hansen, Kaye. II. Title.
TX771.2.H335 2010
641.8’6539—dc22 2009026752 Pretty in Pink
Indulgent Sensations for Your Little Divas Templates 160
ISBN 978-0-307-46384-5
• 67 • Measurement Conversions 170
Printed in China
Digging for Treasure Suppliers 171
Design by Amy Sly
Photographs by Ben Fink
Adventurous Treats for Young Explorers Index 173
• 83 •
10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

First Edition