Ladies Day at the Lake – Cake Walk

During my childhood, one of my favorite school carnival games was the cake walk. A cake walk is sort of like musical chairs without the chairs. Anywhere from ten to twenty squares (depending on the number of guests and the size of the room) are marked off on the floor with tape, and each square has a number on it; consider adding numbers to hockey pucks or other comparable items. While a fun music track (or band) is playing, the guests “dance” from square to square. When the music stops, the dancers stand still in the square on which they landed, and a number is drawn from a hat full of numbers corresponding to the squares on the floor. The guest whose number is called gets the cake of his or her choice. As the game progresses, the number of squares on the floor is reduced (by simply removing the hockey pucks), and the corresponding numbers are removed from the hat.

We “upped” this concept at the “Ladies’ Day at the Lake” party. I bought Bundt cakes, coffee cakes, cupcakes, and eclairs and wrapped them in crinkly cellophane paper. We ordered oversize jars of cookies and had twenty mini cakes and a few large ones all displayed on the oversize island in our kitchen. The look was beyond charming. I bought inexpensive platters and cake plates, or just simple dinner plates (Home Goods!), and those were part of the gift. EVERYONE wanted to play. We ended when we ran out of cakes, but the whole thing was just a hoot.

Consider doing a Christmas cookie walk, for which all your guests bring cookies and you display them as the prizes. You can also have guests bring cakes, desserts, or other sweets. It’s a creative way to have everyone take home a “favor” that they supplied themselves or, for not too much money, you can supply the treats yourself. If you’re planning a garden party, you can create the same concept with potted plants. It’s a great way to get people moving, and the competitive nature of your guests will result in lots of laughs.