Throw your child a Cat in the Hat party

Does your child love Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss? If so, this fun party theme is ideal for both boys and girls. Here’s how to throw an epic Cat in the Hat party – and best of all, you can do so on a budget!

Ideas for a Cat in the Hat party

A piñata doubles as the centrepiece

Choose a classic Cat in the Hat style piñata. . The hats on each place setting also have secret hollow centres to fill with goodies for each child. If you have time, you can make them yourself or buy them from Piñata’s Galore (info@pinatasgalore.co.za).

Invitations

Make your child’s birthday party fun from the get-go with this Cat in the Hat party invitation. Download your template here.

Candy floss

Blue candy floss atop vanilla cupcakes replicates Thing 1 and Thing 2’s crazy hairdos, and the kids will love it.

Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• 80g butter
• 160ml castor sugar
• 2 eggs
• 320ml flour
• 5ml baking powder
• 125 – 150ml buttermilk

Method

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, beating well. Sift in flour and baking powder and then fold in the buttermilk.
3. Spoon mixture between a 12-hole, cupcake-case-lined muffin tray and bake at 180°C for 20minutes.
4. Ice when cool.

Ingredients for icing with blue candy floss

• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 60ml water
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Heat the sugar and water on a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves.
2. Once completely dissolved, boil without stirring for 2 minutes, or at 238°C on a candy thermometer.
3. Meanwhile whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt, and beat until stiff peaks form – slowly add the hot syrup in a steady stream with the beater still running.
4. Whisk for a further 5 minutes, or until cool. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes, and top with blue candy floss and a Thing 1 or Thing 2 personalised printed cupcake topper.

Hat Cake

Two round cakes make a hat cake, and the red, blue, and white roll-out icing provides the detail. Or you can bake a one-layer round cake and have a picture from the book printed on rice paper to lay on top.

A spin on coconut ice

Coconut ice made red and white instead of the traditional pink and white brings through the colours in the cat’s hat. Click here for a recipe.

Hat & alphabet biscuits

Small details like these hat and alphabet biscuits complement the theme perfectly.

Here’s how to make them:

Ingredients:

• 125g butter
• 125ml (half a cup) icing sugar
• 1 egg • 5ml vanilla essence
• 300ml (1¼ cup) flour
• 3ml baking powder

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla, beat well. 3. Add the flour and baking powder and bring together to form a soft dough.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough to 3-4mm thick and use a hat-shape or fluted circle cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
5. Bake on a baking sheet at 180°C for about 15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Allow to cool before decorating.
6. To decorate, roll out white fondant (plastic icing) for the hats and blue fondant for the fluted circles.
7. Stick to the baked cookie with a small amount of heated apricot jam applied with a pastry brush. Add red fondant stripes to the white hats and red letters to the blue circles to finish, sticking those down with a little water applied with your fingertip.