I guess I probably knew from the moment I had a daughter that a day would come when the Easy Bake Oven would enter our lives. It’s really inevitable that at some time in a girl’s life, she will be overcome with the desire to make baked goods using nothing but a packet of powder, a teaspoon of water and a 100 watt lightbulb.
So when Gulley and I were in the midst of our Christmas shopping weekend and she asked if I thought Caroline would like an Easy Bake Oven, I laid down in the aisles of Target and cried.
In reality, I told Gulley that I thought Caroline would love the oven so she bought it for her for Christmas.
Two days after Christmas we all exchanged gifts and, sure enough, Caroline was thrilled with her very own oven. Gulley’s son, Will, was so impressed that he quickly informed us that he’d like Caroline to make the cake for his birthday party using her new Easy Bake Oven, which would be such a sweet idea if the cake was larger than one serving size.
And really, even then, it would have to be just one person who doesn’t really care for dessert.
Anyway, the next day we busted out the Easy Bake Oven at the bright, sunshine-y hour of 7:00 a.m., but then tragedy struck when we realized we didn’t have any 100-watt light bulbs. P and Caroline quickly headed to Home Depot to secure the proper wattage because he is much nicer than I am and, let’s be honest, you know he was hoping for some of that cake.
Easy Baking from Big Mama on Vimeo.
There are a few things I’d like to point out about the video.
1. I have always believed that “if we don’t get stirring, it won’t be good”. It’s practically my life motto.
2. Please notice that I had my large whisk at the ready. Clearly, I’d forgotten that those packets produce about two tablespoons worth of batter and the large whisk was an ambitious choice.
3. I love the way she enunciates “CUP. CAKE.” I believe her enunciatory skills may be directly inherited from her great, great Aunt Fina who definitively ended every word with a “T”.
4. Something about the way she tells me “We can share it” seems insincere and totally reminds me of Dwight Shrute on The Office.
5. I adore the phrase “a little jiffy”. I wish I could take credit for teaching her that, but she is completely self-taught.
And speaking of self-taught, I don’t know where she learned to lick the batter of her fingers like that.
Certainly not from me.
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If you and Caroline get tired of the packets, try these. There’s even a recipe for Easy Bake Deep Dish Pizza:
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=easy+bake+oven&ls=re
Gotta love the Easy Bake Oven!!!! she is adorable
OMG… the memories! If someone were to offer to buy me an Easy Bake oven – even at my advanced age – I would still say “yes please!”.
So did you actually get any of that yummy cake, or was she being totally insincere?
I just love it!! She is tooo cute!!
My 6 year old also got an Easy Bake for Christmas. We spend 45 min. yesterday morning making 2 donuts. I could have driven to Dunin’ Dounts 4 times and gotten several dozen. Of course, those wouldn’t have been covered in sprinkles scraped off the counted after the packet was violently ripped open by said 6 year old.
How is she with the clean up? We had to have a come to Jesus meeting about that.
This totally cracked me up. I wouldn’t lay odds on sharing the “cupcake” because at the end of the video she made sure to point out that it is “Caroline’s baking oven” and “Caroline’s cake.” Oh, the memories with that easy bake oven…..and all the raw batter that was eaten “cooked” when I was a five-year-old.
She’s too cute!! I wanna go by myself an Easy Bake Oven now…and I’m nearly 30! How did it turn out??
Adorable! Ohh, the gooey-ness of those Easy Baked cakes. Hope it was tasty. I’d love to know what kind of video camera you use that allows you to put videos on your blog. We have the old, old school camera that uses tape (mercy me, we are behind the times!).
I always wanted an Easy Bake Oven as a kid and never got one. Now I know why- my mom was smart! Saturday I head out to buy a 100 watt light bulb. Come home to find out that it can’t be “soft white” (which I bought) or “long life” according to directions. Impossible to find in Cleveland, OH. Who knew? My “P” then drove out to Lowes in search of this light bulb to make our 5 year old happy. Only sold in 24 packs for $10. We’re set for a life time of Easy Bake treats.
How fun! Takes me back to my childhood and good memories. Thanks for sharing!
I could watch this all day. Too cute!
Very cute! My friend Judy has a “gourmet cookbook” written specifically for Easy Bake ovens, featuring all kinds of fancy schmancy recipes from well known chefs. And there is a photo of each contributor with their easy bake ovens; the book is hysterical! I’ll see if I can find a link for it….
Adrienne
I’m definitly going to add “Can I call ya back for it in a little jiffy cause it’s kinda startin’ to get in a little mess” to my everyday vocabulary. Awesome!
Oh, that was priceless! yea, it does bring back some good memories! I have a funny feeling that “can I call ya back for it in a little jiffy” is going to become a new catch phrase…. and we saw it first right here!
Oh the memories I have of yummy desserts cooked by lightbulbs. Since we had twins, we were graced with 2 ovens given by grandparents. Fun times.
When I was a kid I got a hand me down Easy Bake knock-off that stood two feet tall and looked like an actual range. It was an antique and it did not look safe, even to my 8 year old eyes. I’m sure it would have been recalled if that bureaucracy had been in place when it was manufactured.
Does anyone else see irony in the fact that the EasyBake oven still runs on “evil,” high-energy, regular lightbulbs in this age of eco-friendly, “green” bulbs. I’m surprised the environmentalists haven’t done anything about that.
I prefer the portion of the video, in which she is insensed (sp?) that she is going to have to share the CUP Cake with you.
Santa brought me an Easy Bake Oven when I was around Caroline’s age. What memories! Just be sure to not get caught up in the cord as it is plugged in! You know they didn’t put outlets in the sides of islands in the 70′s. (I justed dated myself!) What a mess! There was batter everywhere – cooking to the light and the inside of the oven! YUCK
Love it, especially the “Can I call you back” part.
A couple years ago my lovely hubby thought our 3.5 year old NEEDED an Easy Back Oven. So I bought the $10 model on Black Friday. No, it HAD to be the one that looked like an oven–don’t ask me why, maybe he was the one that always wanted one as a child. Lord knows he could barely point out what object in the kitchen is actually the oven since he never cooks. Back to Wal-Mart to spend an extra $10 on the model that looks like an oven (it actually plugged in instead of using the heat from a light bulb which is aparently safer). I think we made one cake with that thing before it was recalled. Got sent a part to make it “safe”. I guess children will still being burned, so I had to send the entire thing back. No more Easy Bake Ovens in our house!
Two of her favorite Christmas presents from this year were bought with the money I got back from that Easy Bake Oven from Hasbro, so I guess it all worked out in the end!
Happy Baking!
that was so sweet!!! I have to say I never got the easy bake oven that I dreamed of every year as a child!!!…..but I’m not bitter! :0 I will live vicariously through your video!!
My daughter has one and I hate it! I try but I really can’t stand them just like I can’t stand Playdoh! She wanted a cupcake maker for Christmas but I guess Santa ran out of them.
Wow, I’m such a mean mom!
)
I bought myself one of those at a garage sale when I was in like 5th grade or something. I can’t wait until Avery is old enough to want one!!!
A note on the refills…don’t buy them. Go to the baking aisle and get a jiffy cake mix. They’re like .50 and make more than enough.
Do you ever stop laughing in your house? I mean, my kid’s funny and all but I don’t think she’s ever done anything in a jiffy – she operates in more of a mosey.
And that makes things a lot less funny.
“A little jiffy” just made me so happy.
We brought out the easy bake oven this past week and my daughter Ellie made a “delicious” yellow cake until tragedy struck and the blender overflowed with a banana smoothie all over…you guessed it…the easy bake oven cake. Tears, howls and sobs at the cake being ruined, until my husband tasted it and low and behold banana smoothie does improve the taste of those cakes. Just an idea for future reference.
Take care,
Julie
Wow. This brought back some really fond memories of my Easy Bake Oven. I have blame my bad memory to the “small” electrical shocks I received from mine…..
Too funny. Good times, they are a comin’…..
I think when we tried to sell our daughter’s Easy Bake oven in the garage sale, she threw herself over the top of it to keep it from its demise. No, there’s no drama in our house at all!
Oh, my goodness. Hilarious. She is too funny. And adorable.
And your observations- right on. “We can share it” and “in a little jiffy” were my favorite parts. 
I had a Holly Hobby Easy Bake oven as a child. Loved that thing!
“I’ll call ya back in a second…” Love it!
I never had an Easy Bake Oven, though I wanted one. My mom was practical…and made me bake REAL stuff that could be shared with everyone (we have a large family). Ugh. Practicality!
“Can I call you back?” Awwwww!!!!!!!!!
Tania
Oh, how I had many of the same thoughts about this little oven over Christmas myself. My daughter isn’t old enough for one yet, but my niece received one. And, yes… we all went in search of the 100-watt bulb, too. My mother and I ended up going to get her one.
Happy New Year!
big sigh… the easy abke oven was the gift I always wanted and never got…. however, because of that I learned to cook in the big oven and that has been a blessing!
The biggest profound moment for me in that video was the correct pronunciation of Caroline’s name. Somehow, in my head, it was always Caro-lynn. I should have known better. Last year in kindergarten my son learned the whole bossy e on the end of the word making the vowel sound like itself thing.
I love how she claims everything…”Caroline’s oven, Caroline’s pans.” A well-rounded girl who can bake cakes AND hunt ducks should be quite a catch.
haha she is great
Faith, my oldest got the Ez bake oven too. Christmas morning, we did not have 100 watt bulb but as my in-laws were in route to come over for brunch, Walgreens was open!
Also, my girls did lots of finger lickin’ as well!
Oh! That was fabulous! The song: “Thanks for the Memories!” is now dancing in my head! My Erin and Julia loved their EZ-Bake, and today my Erin turned 25! That just can’t be! I shared a story of when she was only 3 in theTBloG today. Thank you for all you share!
She is adorable! I love the memories made with this little culinary delight.
I remember my own thirty years ago, and my daughter got one last Christmas when she was seven.
Matter of fact, that’s the picture I use on my blogger id — my Emily with her first ever cake made with her easy bake oven. And in my Grandmama’s kitchen. She was SO PROUD. So was I!
Emmie was just watching Caroline’s video with me, and said, “mama, where’s MY oven??” In the top of your closet, baby…
So guess what we’ll be doing tonight now?
I remember the EB Oven, circa 1977. It was such a triumph! And yet a little disappointing a tthe same time. I remember lots of sprinkles. I also remeber being shocked in high school when I learned that it was powered by a light bulb. Somehow that detail escaped my 6 year old brain.
I have a theory on the enunciation of the word CUP.CAKE. AmyBear, at nearly 5 years old, to this day will tell you that she loves “puc-cakes”. Or that her new Christmas nightgown has “puc-cakes” on it. “It has what on it?” I ask (about 14 times) until she realizes that it has CUP.CAKES. on it. Said with just that same intensity of enunciation. Cracked me up to hear it come out of Caroline’s mouth too! Too precious!
now THAT was just precious, oh how sweet she is!!
How adorable is that? My favorite part was that she would have to call you back in a little jiffy…she is so cute! Love it!!!
Adorable! I’m so glad to be reading you again!
Absolutely adorable! I love the videos!
I stumbled upon your blog through someone else. I’ve read three posts and have tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard. You are hilarious! You should write a book, if you haven’t already. Thanks for sharing!
I personally liked the look she cut you when you asked if she would share with you. Go back and look at that!
Watch out Martha Stewart!
Freaking cute!
I love that she said she would call you back. So funny. A little jiffy. She is very cute.
And I agree, I got the impression that sharing with you was not on her agenda.
I always wanted an easy bake oven so you can bet in about 5 years – Harper will be getting one for Christmas. I’m not saying who will play with it more – me or her.
At least you got Easy Bake. We have one for our daughter, which is great. Sub out Jiffy mixes to make it cheap.
She got a “Cool Bake” Disney Princess oven for Christmas from the neighbor. In all fairness it is very sweet, he is a guy, so he wouldn’t consider that the “cake mixes” to put into this thing may very well cost an arm and a leg. But can I tell you something? They are absolutely foul. Disgusting. I tell you, they “bake” up to be this gelatinized glop of hardened good that is so gross to eat I can’t even explain. It was supposed to be chocolate, but the if the Candy Man had anything to do with it, than he would know that the Candy Man Can’t. Blagh!
We’ll be doing a few amens in front of the 100 watt bulb here shortly. I have to reprogram her from the yucky cool bake grossness.
Too precious! I love the accent! Mine is just plain ole southern. Y’all’s (is that a word?) is southern with a bit of something. I can’t put my finger on that something, but it is there! LOVE IT!
How was the cake? I was looking for an after picture!
i love that she wanted to “call you back” because things were “gettin’ a little messy.”
that’s my life motto
My oldest got one for Christmas. They scare me.
I have tears in my eyes as I muffle my laughter while reading. I have 6 year old twin girls who I have thus far been able to keep oblivious to the easy bake oven. One of their friends got one for Christmas and I am very afraid that they will soon be begging for one too. Maybe I can just have them watch your video and hope that will satisfy them.
The sound has been gone on my computer for over a year. After a husband induced crash, I now have sound again!!!!!
So this was the first time I’ve heard Caroline. She is adorable!!!!
It’s nice to see that the Easy Bake Oven hasn’t changed in 50 years. That’s when I got mine….
Aunt Fina is my favorite post evert.
This video is so cute- it was just the joy and happiness I need to start my day today! Yaaa for easy bake ovens too- I had one in college that we cooked hot dogs in- good times!
It’s so cute how serious she is about this! She is not messing around!
No WAY! Just yesterday I took a video of my Caroline using her Easy Bake Oven. I just called her down to watch this, and she wanted to watch it 3x. I finally sent her to bed. She is enthralled with another Caroline who is her age living in Texas. We watched the slingshot video too.
Ugh, ours went to Goodwill. I don’t have space on my counter to spend an hour preheating and cooking a tiny dollop of batter with a light bulb. I was excited to get it though, but it was a huge disappointment.
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