SpongeBob SquareCake

Who knew that the Cake Bake fundraising auction would turn out to be the best – and worst – highlight of Austin’s first year as a Cub Scout! The event featured all kinds of cakes – all baked & decorated by the scouts and their parents. Each cake was to be auctioned off, with all funds going to help raise money to send the kids to Scout camp. Austin wanted to make a SpongeBob cake in honor of his FAVORITE cartoon. So we planned it all out – tons of yellow frosting, Twinkies for arms, and a little help from Mom for adding all the perfect details. It turned out AWESOME. So awesome, in fact, that when we got to the auction, Austin decided that he didn’t want to give up the cake. That’s right, he wanted Daddy to buy the cake that we brought to sell. So what’s a guy to do? Austin was so proud of the creation we worked on together as a family, so I joined in on the bidding for his beloved SpongeBob SquareCake. Most cakes were selling in the $20-$30 range, but SpongeBob quickly passed that level. Apparently, a couple of other Dads caught on that Austin really wanted that cake, and started bidding up the price, to see how high I would go. It got to $40, and I started getting a little nervous. At $50, I told Austin that some other people really wanted the cake too, and we might not get it. That was not the answer he wanted to hear. He looked at me and said, “Dad, that’s OUR cake. We HAVE to get it!” After I bid $60, I told Austin that if we don’t get it, we can bake another one.

He started to cry.

I told him I would continue, but would not go over $75 (as if that made any sense to a six year old). When it reached $75, he looked horrified – like he was on the verge of losing his best friend. How could I take his best friend away from him? The bidding went on to $80 - $85 - and $90. “Ninety dollars going once, going twice…” the auctioneer was saying to my bidding rival. I raised my hand one last time, and locked in SpongeBob SquareCake for NINETY FIVE DOLLARS! The cake we had a whopping six dollars invested into! But to see the expression of joy on my son’s face was worth every “overbidded” dollar I spent!

We brought the cake home, and popped it in the cold oven to keep it away from the cat – tucked Austin into bed, and called it a night. The next evening, I came home from work, walked into the house, and smelled a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen. I looked at my wife, and asked, “Honey, are you baking another cake?” – thinking that was odd since we already had … before I could finish, she rushed to the oven, threw open the door to reveal a totally “re-baked” SpongeBob SquareCake. Apparently, she started to pre-heat the oven for dinner, and forgot that SpongeBob was still inside! We pulled him out only to discover there was no salvaging this mess. All the frosting had melted off the cake, leaving what looked like something you’d see after a nuclear experiment gone terribly wrong. So there we were. Looking at what remained of this very special cake – a cake that we had the pleasure of paying $95 – that was now, well, TOAST!