Dear Sun Spots: When I was small, my mother used to make a cake and put small trinkets in it wrapped in waxed paper so when the cake was cut different ones would get these small trinkets in their piece of cake. It was always fun to have company in and the children find these things. I do not know what they are called but I would like to find some so my grandchildren can have this same fun. Does anyone know where to find these? They were metal so they would not melt from the heat of cooking the cake and were large enough that no one could choke on them. – Loves To Cook, No Town.

Answer: Sun Spots spoke with Heather from Heather’s Bakery who said the only trinkets or charms she has heard of are those used in wedding cakes and king’s cake, for Mardi Gras celebrations.

For both cakes, she mentions the charms are not actually baked into the cake. The are inserted between the layers, usually with a ribbon attached so people can pull them out of the cake.

She cautions against baking the charms directly into the cake, unless they are specifically made for baking. She suggested checking www.weddingdepot.com to view the pull charms they have available.

However, Sun Spots also found many recipes for king’s cake, all which instructed the baker to bake the charm directly in the cake. We noted that the charms they used were made from plastic, porcelain or metal and there was no mention that these charms were manufactured especially for baking. There was also no mention of the trinket being wrapped and we aren’t sure if the purpose of the wax paper is to protect the finish of the charm or to protect the person eating the cake! Perhaps readers will have more insight.

• Sun Spots provided an incorrect phone number and e-mail address for ordering a cookbook from the First Baptist Church of Brunswick. To order a book, send an e-mail to cookbook@firstbaptistchurchofbrunswick.com with your name and contact information. The incorrect information appeared in the Friday, Jan. 9 column.

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