About 10 years ago borrowed an old cookbook ( 1950's maybe older ) from my grandmother in law she passed away shortly after I returned the book and it was lost. There was a poem or story of how to cook a birthday cake with a child that goes into getting the ingredients, bowls, pans etc.. all the while the child is making a mess getting flour all over, climbing on stuff and the mother is running herself exhausted trying to make a cake and keep up with a toddler. In the end the directions are clean up mess and go to a bakery. Does anyone know what this poem or story is? I'm trying to make a baby memory book for my daughter and thought this would be cute on the birthday page.

  Thanks for any help.

i don 't know that one--but if you'll let me ramble a tid tad-- i have another one that is maybe not exactly gonna fit here for you but i would use it in class as an ice breaker that i ♥

it's metered and rhymes nicely--it's called "the hole book" because every page has a hole in it because tom potts accidentally shoots a gun and the bullet travels through all kinds of clever circumstances before it meekly flattens out when it hits the side of a cake that a newlywed made  it's adorably written --

used to read it to the kids --

thanks for letting me share and hope you find the one you need 

Is it this one?

Karen

You’ll find this popular recipe story in a variety of old cookbooks. That Johnny, he’s a busy boy!

• Heat oven. Grease pan. Crack nuts. Get your bowl, spoons and ingredients. Remove 18 blocks and 7 toy automobiles from kitchen table. Measure 2 cups flour onto piece of waxed paper. Get sifter out of cabinet. Remove Johnny’s hand from flour. Wash flour off him.
• Measure out 1 cup more flour to replace what is now on floor. Put 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. of salt in the sifter. Get dustpan and brush up pieces of bowl which Johnny has accidentally knocked off table.
• Get another bowl. Measure and sift ingredients. With spoon work 1/4 cup of shortening against side of bowl. Answer doorbell. Return to kitchen. Remove Johnny’s hands from bowl. Wash shortening off him. Add one cup granulated sugar gradually. Answer telephone. Return to kitchen. Remove Johnny’s hands from bowl. Wash shortening and sugar off him.
• Get out an egg. Answer doorbell. Return to kitchen. Mop up floor. Change Johnny’s shoes which are all eggy. Get another egg. Beat. Remove toy automobile from bowl. Add flour mixture alternately with egg, 3/4 cup milk and one tsp. vanilla. Answer knock at back door. Remove Johnny’s hands from bowl. Wash shortening, sugar, flour, milk and vanilla off him. Beat…mixture that is…Take up greased pan, find it has 1/4 inch layer of salt in bottom. Look for Johnny, who has disappeared.
• Get another pan and grease it. Answer telephone. Return to kitchen and find, of all people, Johnny. Remove his hands from bowl. Wash shortening etc., etc., off him. Take up greased pan; find it has 1/4 inch of nutshells in it. Head for Johnny, who flees, knocking bowl off table.
• Wash kitchen floor. Wash kitchen table. Wash kitchen walls. Wash dishes. Call up your baker and order a cake. Lie down…

Author Unknown
*This version was found in a cookbook from 1967

Karen,

 Thank you so much the one from 1967 is the one I was looking for. 
 

Thank you K8 that sounds like an adorable story.

I'm so happy it was the right one. I enjoyed it too.

While I was searching last night I found so many nice poems ... baking and caking based.

Karen