Easy Bake Oven is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. For me there was nothing better than making a small chocolate cake with my friend Jeannie. Her house, my house–it didn’t matter–it was all about making the cake all by ourselves.

The last time we tested an Easy Bake with kids, I have to say that their reaction didn’t match my childhood memories. After about 30 minutes of using the oven, they pulled out their creation. “All of this time to make mac and cheese- we could just have nuked it in the microwave!” True–I wonder if in our new age of “instant food” if this device still captures the same enthusiasm. If you’ve tried the Easy Bake with your kids let us know what they thought.

Perhaps to engage a new generation, the folks at Easy Bake are running a Baker of the Year Contest with a pretty amazing grand prize, a trip to Disney World!