Script note, from playwright Noah Haidle:

For the purposes of sanity and theatricality, a simple butter cake is probably the best way to go. They take about twenty minutes to prep, they cook for thirty, and cool for another twenty or more, which are great for a play transpiring in real time. Here’s the recipe for the “Birthday Candles Real Time Golden Butter Cake” 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 cup of milk

Directions:

• Preheat oven the 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour a 9×9 pan.
• Cream together sugar and butter.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
• Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture.
• Stir in the milk until the batter is smooth.
• Spoon batter into the pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes, when it springs to the touch, we’re done.