Oh the horrors of finding a first birthday cake for our little pookey-pooh. The first birthday cake was a biggie. There are so many options. So many opinions. People who believe depriving a baby of devilishly chocolate, sugary cake is tantamount to child abuse; people who believe giving baby any sugar, ever, is tantamount to child abuse. Some people skip cake altogether, reasoning any messy, dessertish dish will do for the messy-faced photos that most everyone agrees are about the whole reason a child turns one.
For BabyG's party, we made, cough, cough, cough, i mean our friend Heather slaved in our kitchen all morning to produce-- several "cakes" in jumbo muffin tins, for the babys and toddlers present to have their own private cakes to destroy. The adults got regular cupcake-sized versions of the same thing. It was the right way to go: the adults who like tiny slices ate one cupcake, and those who never get enough, snuck cupcakes into their coat pockets on their way out. And the kids all got to feel special enough to warrant a cake. I didn't have to slice anything. I do wish I'd opted for a darker frosting color -- below she's eating Pomegranite Ice Cream.
We did have a hard time finding first birthday cake recipes for BabyG's party, to begin with, though. After a year of little sugars, we didn't want send her into sugar-convusions on her birthday, but we're not anti-sugar, either. We're a somewhere-in-between household. So this is the post that offers up a little of my research in the form of some of the best recipes I found.
By all means, no matter when you read this, if you have a green cake suggestion post it in the comments and I'll likely add it to the list.
The ever evasive word 'green' means: less sugar than normal cakes and/or healthy ingredients...but thanks to Fiddler, it also means cool, gardenish presentation.
A secret about my cooking, in general, is that if I can throw a vegetable or nut into something, I do it. My selection of recipes reflects this. Since there are a million versions of apple cakes, etc, I chose the recipes I like best.
BabyG's Birthday Cake (which she LOVED)
Pumpkin Apple Harvest Cake
By Cait Johnson, author of Witch in the Kitchen
INGREDIENTS
1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup organic sugar
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Whipped cream or confectioners’ sugar for topping (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare an 8-inch round cake pan by greasing and flouring it.
2. Combine pumpkin, eggs, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, and salt, stirring to combine. Add apples and nuts, stirring again. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
4. Cool the cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove pan, and cool cake completely.
5. When ready to serve, turn cake on to a pretty plate and top with whipped cream or confectioners’ sugar, if desired, or serve plain.
ps. If you make the cake, smooth it out when you put it in the pan as pumkin makes it bake in whatever shape it goes in there with. Guests loved the cake, BabyG did...I frosted it by whipping heavy cream with a little sugar and cream cheese.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
Cosmo's Birthday Carrot–Pineapple Snacking Cake (from Superfoods by Delores Riccio)
Makes 9 or more servings
1 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (or 1/2 cup prepared egg substitute)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar (can use less)
1/2 cup white sugar (can use less)
1 1/2 cups finely grated (about 4 large)
one 8 oz can of crushed pineapple, packed in its own juice, undrained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inc square or 7 x 11 inch oblong cake pan.
sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a large bowl.
In another bowl, beat the eggs with the oil, then blend in the brown and white sugars.
In a third bowl, combine the carrots, pineapple with its juice, and walnuts, if you are using them.
Beat the egg-oil mixture into the dry ingredients. When well blended, stir in the carrot-pineapple mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake is risen and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out dry.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
Applesauce Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup safflower oil
1 cup Florida Crystals natural sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins
1 cup hot applesauce without sugar
A handful of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Preparation:
Mix the oil and sugar. Combine the spices, nuts and raisins with flour and spoon this into the oil/sugar mix, alternating with hot applesauce. Cream until smooth. Pour into greased and floured 6-by-10-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
Cardamom Apple Cake from Canadian Living.com
Ingredients
• 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) firmly packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (150 mL) melted butter, cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
• 2 cups (500 mL) sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10 mL) baking soda
• 2 tsp (10 mL) cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5 mL) each nutmeg and cardamom
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1 cup (250 mL) chopped pecans or unblanched almonds
• 4 cups (1 L) peeled, cored chopped apples
• 3 tbsp (50 mL) icing sugar
Preparation
Grease 10-inch (4 L) angel food cake pan or similar pan and dust lightly with flour.
In large mixing bowl, blend together sugars; beat in butter, eggs and vanilla to make smooth batter.
Sift together flour, soda, spices and salt. Measure out about 1/4 cup (50 mL) and dust nuts. Mix sifted dry ingredients into butter batter; quickly stir in floured nuts and apples. Transfer to prepared pan.
Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 50 minutes or until skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan on rack. If possible, store for 1 day in airtight container before cutting.
To serve, remove from pan and, positioning patterned cardboard (or paper lace doily) over top of cake, sieve icing sugar onto cake. Remove cardboard.
Ingredients
• 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) firmly packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (150 mL) melted butter, cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
• 2 cups (500 mL) sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10 mL) baking soda
• 2 tsp (10 mL) cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5 mL) each nutmeg and cardamom
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1 cup (250 mL) chopped pecans or unblanched almonds
• 4 cups (1 L) peeled, cored chopped apples
• 3 tbsp (50 mL) icing sugar
Preparation
Grease 10-inch (4 L) angel food cake pan or similar pan and dust lightly with flour.
In large mixing bowl, blend together sugars; beat in butter, eggs and vanilla to make smooth batter.
Sift together flour, soda, spices and salt. Measure out about 1/4 cup (50 mL) and dust nuts. Mix sifted dry ingredients into butter batter; quickly stir in floured nuts and apples. Transfer to prepared pan.
Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 50 minutes or until skewer inserted in centre of cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan on rack. If possible, store for 1 day in airtight container before cutting.
To serve, remove from pan and, positioning patterned cardboard (or paper lace doily) over top of cake, sieve icing sugar onto cake. Remove cardboard.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
CARDAMOM CAKE from Cooks.com
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tbsp. chopped orange rind
1 tbsp. grated lemon rind
3 eggs
1/4 c. canola oil
1 1/2 c. yogurt
1/4 c. honey
1 c. chopped prunes
1 c. chopped walnuts
In a large bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda and cardamom. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, oil, yogurt and honey. Stir the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture until batter is smooth.
Fold in the dried fruit and nuts. Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until cake tester come out dry.
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tbsp. chopped orange rind
1 tbsp. grated lemon rind
3 eggs
1/4 c. canola oil
1 1/2 c. yogurt
1/4 c. honey
1 c. chopped prunes
1 c. chopped walnuts
In a large bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda and cardamom. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, oil, yogurt and honey. Stir the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture until batter is smooth.
Fold in the dried fruit and nuts. Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until cake tester come out dry.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
Upside Down Cardamom-Pear Cake
Pears:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Cooking spray
2 peeled Bartlett or Anjou pears, cored and each cut into 12 wedges
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
3/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare pears, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom; cook 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Pour sugar mixture into a 9-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange pears in an overlapping circle over sugar mixture; set aside.
To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Place granulated sugar and 1/4 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; beat until blended. Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into center of prepared pan; gently spread batter to cover fruit.
Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; run a knife around outside edge. Place a plate upside down on top of pan; invert onto plate. Let stand 2 minutes before removing pan. Cut into wedges.
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Cooking spray
2 peeled Bartlett or Anjou pears, cored and each cut into 12 wedges
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
3/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare pears, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom; cook 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Pour sugar mixture into a 9-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange pears in an overlapping circle over sugar mixture; set aside.
To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Place granulated sugar and 1/4 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; beat until blended. Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into center of prepared pan; gently spread batter to cover fruit.
Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; run a knife around outside edge. Place a plate upside down on top of pan; invert onto plate. Let stand 2 minutes before removing pan. Cut into wedges.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
Baby's First Birthday Cake (Carrot Cake)
(Makes 1 double-layer 9-inch square cake adapted from "What to Expect")
~ 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
~ 2 1/2 cups apple juice concentrate (you may use slightly less)
~ 1 1/2 cups raisins
~ Vegetable Spray/Shortening
~ 2 cups whole-wheat flour
~ 1/2 cup vegetable oil
~ 2 whole eggs
~ 4 egg whites
~ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
~ 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
~ 1/2 cup wheat germ
~ 2 Tbsp low sodium baking powder
~ 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Prep: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 9 inch square cake pans with waxed paper and spray the paper with vegetable spray/shortening.
1. Combine the carrots with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the juice concentrate in a medium size saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, 15 to 20 mins. Puree in a blender of food processor until smooth.
3. Add the raisins and process until finely chopped. Let mixture cool.
4. Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups juice concentrate, the oil, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla; beat just until well mixed. Fold in the carrot puree and applesauce. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
5. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 mins. Cool briefly in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
(Makes 1 double-layer 9-inch square cake adapted from "What to Expect")
~ 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
~ 2 1/2 cups apple juice concentrate (you may use slightly less)
~ 1 1/2 cups raisins
~ Vegetable Spray/Shortening
~ 2 cups whole-wheat flour
~ 1/2 cup vegetable oil
~ 2 whole eggs
~ 4 egg whites
~ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
~ 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
~ 1/2 cup wheat germ
~ 2 Tbsp low sodium baking powder
~ 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Prep: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 9 inch square cake pans with waxed paper and spray the paper with vegetable spray/shortening.
1. Combine the carrots with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the juice concentrate in a medium size saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, 15 to 20 mins. Puree in a blender of food processor until smooth.
3. Add the raisins and process until finely chopped. Let mixture cool.
4. Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups juice concentrate, the oil, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla; beat just until well mixed. Fold in the carrot puree and applesauce. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
5. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 mins. Cool briefly in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
mmmm mmmm mmmm
Chocolate, Zucchini, Sweet Potato Cake
recipe zaar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup rye flour or buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated sweet potatoes
1 cup dried cherries, hydrated in 3 tablespoons rum or hot water
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
Decrease the oil by ½ cup, omit the sugar and honey. Try using chopped
jarred maraschino cherries for more moisture.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter and flour a bundt pan.
• Sift together first 7 ingredients.
• Set aside.
• In a mixer mix oil, sugar, honey add eggs and vanilla.
• Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture then add buttermilk.
• Stir in remaining ingredients.
• Pour into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes till toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool.
• Invert onto cake dish.
recipe zaar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup rye flour or buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated sweet potatoes
1 cup dried cherries, hydrated in 3 tablespoons rum or hot water
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
Decrease the oil by ½ cup, omit the sugar and honey. Try using chopped
jarred maraschino cherries for more moisture.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter and flour a bundt pan.
• Sift together first 7 ingredients.
• Set aside.
• In a mixer mix oil, sugar, honey add eggs and vanilla.
• Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture then add buttermilk.
• Stir in remaining ingredients.
• Pour into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes till toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool.
• Invert onto cake dish.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
BANANA CAKE
2/3 c. banana, mashed
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 lg. eggs
3/4 c. water
2 c. unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
Optional: 1 c. chopped walnuts OR 1/2 c. chopped walnuts & 1/2 c. raisins
Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together mashed banana and soft butter until creamy. Beat in water. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until very foamy. Beat into mixture. Blend in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until smooth. Stir in walnuts or walnuts and raisins, if desired. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool. Serves 8-10.
2/3 c. banana, mashed
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 lg. eggs
3/4 c. water
2 c. unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
Optional: 1 c. chopped walnuts OR 1/2 c. chopped walnuts & 1/2 c. raisins
Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together mashed banana and soft butter until creamy. Beat in water. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until very foamy. Beat into mixture. Blend in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until smooth. Stir in walnuts or walnuts and raisins, if desired. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool. Serves 8-10.
mmmm mmmm mmmm
Flowerpot Cake from Martha Stewart.com
This cake you have to see on the website, so here's the link to recipe and photo. It's also for those of you decide your baby won't expire because of a load of sugar, and who want to see good chocolatey goodness wiped all over her/his mouth. So here, "green" means it's in a flowerpot.
This cake you have to see on the website, so here's the link to recipe and photo. It's also for those of you decide your baby won't expire because of a load of sugar, and who want to see good chocolatey goodness wiped all over her/his mouth. So here, "green" means it's in a flowerpot.
Posts
73 comments:
i'm so glad we didn't try this martha stewart cake the morning of babyg's birthday. party. i would have had a nervous breakdown.
That picture in the middle is adorable. She has the prettiest eyes!
Great pictures! Your daughter is sooo adorable! I love the recipes, too! I, too, try to add nut butter (almond works best) to everything: waffles in the morning.... :) The monkey loves it!
I'm so glad you posted this! It's exactly what I was looking for, being somewhere between a low-sugar mom and a what-the-heck-there-are-worse-things mom. I think we'll do the banana cake because bananas and sweet potatoes are his favorite foods and we're having sweet potato chili for his lunch.
I just made the banana cake for my daughter's first birthday! I picked it because she loooves bananas. We haven't tasted it yet but it sure smells good. Mmmmm...
Hi, I'm thinking about making the banana cake for my son's first b-day. Would it be okay to substitute butter with margarine???? Has anyone tried it? If not, I might make the pumpkin apple harvest cake. Nicole
Hi Nicole
I don't see why you couldn't substitute butter w/margarine. People do it all the time in recipes. But..the pumkin apple cake is lovely.
thanks so much for the recipes! a friend sent me a link to this post... I'll be adding your blog to my list now.. : )
Thank you so much for the recipes!! I have been searching for a few to try out before the big day. I'm torn between the carrot and apple cake.
Thanks again,
Christina
Thanks so much for posting this great banana cake recipe. I made it for my daughter's 1st brithday party this weekend and she loved it! and I loved the fact that it was sugarfree as well :)
thanks for sharing it!
-Heather
Any suggestions on using foil so that I could take the cake out and cut it into a 1 shape?
I made Baby's first carrot cake and it was disgusting. The recipe needs some serious altercations. There is way to much cinnamon and raisins. Unfortunately I discovered this after baking all night. I don't know anyone who would enjoy this recipe let alone a babe. Sorry this recipe should be chucked or revamped!
I made the banana cake for my son's 1st birthday... I didn't think it tasted that great, but both of my kids loved it, and I love that it has no added sugar. THANK YOU! I have a mom's ground in California and will be recommending you website to all the other moms!
The banana cake was simple! It used more bowls than I was accustomed to using, but was super easy. It tasted similar to a pancake and was very moist. I mixed whipped topping and mashed banana for a frosting. My new one-year-old loved playing in and throwing his cake. He even ate a few bites!
Cutting a #1-If you grease and flour your pan you should be able to flip it out after the cake cools. Turn the cooling rack or platter over on top of the cake pan. Grab both the rack and pan on the sides and flip them over, cake pan becoming inverted on top of the rack. If that does not work, you may have to loosen the edges with a knife and try again. Use a toothpick to make dots to outline your #1 and then cut with a clean knife.
I made the applesauce cake for my babe's 1st, tomorrow. What kind of icing/topping do you suggest. I, too, am middle of the road on sugar.
I'd just like to THANK YOU for posting this! I think we are in the same sugar category as your family. I was panicking about feeding my 1 y/o run-of-the-mill junk that would send her into a sugar-induced frenzy so was poking around to find something that everyone could enjoy but was still healthy. We're going to use the Pumpkin Apple recipe. Thanks again!
I just found your blog and I am enjoying what I read ;)
My little one will be 1 in Nov nd I will be making a carrot cake for him as it our family favourite... (well... that is if he has started solids by then)
I use Sucanat instead of Sugar, whole wheat flower and sub at least half of the oil with applesauce, I also add about 1/2 cup of shredded coconut....
I love the other ideas too!
Great Blog here!
Thanks for posting all these ideas!
Just tried the banana cake...
Good thing I sampled it before serving it to guests. It tastes like saltine crackers, with a vague hint of banana. Gross!
Guests are arriving in 3 hours... I'm off to bake another cake!
I made a carrot applesauce cake for a previous party (carrots, applesauce, flour were the first 3 ingredients)... tasty AND somewhat virtuous, in case anyone is interested.
Thanks for sharing. Like many of the others who have responded, I too am middle of the road on sugar. I wish I had time to try out the cake first, but I think I will do the pumpkin apple. It is october in NY after all! ;) thanks!
What about the frosting?! Birthday cake is not birthday cake without frosting. Any Ideas that arent all sugar and butter?
We tried your banana cake recipe for my son's first birthday. It was just what we were looking for. I made it in a mini-cake pan and frosted it with a sugar-free cream cheese frosting recipe I found.
The only thing was that it wasn't very "fluffy" and kind of hard for him to dig into. But much healthier than a bakery or box mix cake. He was so neat in eating it that no frosting even got on his face anyway!
I did a trial run of the pumpkin apple harvest cake for my daughter's first birthday. It is very heavy and had to cook much longer than 25 min. I am going to plan B. Wouldn't reccomend this one.
Happy Birthday to your Beautiful Baby!!!
hollygollygee Linked me to this and showed me that you have my Chocolate, Zucchini, Sweet Potato, Cake http://www.recipezaar.com/93811 above and hope you enjoyed it! I also have this really moist yummy one you may like. Red Beet Chocolate Cake
Recipe #7883
http://www.recipezaar.com/7883
Hope to see you on zaar!
I made the Pumpkin Apple Harvest Cake and it is sooooo yummy - I've already had 3 servings! I did a trial run today, 1 week before the birthday. I used organic canned pumpkin pie mix. I used sucanat vs. the sugar and I made a whipped cream topping. Topping: 1c. organic whipping cream - whip up until thickens then add 1 tsp vanilla. So good! I did need to bake for 20 extra minutes - a total of 45 minutes. I used regular bake not convection. Will definitely enjoy again.
i used 2 packages cream cheese, raisins, and apple juice added just enough to thin it to make it spreadable for carrot cake frosting and my baby loved it. just add everything to the food processor and you have frosting. i revised the recipe from sugar free toddlers recipe book
Thank you SO much for putting this back up the other day (website was down, and I freaked out because I had to get the pumpkin apple recipe that day!)..
We made cupcakes in the Pampered chef stoneware muffin pan (6 cupcakes).
This only made one batch of 6 cupcakes, and I made 30. I used turbinado sugar instead of regular sugar, and I put extra cinnamon, and I also added a teaspoon of nutmeg. They were absolutely AWESOME! Every one complimented us, and wanted the recipe. It took more like 45 minutes for each batch of cupcakes.
My mixer did break, so my Mom got a reduced sugar frosting, and we left a couple unfrosted (had a few health nuts).
Alex loved his cupcake for his first birthday. This will be a regular recipe for me, because I feel like its so much healthier than other things.
So glad I found this site. My daughter's b-day is next week. I'm going to try the pumpkin apple cake. Love the comments too. Going to try the whipping cream and vanilla for the frosting. Thanks so much!
I wanted to try the banana cake for my little ones first birthday...would this work to make into large cupcakes instead though so I could give each child a "personal cake"?
Found this through Google. These recipes all look great. Thank you!
Thanks so much for posting these recipes! The pumpkin-apple cake looks wonderful! I think I will make it into cupcakes.. any ides how long to bake in cupcake tins? Should I use a paper liner?
heres a frosting for the cakes,thanks for the cake suggestions i've been looking for some
Sugar-Free Cream Cheese Frosting Frosts one 2-layer cake
½ cup apple juice concentrate
1 pound light cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup finely chopped raisins
1 ½ tsp unflavored gelatin
1. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the juice concentrate.
2. Process the remaining juice concentrate, the cream cheese, vanilla, and raisins in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
3. Stir the gelatin into the 2 tablespoons juice concentrate in a small saucepan; let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat to boiling and stir to dissolve gelatin.
4. Beat the gelatin mixture into the cream cheese mixture until well blended. Refrigerate just until the frosting begins to set, about 30-60 minutes. Frost the cake
I just made the Applesauce Cake as cupcakes with the above cream cheese frosting. Seemed like they would go perfect together with the apples and raisins in both recipes. Should be good. Will provide an update!
I am so glad I found your blog. Same story here w/ the sugar; Not afraid to give it but don't want to overdo it. Thanks so much for posting your recipes. I am going to make the banana cake for her First B-day!
Thanks again! :)
i found your blog via google -- what a gold mine! i made the pumpkin apple cake for ds's 1st bday and it went over great w/ him and adults too. as others have said, i cooked it for about 50 minutes (and made into cupcakes). moist and delicious. thanks again for posting these.
Thank you for this page! I've been looking for an easy recipe that doesn't use sugar. My daughter's birthday is coming up and her older brother has what I call a "sugar sensitivity." I think the banana cake will please everyone!
I made the pumpkin apple harvest cake as cupcakes for my daughter's first birthday. It was great- but DON'T try to make them with cupcake papers, as they stick terribly. They came out fine in greased cupcake pan.
Thanks soo much for this site it was EXACTLY what I was looking for! All the comments and suggestions are great. I am not sure which one I will be baking yet. I've still got a few weeks and I might test a couple. I will be back with the results... thanks again!
This is perfect - Thank you! I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out what kind of cake to make for my son's first. But I figure, why make one cake when you can make 3 or 4 kinds of cupcakes?
These were all great recipes, but I needed one without eggs, only because my daughter hadn't tried them yet. I ended up finding a banana cake recipe without any eggs at:
http://www.drgreene.com/24_50.html
I had the hardest time finding a decent frosting recipe! I ended up making a sort of mashed potato frosting. I used instant potato flakes, for a smoother consistency; substituted YoBaby yogurt for the milk; and omitted the salt. I added a couple spoonfuls of powdered sugar, just to give it some body, and whipped it with an electric mixer. Looked just like frosting, and baby loved it all!
This is just what I was looking for. I have been testing recipes for my son's first birthday cake and have yet to find what I am looking for. I just made cupcakes out of the banana cake recipe. My 9 month old son absolutely loved them but they were a little blah for my taste. I think I will use it as a base because they came out so well. Thanks for the post. I will be checking out the rest of your blog, I noticed you EC too!
I found your blog while searching ideas for my baby's first birthday party (it's not until July, but I'm just so anxious). I'm always looking for new, healthy ideas for cooking and just living life with my new baby. Love the recipes! I just don't know which one to try!! :)
So glad I found your blog! My sentiments exactly. My husband and I aren't anti sugar, we're just anti a LOT of sugar (and other processed food additives), so I defintely want to make our daughter's first birthday cake from scratch myself. I really appreciate all of the recipes.
This site is great! Love the recipes. I think I will do trial runs of the Pumpkin Apple and of the Banana. I found a recipe for a banana glaze on http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/content/firstBirthday.pdf
BANANA GLAZE
1/2 med. banana
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. chopped nuts
2 or more c. powdered sugar
Mash banana well add lemon juice and nuts. Gradually add powdered
sugar until you obtain right spreading consistency. Ice cake after
completely cool.
Looks easy and yummy. Thanks again, I will post once I decide which we like the best.
I made the chocolate sweet potato cake for my daughter's first birthday and it was DELICIOUS. Here are the changes I made.
Instead of grating the potatoes I peeled and roasted them, then mashed them and added them to the batter. I used half the oil and half the sugar. Next time I may add more cocoa, but overall it was yummy and everyone loved it.
For frosting I whipped cream and added some cocoa and agave syrup - perfect!
Thanks so much for posting all of these recipes. I just found another one for our daughter's birthday this weekend that I thought I would share. It uses veggies, fruit and agave (a nice alternative to honey). We are going to make cupcakes for the kids and then one large, glorified cake-looking cupcake for the birthday girl. We plan to use organic ingredients and possibly carrots and eggs from the farmers' market.
Carrot/Pineapple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (Make 14 Cupcakes)
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Agave
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 Cup Pineapple, drained, crushed in juice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium sized bowl.
3. Using a mixer, beat the agave, oil and eggs until throughly combined.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
5. Add the carrots and pineapple and beat until all the ingredients are throughly combined.
6. Line 14 1/3 cup muffin cups with paper liners.
7. Scoop batter into cups, filling 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 30 minutes.
9. Cool (cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead, cover and store at room temperature).
10 Spread top of each cupcake with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese icing and serve.
Cream Cheese Icing (Make 2 Cups)
1 8 oz Package Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature
4 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1. Place all the ingredients in a mixer and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy.
2. Spread on cupcakes.
Source: http://weelicious.com/tag/cupcake-recipes/
I just made the Banana Cake for my DD's 1st on Sunday. Since I only wanted an 8x8 cake for her I made a couple of cupcakes with the remainder. I gave one to her as a test and she devoured it! So this one is all I need.
For someone with a taste for sugar it may not do the trick but for those babies who have not had much exposure to it yet this cake is the bee's knees. Thank you!
Hi, great website! I just made the pumpkin apple cake for my daughters first b-day. It tasted great but it didn't rise? Did anyone else have this issue?
I am in charge of making my niece's first birthday cake. I am doing it in a huge cupcake pan then individual regular cupcakes for everyone else. Any suggestions on what would work in a huge cupcake pan? I see one did the same thing with the carrot/pineapple cake. Did you double the recipe? Thanks for any suggestions.
Oh my gosh, my daughter's first birthday is tomorrow, I should have searched for this earlier. I think I'll stick to banana bread muffins, but will try the banana glaze that someone suggested. Can't wait to try the cardamom-pear upsidedown cake!!
My son Cole loved the banana cake recipe for his first bday cake...he is still eating leftovers! I admit it was a bit bland for my taste but it did not matter to me as long as he liked it. I made a cream cheese frosting with the agave nectar and it turned out great!
Just made the banana cake for my son's 2nd b'day very last minute. Was a little worried about the comments that it was bland, so added 140g of dried fruit.
Bubba boy loved it so much - was shoving it down his throat like there was no tomorrow. The fruit was good as us adults didnt find it bland. Wasnt the most delicous cake I've tasted either though. Definately needs to be marketed as a healthy kid friendly cake if your having adults at the party.
Used cream cheese, apple juice and caramel essence for the frosting, added some colouring and made a garbage truck cake as thats bubba boy's fav thing atm. Had no trouble with cutting it, very thick and moist. Texture kinda like a mud cake.
Thanks for the ideas - b'day dinner went down a treat thanks to you.
Our daughter loved the pumpkin apple cake. Thank you!
I am more worried about my child eating eggs than sugar. She's already allergic to bananas, mango and maybe vanilla. Any recipes without the eggs?
I just made the banana cake for my son's 1st bday. Ity pretty darn yummy! I made a couple of substitutions: i replaced 1/2 the butter with unsweetened applesauce and I replaced the water with apple juice (100% juice, obviously). I made it as cupcakes, which took 20-22 mins to bake, FYI.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
hi, these recipes look great, thanks, but does anyone know any good substitutions for wheat flour? Like, if I used rice flour, what changes would I have to make?
Thanks!
I made the applesauce cake last year for my daughters 2nd bday and she loved it! Thinking of doing the carrot cake this year for her 3rd bday. These are so awesome thanks for posting :)
I just made a test batch of the pumpkin apple spice cake and it turned out great! My son will be 1 in a month and he still has trouble with chunks - so, I grated the apple and omitted the nuts. Also substituted fresh grated nutmeg for the ginger.
It was VERY moist - may need a touch more dry since I grated the apples, and it didn't rise much, but that was OK for the cupcakes.
Here's the frosting I made, which complements nicely and gives it that sense of indulgence that everyone wants!
Maple-Carob Frosting
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 TBSP Carob Powder (or Cacao)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Combine all in mini food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. May add more maple syrup to desired sweetness (& depending on size of avocado)
in the pineapple and carrot cake (recipe 2) you forgot to say CARROTS - it just says finely grated... but doesn't say what. Cheers. anja, Sydney, Australia
I don't know if this has already been suggested as I was not about to read through all of the comments, but for frosting my grandma used to mix whipped cream with fruit yogurt. It was always delicious!
Disappointed...there were no recipes without eggs, nuts, or dairy ... None of which we will have introduced by then. Boo
I just made the banana cake. I'm not really a baker, but it was easy! I made some changes so here they are, if anyone's interested:
2 jars of stage 2 bananas instead of real bananas (I had some laying around)
Whole yogurt instead of butter
1 1/4 c white flour + 3/4 c whole wheat flour instead of 2 c white flour
I added 1/4 tsp vanilla extract to the first mixture.
It took 14 minutes in the oven.
My cake was light and moist, but, obviously, not very sweet or buttery. My nearly 1-year-old likes it pretty well and I think it's pretty good. I think we might 'frost' it with homemade berry frozen yogurt.
I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but I didn't stir the final mixture very much. Just enough to wet everything but not enough to get the lumps out -- kind of like what you would do for a pancake batter.
I made the banana cake for my daughter's 1st birthday today. YUM!!! Instead of water I used apple juice, and instead of the unbleached flour I used bleached (eep! haha). Thanks so much for posting this site!
I found your blog while searching ideas for my baby's first birthday party (it's not until July, but I'm just so anxious). I'm always looking for new, healthy ideas for cooking and just living life with my new baby. Love the recipes!
i want to try the bannana cake recipe but can some one tell me if i could do it in cup cakes?
Chocolate Zuccini Cake is what I have decided to make up for my little cutie!
I healthy portion of vegetables with a small bit of chocolate because...come on it is a birthday!
This is a well perfected recipe:
1/4c Cocoa
2 1/2c Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 3/4c Sugar
1/2c Butter
1/2c Oil
2 Eggs well beaten
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2c Milk
2c Zuccini (I use 2 small zuccini blended)
Cream Butter, Oil, Sugar. Add eggs & Vanilla. Blend Milk & dry ingredients. Add zuccini!
Pour into 9x13 pan or 2 loaf pans and Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.
Enjoy and Happy Birthday Little Munchkins!!
I know this is quick ... but, I'm going to use your chocolate, zucchini, sweet potato recipe and I was wondering if there was an estimate on how many cupcakes this would make. There isn't a pan suggested, so I couldn't do a conversion. I'm baking in 3 days, so any help would be great!
i tried the carrot cake, but it turn out not really good, i think the recipe need to be revised and more clear instruction
anyone tried the carrot cake successfully?
I MUST thank you for sharing the Pumpkin Apple Harvest Cake recipe! I made it for my daughter's recent first birthday, and there wasn't enough to go around! Then my hubby wanted it for HIS birthday yesterday, and today I made it for my cousin's daughter's third birthday b/c she has juvenile diabetes. Thank you so so much for sharing! It truly is a crowd pleaser :)
I am throwing my first grandson a 6 month party. Are there any suggestions or recipes that don't include eggs or sugar.
We did a test run of the pumpkin apple cake last night and it was really good. I agree with a few of the earlier comments that it was a bit too moist and dense. I did the cake in large muffin pans and cooked it 35-40 minutes and it still could have used a few more minutes. I'm going to try adding a bit more flour to it to see if I can get it to rise. For frosting I just whipped heavy whipping cream with a touch of sugar and vanilla.
Has anyone made the banana cake with no eggs?
Anyone know if I can use pudding instead of the eggs? If so, how much?
Post a Comment