Purpose of this post: I'm begging for recipes & ideas
Well, we're having people over for BabyG's birthday and the question is: what do I do about cake?
The memory I'll indulge: Once my grandma made my father a sandwich cake, which she was very proud of, and which he still describes with shudders. I think there were spam layers, some sort of chopped veggie layers, and cream cheese layers. On white bread? Something like that. She made it because dad said he hated cake, and she wanted him to have a cake he'd like.
Moral: In most other ways I'd love to emulate my grandmother, but I don't want to bomb on the cake-thing.
BTW: I hate cake. And so does GreenDaddy.
Why cake matters: The photo, I guess. Maybe she'll have fun digging into it. I'm not sure.
Important note: I am a terribe baker. But deep down, no matter what I write afterwards, I want BabyG to have cake.
And: If at all possible, whatever cake, or cake variation I make...I'd like it to be impressive.
And: I realize my expecations are high and as of yet undefined. Please bear with me.
I am of twenty-two minds a few of which are:
1) Cook the baby some sugar free cake and don't jolt her into sugarhood.
a) But what kind of cake...not carrot. We are stealing friend Cos's
birthday open house idea, and so think we won't also steal the
delicious carrot cake his birthday starred.
b) Recipes anyone...? Or ideas about kinds?
12) Cook a cake alternative. I've read Jello is fun (but ew!...)
a) Any other ideas/opinions about this?
17) Cook her a massively chocolate cake with sugar and the rest.
a) Do they make "healthy" chocolate cakes?
Sunday, December 10, 2006
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10 comments:
I heartily recommend Family Fun's birthday cake ideas. Even an uncoordinated, unartistic mom like me can make really fun cakes from their directions.
You can find their whole searchable collection here:
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/specialfeature/cakefinder-birthday/
Oops...looks like the post cut off the full URL. But if you go to Familyfun.com, click on "Parties" in the top nav and then choose "Birthday cakes" you'll be there.
How about banana bread? Banana bread cupcakes? Would those work? You could frost the ones for adults and older kids, and keep the baby cupcakes free of frosting (sugar).
Good luck and happy birthday!
Or an ice cream cake?
We avoided chocolate for the first couple of years...it just seems to have double the effect of plain sugar.
Unfortunately my suggestion was going to be carrot cake which was voided by point 1-a. I like the banana bread idea, though if you're doing this partly for pictures, I'd vote for frosting because it's messier and therefore probably cuter in pictures!
My personal favorites are: 1)carrot cake which has already gotten the old heave ho... 2) double chocolate cream cheese cake (maybe you could use fake chocolate) and 3)chocolate flower pot cakes (which have quite a presentation, they look like real plants with dirt and all)... If they sound interesting enough to get the recipe, let me know :)
Here's the link to the flower pot cake recipe... My daughter made these for my son-in-law, they were delicious and very fun! http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe3530047&contentGroup=MARTHA&layout=martha&rsc=ns2006_m3
Speaking of jello, my favorite "cake" as a kid was called confetti cake and it took lemon jello, whipped cream and cream cheese and mixed blocks of lime, orange and red jello into it. All with a graham cracker crust. Not too sweet, not too fattening if done right. I wonder if I could google the recipe . . .
Ok, so it'd be considered 'boring' but you could still make it pretty. So I'll suggest away, I seem to be the 'boring' mom all the time anyway. *sigh* Damn ideals anyway. ;)
How about whole wheat muffins (you could even do any flavor you desire - cinnamon, a fruit, etc), top with a "frosting" or organic yogurt (you could probably whip it with some cream cheese to thicken slightly) and decorate with fresh cut fruits and maybe some carob chips?
I'm envisioning cupcake-looking muffins with various flower designs atop?
All while sticking to your food values and still getting the pictures and celebrating the birthday semi-conventionally! Wouldn't you just be the uber-green mom?! ;)
Good Luck! Sometimes it's so hard!
Ok, that's what I get for not proofreading the above should read:
"frosting OF organic yogurt"
SORRY!
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