My soon-to-be 2 year old doesn't really eat any sweets, so I am looking for a recipe for his birthday cake that is somewhat healthy, but also that people will eat (i.e. not cardboard-tasting). I need to avoid any nuts. Any ideas? Thank you for your help!
Carrot cake or zucchini loaf?
We make banana cake for the first few birthdays. It's not without sugar, but I think it has less because of the bananas and I think it has sour cream which I think cuts down on the fat. We didn't really do it to avoid sugar, but more because it has a richer and more complex flavor. There are recipes where you could replace the fats with unsweetened applesuace or even black beans (like in brownie mix).
When I bake a cake, I replace water with orange juice and oil with applesauce. It makes it a bit healthier, definitely more moist and "spongy".
I agree. Banana cake. Yummy and healthy. Happy birthday to your baby!
Why don´t you try a carrot cake, it isn´t very sweet and is really yammy. If the reciè has nuts just don´t use them.
Have Fun!!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fragrant-and-Healthy-Carrot-Cake/Detail.aspx
The Deceptively Delicious cook book has a couple of cake recipes.
Pound Cake or Angel Food Cake made with Splenda and served with strawberries and sugar-free whipped cream is a less sweet version of cake, and has added nutrients in the fruit...yum! Also, something like coffee cake is more bready and cinnamony than a regular cake as well....
I made a Angel Food Cake with strawberries and whipped cream, like Kristi for our son's first and second birthdays. If the birthday is coming up before strawberries are back in season, you could try some other fruit topping like bananas, clementine slices, or pitted black cherries. You could also whip up a warm apple-cinnamon topping.
I try to avoid giving my son too much sugar, processed food, etc.
So for my son's birthday I made him a pumpkin cake. I had some canned pumpkin in the cupboard, and I cut the sugar in the recipe nearly in half. I also substituted no sugar-added applesauce instead of vegetable oil.
That is a very easy way to make a lower fat and healthier cake.
You can use any type of shredded vegetable i.e. carrot or zucchini, or any type of winter squash like butternut, pumpkin, or even sweet potato!
And I made a frosting with Neufchatel cheese (lower fat cream cheese) with less sugar than was called for in the recipe.
Everyone loved it, and no-one missed the extra sugar!
For kids that age, I did gingerbread cookies and if you feel up to the challenge you could have them decorate them, otherwise you could decorate them yourself. Stick the candle in the belly of the gingerbread man. Or if you have a theme, you can get a cookie cutter in the shape of your theme(i.e. car, airplane, tractor, etc.)
look for cakeson vegan websites. I used to do a cake with chocolare chips and no dairy or eggs (bananas was the base) and it was deliocious. Apple sauce can be used as well. Also, you can do stuff from the lifetime show cook yourself thin. They have some grear substitons for stuff that makes a healthier cake. Good luck,
Alison
how about a small chocolate pie our pudding cup for the baby and a seperate cake or cupcakes for the other guests.