Birthday Cake Idea for Child with Allergies

My son is also allergic to milk, eggs and nuts. We use the Cherrybrook Kitchen cakes mentioned before. My family does not like the chocolate. It is very heavy. The yellow cake mix is very good. I have found that I have to cook it longer than the directions state as it does not get done in the middle. My father actually likes this cake better than a "real" cake!

Also C., use Hains baking powder only because it is the only baking powder that I know of wihtout corn starch added. Breads by Anna are usually pretty free of the common allergens as well.

CherryBrook sells a cake mix, brownie mix etc that can be used....The mix doesn't use eggs or milk etc. It does use butter but if you have a dairy allergy there is a brand of butter that can be used because it doen't contain milk. margarine i think. CherryBrook Kitchen can be ordered online at http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/

There is a wonderful chocolate cake recipe that uses oil and white vinegar instead of eggs, and has no milk in it either. My FIL went goo-goo over this cake. He said it was the BEST chocolate cake he's ever had! Here it is:
www.recipezaar.com/89238
I'm sure you can use that website to find a frosting that uses rice or soy milk instead of regular milk. Good luck!

I have a friend who has a child with the same allergies. She uses this cake mix for her child called Cherrybrook Kitchen. If you go to there web site. They have a store locater. I hope this helps. You could also check a Natural Food Store.

www.cherrybrookkitchen.com

D. K

Hi C.,
I would suggest doing a flourless, vegan cake or cupcakes. The flourless cakes can be dense, but tasty in chocolate (use cocoa), how about with a raspberry sauce on top. You can also do a tofu based 'whipped cream'. As someone who is lactose intolerant and vegan for a lot of years, there are many delicious and tasty things out there! Soy or rice milk can usually be directly substituted for milk, there are numerous egg replacers out there. I think there even may be gluten free flour, made from another grain such as quinoa to use instead of wheat. Here is one that calls for rice flour...just use egg replacer and a non-trans fat margarine.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe...

This one got great reviews
http://www.recipezaar.com/189120

especially when used in this recipe!
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6518.0

Best of luck!
Jess

Very recently, my husband had major surgery, and was quite limited in what he could eat. We made him a heart-shaped rice-krispie bar cake, and we put candles (on toothpicks, so they'd stay up) on it too! I don't know if rice-krispies are strictly rice, so you'd have to check that for sure. Hope this helps!

Hi C.
Weight Watchers has a great idea for making a cake,all ya do is pour your cake mix in a bowl,than open a diet coke empty it into the cake mix,stir well,pour batter into baking pan and bake according to directions on box!! try you'll Love it!I did.Good luck,S.

Try this recipe from website with recipes for kids w/allergies; http://www.cs.unc.edu/~kupstas/FAQ_recipes.html#RiceCake

Cherrybrook kitchen is your best bet. They have cake mixes and pre-made icing that are free of the top 8 allergens. The mixes do call for milk and/or butter. But soymilk is what I use as a subsitute and blue bonnet LIGHT margarine is dairy free.

Yes, C.~
Get the Namaste Chocolate or Yellow cake mix, and use an egg substitute, and a milk substitute (rice, almond, hemp, coconut) Hemp milk is my favorite, but rice milk is good to cook with.
I'm not looking at it right now, but the Namaste Brownie mix I'm looking at (and I believe they are the same or very similar) is FREE OF gluten, wheat, soy, nuts, potato, corn, dairy, casein.
Where are you located? Hopefully you can find a Whole Foods, or a Fresh and Natural near you. I'm guessing some of the bigger food chains may be carrying Namaste, as well. There are other brands out there, you just have to look in the 'organic/natural' foods sections.

Good luck, and let me know if you need more help w/some resources, etc. . .
Way to go!!! We parents of kids w/allergies appreciate your efforts!!!!!!!!
J.
____@____.com

Perhaps the parents of this boy have and idea as well? Some parents are so uptight about allergies (and often for good reason) that they will be the ones to provide the cake. Ask them first before you prepare a cake for their son. It will take the load off of you.

How about wheat, egg, and dairy free oatmeal cookies instead? The website is www.childfoodallergy.com and they have a good recipe for oatmeal cookies. I will post it here, but the credit definitely goes to them.

Anna’s Wheat and Egg Free Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine
2 ½ to 3+ cups oat flour
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. cinnamon
*2 egg substitute
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

* mix together 3 TBSP water and 2 tsp. baking powder until fizzy, then add 3 TBSP oil

Heat oven to 375^ F. Beat margarine, sugars and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add egg substitute, beat on high for several minutes (this makes the cookie fluffier). Stir together the rest of the dry ingredients except the rolled oats and gradually add to margarine mixture, beating until well blended. Add oats and blend well. Add enough extra oat flour until you get the “right cookie consistency.” The stickier the batter, the flatter and crunchier the cookie.

Drop by teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

From: Ann Marie

A note on all the postings for rice crispy bars... marshmellows have a ton of corn syrup in them, so if you are going without corn products you'll have to watch nearly every thing for high fructose corn syrup... you'll be surprised how many processed foods have corn products in them.

Good luck.
jess

You will have to check these products for sure but I think you could make a cake out of rice krispie treats. Shape it round square or whatever and put candles in. I believe that you could make a simple frosting to write on it. Good luck and I am sure whatever you do will be special as you are already trying to make it special for them.

Hi C.,

How about some jello jigglers...my kids love them. You could even use a big jello mold to make it round like a cake, and then cut it into pieces. Or just make different shapes, or let them use cookie cutters to make their own shapes.

Have fun!

C.

Hi C.,
For my son, one year, we made a rice crispie bar cake, and frosted it. Everybody loved it.

I love to read everyone's responses with cake alternatives, but the first thing I thought of when I read your question was tofu. For instance, I make pumpkin pie with Silken Firm tofu (this way, no dairy, no eggs). I blend the pumpkin puree with the tofu in the Cuisinart, add pumpkin spices, and voila, we have pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin mousse (no baking is required for the filling/mousse). If you substitute cocoa for pumpkin puree, you could end up with chocolate mousse... Same idea with butterscotch, cherries, etc. They can be served in ramekins, or find an allergen-free crust alternative, and you'll have birthday pies! Happy Baking and Happy Birthday to your little daytime ward. :)

I have a recipie for something called Wacky Cake (a family recipie) that doesn't use any of the things you listed. I also have the recipie for the frosting that goes on it, also with none of the ingredients you listed in it. It's a family favorite and is SUPER moist and good. Write me if you'd like the recipies.

May I suggest rice krispy bars. I am not sure if there is wheat or corn in rice krispys; however you can make some cool shapes with them using cookie cut outs. You could even make home made icing with powdered sugar, butter, and or cream cheese add some food coloring. Have each child create their own rice krispy bar with icing and sprinkles. You can also add chocolate chips to the warm marshmellows and make chocolate rice krispy bars. Just a thought. Good luck.

I think Kraft.com has some great ideas for treats for kids. I made some great looking spiders out of oreos, pretzel sticks, m & m's, and some frosting. Hopefully, they will have something you can do. With those allergies that makes it tough. Good Luck, H.

It's very thoughtful of you to try to make this little boys birthday special. As a parent of a child with food allergies, I don't expect anyone to accomodate his special dietary needs so when they do, it just bowls me over.

For our son, I usually make cupcakes with this mix:
http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/products/gf_choccake.php

I'll freeze a few cupcakes and when we go to other parties where cake will be served, I just thaw one out. I like to dust it wih powdered sugar to make it look a little nicer.

Good luck!

You can use rice flour instead of wheat and this can be found in most stores. Apple sauce or mashed banana's 1/4 cup for each egg can also be used. You have to be careful of using powdered sugar because it's sugar mixed with corn starch. You'll also have to really so some reading of labels to make sure that what ever icing that you use doesn't contain any of the things that this little child can't have. I think it's great that you're doing this for him. I wouldn't even let the other kids know that they're eating cake that doesn't have all the goodies that they normally get. I don't think they'll be able to tell the difference.

L.

P.S. don't use boxed cake mixes. They may contain some of the things that he might be allergic to.

Oh MY........ you need 24 flowers...... As a mom of a child with food allergies, I have NEVER had ANYONE willing to accomadate my child. We have always been the ones that bring our own food. My child with almost the same allergies, I will look up one that is very cheap to make and send it to you via PM. It will not get done until later in the morning though as it is very late now. To save you from buying a GFCF flour, ask the mom, I am sure she has some on hand. She will be on cloud 9 to give it to you as no one in our lives are usually willing to do something like this. ((((HUGS)))) to you.....

Also what can be cool is to buy a small thing of dairy free icecream for him and everyone else can have regular iceream. The do a build your own sundae. We do this a lot with my daughter as we let the strawberries sit in sugar over night, add a little other natural toppins. We grab a few icecream cones, some are gluten free and a few sprinkles and let all the kids go at it. It is something they enjoy making, is fairly cheap and ALL the kids enjoy and will eat. Sometimes I do feel when I make cakes for my daughter it taste good, but not the ones the kids come back to get. So just a thought.

check allrecipies.com - they have a section where you can search for recipies MINUS some ingredients...
i dont know if you will find anything...
but try to find replacement ingredients... some cookbooks have this inside their covers, where you can replace a missing ingredient with something else... simple ones ive used are applesauce for sugar and avocado for butter, but neither of those help you specifically.... just an example...
anyway.

Hi, I just wanted to second that rice flour makes a fine cake. I made a vegan rice flour cake from a recipe (I think from recipe.com), and it was really good. You wouldn't have known.

As a mom of a child with a dairy allergy I know how challenging it is to have a fun treat without putting them in harms way. I started making my own dairy free cakes that are fun for kids and make them for all the birthday kids in my neighborhood who have issues. You could have the mom bring something or how about having the craft of the day be fruit kabobs with little mimi marshmallows in there too. Kids love to "cook" and they can make their own and eat it too!

Please steer away from any cake mixes as they all contain gluten (wheat) unless specifically say they don't. Plus with this many allergies you also have to be cautious of cross contamination... ie Made in a factory that makes other products that contain those food items or using your pans that held food of the same allergy. Gosh the list unfortunately goes on and on. Rice crispy treats may work as long as they are homemade with the correct butter subsistute as the ones you buy at the store (kellogs) have dairy butter in them.
As far as a butter substitute, the only ones I have found without a milk product in the is smart balance light, but I think that it may use some corn products in there as well as olive oil. Don't forget milk products can be listed as many different things casein, whey, lactose, lactic acid starter being the most popular. These are most often found in almost every margarine out there. For this reason I caution the use of any recipe that contains margarine.

Hope this was a little helpful. It is rather a daunting task to feed an allergic kiddo and also to make it a little fun too. Good luck! Feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

You've had many responses! As a parent of a child allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts, I applaud your willingness to accommodate this child!

Check out www.foodallergy.org

It's the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis web site. They almost always have birthday cake recipes that are free of all seven most common allergans provided you substitute flours. If you have access to a natural foods store (i.e. Whole Foods), you can find dairy free margarines. My favorite for baking is Willow Run. You can also make an egg substitute with water, oil, and baking powder that works well.

The frosting brand we've found that works is Pillsbury. Most of their frostings contain only soy, but be sure to check the label.

Good Luck!

Just a reminder, rice crispies has butter in them. I have only found one margerine that doesn't have any milk product in it at all, which is Blue Bonnet Lite.
You could look at some allergy websites for recipes, such as godairyfree.com or veganfamily.com
Hope that helps

Maybe you could do a fourless cake/torte using soy products. Or you might be able to find a recipe that uses rice flour. Look on www.allrecipes.com Do an ingredient search there is a colomn for ingredients you want and a colomn for ingredients you don't want.

I found a chocolate cake mix at Kowalskis. May be able to get it at cub/rainbow/whole foods. It is Bob mills gluten free chocolate cake mix. My son is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts. It is wheat free and dairy free. I used soy milk and egg replacer. I don't know if it contains corn????? You can make homemade frosting with soy milk and vegan butter(doesn't contain milk), and powdered sugar. I made these and he loves them. I freeze them to have on hand for parties or anything I know others will be eating cake so that he doesnt feel left out. Hope this helps!!!

Not sure what to do for the cake or base; but here's a frosting recipe:

1 c crisco or vegetable shortening
4 c powered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp water
mix

(my powdered sugar says it has cornstarch in it, so this may make it not ok for your allergy kiddo- I'd ask to be sure.)

I was going to suggest a gluten free cake mix, but I think that still calls for eggs. I would ask his mom what they do.