Can someone suggest a healthy cake recipes for a 1 year old?

Have you seen this website? www.wholesomebabyfood.com
There's a section on healthy alternatives to baby's first birthday cake. Hope it helps!

Hi, G. -

It sounds like there are a lot of good recipes here, so I won't bother to add any. I just wanted to say good for you for trying to limit your child's sugar intake. I understand the other moms here who say that sugar isn't evil, but I honestly believe that you have your whole life to have that battle. Why give your babies something they don't even know they want yet? My philosophy is that I will consider giving my child candy and other sweets when he knows to ask for it. While I still have complete control over what he eats, I will make sure he eats healthy.

You are doing a great job. Congratulations to you on your son's first birthday.

Jae

Hello, G., and congratulations!

Below is a recipe that my kids have loved since their first birthday (they are now 5 yrs and 20 mths). And it's a recipe that adults love as well (good for those with diabetes, since there's no sugar!)and great for parties and get-togethers. I have it titled "no bake" instead of raw, because it gets me less weird looks when I serve to non-raw eaters, and they always love the pie/cake.

Hope you enjoy it too!
Thanks,
K.

K.'s No Bake Apple Pie

Time needed to prepare and fix: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
4 apples cored, quartered (peels left on if organic)
2 bananas
1 cup raw walnuts or (my favorite) 1/2 c raw cashews and 1/2 c raw pecans
3/4 c raisins (divided)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp cinnamon

Utensils needed: chopper or food processor, fork, pie plate, knife

1. In a chopper or food processor, chop nuts, 1/2 c raisins (reserving 1/4 c), and vanilla. When chopped into small pieces and mixture begins to stick together, pour into pie plate. Using fork, press firmly to form pie crust on bottom of pie plate and up the sides.
2. Using knife, slice banana thinly, and spread over top of crust.
3. In chopper or food processor, coarsely chop 2 apples (we prefer to mix up the apples: a fuji and a granny smith, for example, taste yummy together), and then spread on top of the bananas.
4. Last step: in chopper, add remaining apples, 1/4 c raisins, cinnamon, lemon juice. Chop or process until smooth or like "bumpy" applesauce. Spread this over top of pie.

Can be served immediately, or after chilling in the fridge. ENJOY!

I have a recipe for carrot cake that you could use organic carrots and to sweeten it you use pineapple, I use the low sugar kind. I'm sure if you wanted to and could find the time you can cut up an organic pineapple instead of using the canned or frozen. My kids don't like carrots, but all 3 LOVE the cake. Since it's not from a box I can control what's in it and can control the sugars a bit better. Let me know if you are interested.

Try contacting Healthy Creations in Encinitas. They may be able to make you something or direct you to someone who can. www. healthycreations.com. There's also a raw food restaurant in downtown Carlsbad -the name escapes me. I bet they have something. Good luck!

Try using dates instead of sugar. I made an "Applesauce" cake for my daughter's first birthday. I found a recipe and played with the ingredients to make it more healthy.

Here's what I did:
1/2 c safflower oil
1 c chopped dates
2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tspn cloves
1 tspn cinnamon
1/2 tspn nutmeg
1 tspn baking soda
1 c raisins
1 c homemade applesauce
handfull chopped walnuts

(Blend the dates into the oil. Madjool dates work the best) Combine the dry ingr. then alternate adding the applesauce then the oil. Cream until smooth. Bake at 350F for 45 mins.

I made a raisin cashew frosting. I processed raw cashews, raisins, and soymilk. Play around with the quantities.

Enjoy!

Jessica Seinfeld has a new book out called Deceptively Delicious. There are brownies I made today that have spinach and carrots pureed in them. You can't taste them but it makes things a lot more healthy. She also has a chocolate cake with beets in there. They are soooo yummy and the kids don't know that they are getting all their veggies in at the same time. You should check it out

I think you are absolutely justified in wanting to feed your child an optimal diet and expose him to GOOD food. I know of a fabulous raw fudge that I use as dessert for my kids. It is incredibly rich and delicious. It has 3 incredients: raw cocoa powder, pure maple syrup, and coconut oil. The kids think it's fabulous and only eat a little bit because of it's richness.

I believe that you can raise a "sugar free" child with no problems. It doesn't mean they can't have treats and desserts - I just include natural sugars like pure maple syrup, agave nectar, and honey. Give yourself a pat on the back. It's hard work to feed kids healthy.

Good luck!

What to Expect the First Year has some great cake Recipes in the back. I made my son's first bday cake from one of them. I too was anti all that sugar and stuff. Plus, I hadn't been given the green light on egg whites, so the one that doesn't call for eggs was one I could easily adapt for him. It was pretty tasty. Good luck!!

carrot cake is a good way to go and you can find lowfat and low sugar healthy options online.

Hi G.,

I am also trying to stay away from sugar and processed foods. I am going to go ahead and let him have a little cake on his b-day although it is made with fresh strawberries and a little whip cream....no extra thick icing and toppings. However...I know here in Hawaii our local health food store offers organic cakes. Or you could do like a fresh fruit parfait with organic whip cream and some crumbled granola or cookies. There are a lot of varieties that use fruit juice or applesauce as a sweetner...a lot better than processed sugar.
Do you make your own baby food?

Health and Happiness,
L.

There are bakerys that bake cake cakes meant for diabetics you kno low or no sugar? Or you can bake your own using splenda or any other sugar substitute applesauce instead of oil adds a real softness to the cake

I do angel food cake with organic sugar free whip cream.

By the way I agree with the woman who gave you advice that sugar is okay in moderation. I run a daycare and kids who grow up sugarfree, when they do get it, and trust me they will, they have very strong reactions to it. They become very hyper and then crash. I run a daycare and had a mom that did not feed her son sugar. I had him since he was 6 weeks old. When he started school he was exposed to sugar during snacks and lunches. I would pick him up from school and he was so hyper. After a few hours he would crash and become uncontrollable. The school recommended someone to come observe him and tagged him as autistic. When the mom came to me and told me this, I was floored and told her to call the teacher immediatly and explain the "no sugar" growing up. The school became more aware of what went in his mouth and he got better. He still would come to my house hyper every now and then because they just can not watch him every second. So think about it. It just does more harm than good in long run.

Go the old fashioned way and bake a carrot cake from scratch - you'll find many recipes on the net. Basic, but good and just about everyone likes carrot cake.

Hi G.!

This is what someone in my Holistic Moms Network group told me they did:

Slice a watermelon so that it is a big circle shape and place flat. Chill in fridge, and make frosting with banana or avocado. Then let him dig in!

Alternately, just make a cake substituting agave for the sugar.

Replacing Sugar with Agave. I use agave pretty much exclusively: here is the replacement info that I found on the Holistic Moms Network national yahoo group that explains baking with it:

Agave is about 1-1/2 times sweeter than regular sugar. So if
you're replacing sugar with agave syrup, you can start with 2/3 to 3/4
cup agave for each cup of sugar. Since agave is a liquid sweetener, simply substituting one for one with sugar will alter the chemistry of the batter by adding more
liquid. To compensate, either cut other liquids in the recipe (say if
it calls for 1 cup milk) by about 25%. In other words, if the original
recipe used 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk, change that to 2/3-3/4 cup
agave and 2/3-3/4 cup milk. If the original recipe didn't use much liquid, you can still
compensate for the agave by increasing the flour. Add about 25% extra
flour for each cup flour (in other words, if the original recipe calls
for 1 cup flour, use 1-1/4 to 1-1/3 cups with the agave). Baked goods made with agave may be a little heavier than what you're used to, so you might want to increase any leavening's. If the original recipe calls for 1 tsp. baking powder, I usually up it to
1-1/4 or 1-1/2 tsp. Agave browns faster than sugar (just as honey does), and
so should be baked at a slightly lower temperature for best results.
If the original recipe uses 350F, I will bake an agave-based recipe at
325F.

HTH! =) A.

there are so many good options at the local health food stores. i bought an organic carrot cake mix and made my own cream cheese frosting. instead of a cake, i chose to make cupcakes. I agree - our daughter really hadn't had any sugar up to her birthday, so why start then? I was also concerned that she'd have a serious sugar high/meltdown. This was a tasty/lower sugar alternative (it is still sweet and delicious!) -- HAVE FUN!

Have you heard of the book Sweet and Natural Baking? It has wonderful recipes for cakes, cookies, muffins....most of the recipes are made with apple juice all the recipes I have made have turned out really well. I am the same way with my children.

Pumkin pie or carrot cake work well...I too prefer the organic raw food choices...always best to make it yourself then you really know what's in there. Try substituting agave nectar instead of sugar...or dates (rolled in coconut too!) are sometimes a nice sweet treat for a young one. We skipped 1st birthday cake altogether with our first (now 4yrs old) and havn't decided what we'll try for number two who will be 1 in June...curious to know what you choose,

E.

Super Baby Food

I can't remember the author, but it's an awesome book.
The natural cake is the Bunny cake.
Good luck!

What, your child won't eat it at one anyway? Well, mine must be a pretty good eater because we had to take the cake away from him after awhile so he wouldn't have too much sugar! So I say kudos to you G. and all the other moms looking for healthy alternatives! And to those who said sugar is not evil.....phooey! ;) Sugar is one of the most addictive substances there is ( I should know, I am a recovering sugar addict) Even now, I still have to have something sweet every day, only now I opt for wholesome, natural sources like raw cocao, fruit sweetened, and dates. I agree with alot of the suggestions on here (in fact, can't wait to try that apple pie myself) but the Super Baby Food book works for me when I am looking for recipes the whole family can enjoy and also try some raw websites online (Gone Raw is a good one). Good luck and happy 1st to your little one!

There is a great raw food cook book called "ani's raw food kitchen". from Ani Phyo. You can find this at Whole Foods Market, Amazon and Borders. If you live anywhere near a Whole Foods Market, they have an extensive line of raw foods including a great dessert (cheesecake) from Naked Foods.
Hope this helps!
K. C.

I was feeling the same way about my son's first birthday cake, so I researched and found a great website. I made the first recipe - Pumpkin Apple Harvest Cake. He loved it and it didn't send him into a sugar coma. Here's the website. Hope this helps! http://www.grizzlybird.net/2007/01/babys-1st-birthday-cak...

Hi G.,

I too am so conscientious about what my daughter eats. So, I definitely did not want her to have a birthday cake full of refined sugar and white flour. However, I did want her to have a birthday cake (especially for the messy photos!). I finally found a recipe for a whole wheat carrot cake that is only sweetened by apple sauce and apple juice and a sugar free cream cheese frosting recipe.

Baby's First Birthday Cake (Carrot Cake)
(Makes 1 double-layer 9-inch square cake)

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.

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

Dear G.,

I just bought (literally) Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. I don't know if her recipes will meet your standard (sugar-wise), but she does have recipes for chocolate cupcakes, blueberry cheesecake cupcakes, lemon raspberry cupcakes, carrot cake muffins, yellow cake (using cake mix), angel food cupcakes, chocolate cake. If you are interested in any of these, but don't want to invest in the book, let me know, and I will pass on the recipe.

Good luck and have fun!
B.

Hello G.,

What I can offer to you are a list of some of the recipe books that I have on my shelf.

Do you have the book "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron; 593 pages? It is not a raw food book, but I have found this book to be very useful in regards to healthy meals and desserts for my family.

In regards to raw food cakes. I am sure that your local health food store has some awesome raw food preparation books.

The books that I have that related to raw foods that look like they have some good cake recipes are:

> "The Complete Book of Raw Food" by Baird Rodwell; 439 pages
- I have not used this book very much, but it has a lot of cake recipes in it that sound like they would be yummy. This book would be my first choice; it has a lot of recipes in it.
> "The Raw Food Gourmet" by Gabrielle Chavez; 199 pages
- I only saw one cake recipe in this book which looked like it would be tasty. There are other dessert ideas in this book as well.

This last book is not a raw food book, but I use it often, "A Celebration of Wellness" by James Levin, M.D. and Natalie Cederquist; 307 pages.

I hope this was helpful and gave you some ideas of where to turn to in the area. Happy Eating

Whole Foods, (and maybe Henry's?) has organic cake and frosting mixes. I think they still have cane juice. I ordered organic peanut-free cake and frosting mix by internet, but the brand name escpaes me now. Also, you could make a 'banana sorbet'...peel, chop, and freeze organic bananas, then run them through the food processor or blender and serve. It's yummy...it works best if you allow the bananas to defrost a little before trying to blend. Hope this helps...Happy Birthday to your little one!!

Hi G.-

I also wanted to avoid huge amounts of sugar...so I opted for making a angel food cake and making whipped cream for frosting (so I could add the amount of surage I wanted) and putting berries on it.... She loved it and had a GREAT time with the wipped cream... it made for wonderful pictures! :) then we had another cake for the guests.....

Good luck!

You could make a carrot cake and subsitute the sugar for date sugar, pureed bananas, frozen fruit juice concentrate, maybe even agave? Google alternative sweetners and I'm sure you'll get a list of things plus how to use them in your recipe. I play around with this a bit when baking and always try to avoid regular sugar. Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair has a few recipes for Birthday cakes that use alternative sugars, frostings too. If you are interested in any of the following recipes, carrot cake with apricot glaze, Chocolate cake or yellow birthday cake and for frostings: carob butter icing,banana cream frosting or yummy yam frosting, email me directly and I'll email you the recipes.
M.
____@____.com

G.,
I'm part of a Stroller Strides group in Riverside (Castleview Park) and us moms are always trying to come up with healthy sugar free treats for the kids. My son loves these muffins that one of our moms makes. The same basic recipe can be used as a cake, she sometime makes frosting with agave nectar to top it off. Enjoy!
BANANA NUT MUFFINS
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar (I use 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp of LIGHT agave nectar)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 c. milk (I have used rice milk in the past & comes out a little dry)
1/3 c. cooking oil
1 c. mashed banana (I use four bananas, which is a little more than 1 cup)
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I don't put the nuts because he is allergic to them)
In large mixer bowl stir together flour, agave nectar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center. Combine egg, milk and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture and mix. Add banana and nuts. Grease muffin cups; fill 2/3 full. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans, serve warm. Makes 10 to 12.

I would check out Jessica Seinfeld's book. She has some great healthy recipes for cake/dessert that include vegies!

Hi G., there is a recipe online I found for my daughter's first birthday. It is applesauce cupcakes. All natural and moist and yummy,too. I believe I typed in babies first birthday cakes on yahoo or healthy cupcakes for babies. If you can't find the recipe and want it let me know and I will get it to you. Happy Birthday ,Baby!

Go to Whole Foods. I'm sure you can find something there. make him cupcakes, as it will be easier for him to eat. Good luck!

Use a box of organic white or yellow cake mix.
Omit oil and water. Use all three eggs.
Instead of oil and water, shred:
one medium zucchini
one medium yellow squash
1/6 head red cabbage
Mix all together until looks like cake mix. If too dry, add more shreaded veggies.
Make in mini muffin tins.
Use homemade low sugar frosting or whipped topping.
You get cute, speckled, delicious cupcakes that aren't too bad for him either.
I promise it works!!!

Dear G.,

Good Grief !! All that sugar !, he is not going to eat the whole cake - he will probably get a couple of real bites in all.

Don't put regular frosting on the cake put on a whipped cream frosting on - it is lots better and not so sickly sweet like some frostings can be. Also, make the cake with fruit puree - go on Jessica or Jennifer, I forget which - anyway - J. Seinfeld's website. She did a lot of research on cooking with vegie and fruit purees and it makes a delicious dish or cake or pie and is lots better for you than the regular.

She gives good directions too.

C. N.

G.,
take a look at a cookbook for diabetics.. they have recipe's that have little or no sugar in them.. my favorite is an applesauce cake.. that the only sweetness comes from the applesauce.. if i can find my recipe.. i'll post it for you.

you might also check in the health food section of any bookstore.. there are alternatives out there.. you just have to know where to look.

Good Luck

J. C.

Make the cake from scratch!!! You can't go wrong. Instead of frosting use real whipping cream, add a bit of vanilla and powdered sugar to taste. If you prefer chocolate, use Quik instead of sugar and vanilla. It's delicious and everything is made fresh from scratch

Don't worry about the type of cake he won't eat it anyway. I have three kids and not one of them ate their first cake. Get the kind of cake you like.

I would suggest making him a small cake with ingredients you would want him to have. Or maybe, some of his favorite organic fruit with Cool Whip Free (no sugar or fat) on it. Then, for the guests you can buy a cake. Don't feel you have to do as others do. He is your baby boy and he will think whatever you give him is GREAT!