A healthier smash cake

dmbfan46835

Hey ladies! Anyone making their own healthier smash cake? I plan to make a a giant cupcake and frost it with various shades of blue, kind of like an ombré. I have found several cake recipes that all sound awesome, banana based and also a vanilla one. But the frosting has me miffed. A lot of the recipes call for raw honey, which confuses me. And some seem like they would be too runny to make a true frosted look. Anyone have an awesome sugar free frosting recipe or a tried and true smash cake recipe? Thanks!

LoveLee85

1 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup organic  cinnamon applesauce 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla(alcohol free)

no idea how how it will taste, because this is my first born but this is what I plan to use! Pintrest gets all the credit. 

yellow1daisy

Usually I just go for traditional recipes and make substitutions. Instead of white sugar, I'll use coconut palm sugar--it can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio so easy. Tastes great. And much healthier--lower glycemic index--actually has vitamins and minerals so not empty calories like white sugar. 

kmcshane0211

Yes! 

Im using banana, almond flour, etc. 

I'm a total no-sugar proponent. I found a recipe online to make sprinkles! 

I know, I know I'm kinda over the top but I love a good baking challenge so it's all good!

sdheft619

So I didn't even think of this! But I love the idea of it. I have never substituted like that before or even thought of it. Silly I know! Is Pinterest the best place to find the recipes? And can you dye the frosting just like regular sugar frosting?!

Bellarose212

Yes! I just made a practice cake to see how it would turn out. I made the frosting using coconut milk and organic maple syrup. https://detoxinista.com/2013/05/easy-coconut-whipped-cream/

LoveLee85

Bellarose212 said:

Yes! I just made a practice cake to see how it would turn out. I made the frosting using coconut milk and organic maple syrup. https://detoxinista.com/2013/05/easy-coconut-whipped-cream/

Funny enough, I just went shopping because I'm making a 'test cake' to see how it turns out! 

yellow1daisy

Bellarose212 said:

Yes! I just made a practice cake to see how it would turn out. I made the frosting using coconut milk and organic maple syrup. https://detoxinista.com/2013/05/easy-coconut-whipped-cream/

I make coconut whipped cream all the time but usually with coconut palm nectar. I love it!

dmbfan46835

Thanks ladies!! Can you all post updates with how everything turns out? We have his 1 year pics Friday so we are doing a cake for that and then the official cake is at his party in 3 weeks. Friday's cake is outside, I hope it doesn't melt!

kmcshane0211

Can everyone share their recipes?

dmbfan46835

I am planning on using a combo of the recipes on here https://redtri.com/bump-baby/healthy-first-birthday-cakes/slide/1

the the cashew frosting sounds delish. But then again maybe I just substitute like
@yellow1daisy

i can't wait to see what people come up with! I'm def using an oversize cupcake pan rather than an actual cake. 

Bellarose212

https://livewholebefree.com/wordpress/allergen-free-baby-smash-cake/

I'm modifying this by using only coconut flour and making the coconut whipped cream for the frosting. I want to make sure the cake consists of foods he's tried before and does well with. He has a lot of allergies and food sensitivies/intolerances, so I don't want to risk anything on his big day. @yellow1daisy the coconut palm nectar sounds great! I'm going to try that!

LoveLee85

Bellarose212 said:

https://livewholebefree.com/wordpress/allergen-free-baby-smash-cake/

I'm modifying this by using only coconut flour and making the coconut whipped cream for the frosting. I want to make sure the cake consists of foods he's tried before and does well with. He has a lot of allergies and food sensitivies/intolerances, so I don't want to risk anything on his big day. @yellow1daisy the coconut palm nectar sounds great! I'm going to try that!

Really dumb question alert: does it taste like coconut?? I hate coconut. My LO had never had coconut anything. Just curious. 

yellow1daisy

@LoveLee85 the whipped cream or the nectar? 

The whipped cream definitely has a coconutty flavor. Coconut Palm nectar and coconut palm sugar are just sweet they don't really have a coconut flavor. 

I buy only coconut secret brand nectar but usually whatever is available and organic of the sugar. 

chelseajeanene

Im excited to let him splurge and have sugar for his smash cake. I mean come on, it's their birthday! I am looking for a non-egg receipe though so I don't know what I'm gonna do for the actual cake though

dmbfan46835

Ok. So I settled on this recipe 

https://www.naturalsweetrecipes.com/healthy-first-birthday-cake/ using coconut flour and agave and Zylitol. 

I made the cake part last night and it was really tasty and smelled great! Usually coconut flour cakes are really
dense but it was still soft and spongey! I will be making the frosting tomorrow night I think and will actually frost it Thursday or Friday for the pics. I will post a pic of it then. I hope it looks and tastes good! I do recommend this recipe for sure. But if you don't already have some of the ingredients, it could get really pricey. Can't wait to see what you all decide on!

LoveLee85

yellow1daisy said:

@LoveLee85 the whipped cream or the nectar? 

The whipped cream definitely has a coconutty flavor. Coconut Palm nectar and coconut palm sugar are just sweet they don't really have a coconut flavor. 

I buy only coconut secret brand nectar but usually whatever is available and organic of the sugar. 

The final product is what I was curious about! I didn't clarify that, sorry! Lol 

ForeverEverAfter

If you can use dairy, you can make whipped cream-works great for cake! I've been using it to frost ice cream cakes through the summer, I just add some homemade maple syrup (yay for country living) for sweetness, and a couple drops of pure vanilla for flavour.

I'm planning to make a chiffon cake, ice it with whipped cream, layer fresh berries in the middle. I'm not doing a smash though. It'll be a proper cake, and she can go to town on her big tall slice for photos.

amp61470

chelseajeanene said:

Im excited to let him splurge and have sugar for his smash cake. I mean come on, it's their birthday! I am looking for a non-egg receipe though so I don't know what I'm gonna do for the actual cake though

Thank you!! I was starting to feel like a bad Mom, I thought the point was to let them have sugar!!

Bellarose212

@amp61470 I wish I could splurge and give my little guy sugar! It gets tricky when you have a baby with allergies and intolerances. It's really scary to see him get covered in hives and his face and lips swell up. So I'm avoiding the foods he has problems with. Hopefully he will outgrow all of this and he'll eventually have a stronger system and tolerate all kinds of food! But I don't want to ruin his big day by giving him a regular cake. 

@LoveLee85 It does have an overall coconut taste to it. But I'm sure there are tons of other recipes out there that use different kinds of flour, sweetener, etc. Good luck! Let us know what you find!

dmbfan46835

@amp61470 my son hasn't had anything with sugar besides fruits and puffs. Nothing processed. And he's not really a fan of the fruits, he prefers veggies which is totally weird. So I'd prefer to not give him a ton all at once when he's never really had it before. I want him to have something healthier to fit our lifestyle. And to him it's still going to be an amazing sweet treat no matter what, you know?

realsquirrel

@chelseajeanene I just made brownies without egg and I substituted 1/4 cup yogurt for each egg the recipe called for. It turned out great. The batter had a yogurty taste which I wasn't wild about, but the finished product tasted totally normal. Yum!

amp61470

Ladies I would never tell another mother what is best for their child. Little Man hasn't had sugar much either. He has had ice cream a handful of times but he doesn't even drink juice so I get it. I am giving him cake for his birthday though. It's a special occasion and I've waited 46 years for this and I am looking forward to the mess. I believe when it comes to food, the key is moderation. I just can't see keeping him away from sugars, it seems impossible and stressful. You have to do what you are comfortable with. 
As for allergies, I get that too. Special formula and no mangos here. Babies and hives are terrible. 

kmcshane0211

Confession: One of the things I LOVE about this group is I've never once felt judged for my decision to (insert typical big decision parents stress over/talk about). 

Confession: One of the things I DO NOT LOVE, enjoy at all really, about parenting in general is the social pressures I feel to do X, Y, Z with my child. In my perspective, the downfall of many people (known or not) having an opinion on most decisions parents make for their child(ren) is this awkwardness and uncomfortably when speaking to other parents. You never know who you'll offend with a compliment or even just by making a decision for your own child. It's exhausting managing it all, so I *try* to pop on my blinders, consider the source and select which input I'll incorporate. When I speak to other Mom's I try to say as little as possible about their kids. 

The purpose of this thread is to discuss cake alternatives for those individuals who choose to do so for various reasons. 

For those who do not choose to do so for various reasons, maybe just keep scrolling on by? If you want to give your child sugar...great! If you want to do x, y, z....great! Here we are discussing one decision that a few of us are really excited about and exchanging recipes to share ideas. It's about nothing else.

Personally speaking, my decision has nothing to do with you or reflect on your parenting; your decision doesn't impact me or reflect on my parenting. 

Let's keep supporting one another. 

yellow1daisy

kmcshane0211 said:

Confession: One of the things I LOVE about this group is I've never once felt judged for my decision to (insert typical big decision parents stress over/talk about). 

Confession: One of the things I DO NOT LOVE, enjoy at all really, about parenting in general is the social pressures I feel to do X, Y, Z with my child. In my perspective, the downfall of many people (known or not) having an opinion on most decisions parents make for their child(ren) is this awkwardness and uncomfortably when speaking to other parents. You never know who you'll offend with a compliment or even just by making a decision for your own child. It's exhausting managing it all, so I *try* to pop on my blinders, consider the source and select which input I'll incorporate. When I speak to other Mom's I try to say as little as possible about their kids. 

The purpose of this thread is to discuss cake alternatives for those individuals who choose to do so for various reasons. 

For those who do not choose to do so for various reasons, maybe just keep scrolling on by? If you want to give your child sugar...great! If you want to do x, y, z....great! Here we are discussing one decision that a few of us are really excited about and exchanging recipes to share ideas. It's about nothing else.

Personally speaking, my decision has nothing to do with you or reflect on your parenting; your decision doesn't impact me or reflect on my parenting. 

Let's keep supporting one another. 

Great post!

I would not judge another mother for what she feeds her one year old child. 

We are choosing not to do sugars because me and her dad also avoid sugar. It's not a special diet just for her because she's a baby. It's the way we live our lives. And we'll hope she'll choose to do the same one day but right now we are feeding her what we ourselves eat---I regularly make/made goodies without white sugar. 

@chelseajeanene I've never tried this personally but I've read that flax 'eggs' can be a good substitute. 

yellow1daisy

Also, I'll add that a lecture by Dr. Robert Lustig called Sugar: The Bitter Truth (available on YouTube) is very enlightening---and I share this with everyone in mind (adults included)---not telling anyone how to parent. 

dmbfan46835

well it's not cute, but here it is! I've never decorated a cake in my life so I had no idea what the F I was doing. I used a coconut flour cake recipe and a fake cream cheese icing recipe from Brittany Angel that used organic vegetable shortening and coconut butter. Gave DS a taste of the frosting today, HATED IT. But he doesn't really like sweets so maybe he will at least play with it for the pics? I also broke down and ordered a naughty 6" cake today after his reaction in case he refuses to touch mine so we can use that at least. So much work to find a recipe that could replicate a decent frosting. 
Dont mind the craft mess over in my dining room, mama has been busy lol

kmcshane0211

@dmbfan46835 How could you think this cake looks anything less than adorable!!!! It cracks me up that he wouldn't eat it. I make my daughter healthy alternatives all the time and she's like "mom, really?!??". She some how k ones there's supposed to be more sugar, salt, etc. Perhaps from my breastmilk? No clue. 

Please dish here here on his reaction to the other cake. I'm curious!

chelseajeanene

realsquirrel said:

@chelseajeanene I just made brownies without egg and I substituted 1/4 cup yogurt for each egg the recipe called for. It turned out great. The batter had a yogurty taste which I wasn't wild about, but the finished product tasted totally normal. Yum!

He can't have yogurt either I'm pretty sure he's lactose intolerant, but he's also allergic to eggs. Our allergist doesn't want us to try dairy like that until he's 2  

chelseajeanene

@yellow1daisy I've never heard of that! I'll have to look that up, thank you!

RobsMrs77

@dmbfan46835 well done mama! That looks amazing. Ahh, I'm sorry Judah doesn't like it, the little tinker. Lol.

Yes! Please post a pic of the other cake. Would love see it. It's amazing how creative some people are.... I haven't a creative bone in my body, so will be relying on my wonderful aunt to create a cake for Jake's birthday, she's amazing.  (I think she's going to be rather busy, as Liam's is 9 days after Jake's)

Hat's off to all the mama's making their own! 

@chelseajeanene sorry to hear of sweet Noah's allergies. That sucks. 

amp61470

DMB that is adorable!!! I can't bake to save my life! 
And ladies for the record I wasn't judging. I was feeling like I was in the wrong for wanting to give sugar to little man. If I offended anyone I apologize. 

dmbfan46835

@kmcshane0211 @robsmrs77 and @amp61470 thank you!!! So much work!!

and the shoot was a success!!! He only took a couple "bites" but he played with it and got icing all over so I will take it. I had hoped he'd devour it and leave a giant mess but I will take what I can get. Will post a pic when they are done.

i want to see everyone else's cakes!!

chelseajeanene

@RobsMrs77 it does suck! He's allergic to eggs and oats and can't digest dairy. What little kid can't have Cheerios? It makes me sad for him. We just hope he outgrows it

blondehairblueeyeditalianbaby

@dmbfan46835 My DD was so delicate with the cake during her smash cake pics. I fully expected a huge mess. She eats everything in sight so I thought I would have to stop her from eating the whole cake. The only good part was there was cake left to eat when we got home. Haha. Her pictures turned out amazing even though she didn't make a mess.

dmbfan46835

@Blondehairblueeyeditalianbaby OMG. This pic!!! I can't EVEN! She is the cutest! How sweet is this pic?!! You should open a 1 year photo shoot thread and post like 10 pics 

dmbfan46835

Ok!! We got some back!!! OMG!! So it didn't taste great but it was colorful, lol!!

bnwillia3

@chelseajeanene I've used egg replacer in a few baking recipes and it has always turned out great! Here is a link to some ideas: https://www.thekitchn.com/5-vegan-substitutes-for-eggs-in-baking-tips-from-the-kitchn-136591 I've always used the first product listed "Ener-G" and found it at Whole Foods and I think Sprouts. Bob's Red Mill also makes one and I just saw one called VeganEgg: https://thrivemarket.com/follow-your-heart-veganegg-100-plant-based?utm_source=google&utm_medium=pla&utm_campaign=Selects,Food > Cooking & Meal Ingredients,Food > Cooking & Meal Ingredients > Cooking Ingredients,Food > Cooking & Meal Ingredients > Meat Alternatives,Food&utm_content=049568460048-VeganEgg, 100% Plant Based&gclid=CjwKEAjwltC9BRDRvMfD2N66nlISJACq8591yc8QfOT1N8nztoqeYmoUw_3U2qQhM6KFtBE6XzMmGhoC2vTw_wcB You may want to double check the ingredients per Noah's allergies

yellow1daisy

Your cake came out looking awesome!! Beautiful pictures @dmbfan46835

Your girl and pictures are also beautiful @blondehairblueeyeditalianbaby

My sister in law is helping me out for my daughter's first birthday party tomorrow by making the cake. She's making a raw carrot cake that she's sweetening with dates. Can't wait to see how it turns out she's great at stuff like this. 

We're not doing an official smash cake sorta picture (but going to give my Z a piece of cake in her high chair and take some phone pictures lol). 

Bellarose212

OMG such a gorgeous baby you've got! Beautiful pics! @dmbfan46835

dmbfan46835

@yellow1daisy thanks! Who would have thought it would be THAT hard to find a dang recipe! Let me know about your cake! I'm always looking for a new recipe

thanks @bellarose212! Can't wait to see pics of Carey!  ps- you have me obsessed with finding the perfect teepee now, lol