A No-sugar Cake Recipe for My Daughter's First Birthday

I just made a sugarless banana spice cake in preparation for my daughter's first birthday and it's pretty good. It's from Bob's Red Mill cookbook and has wheat germ and other good ingredients. If you want the full recipe, email me at ____@____.com
jen

I made a great carrot cake sweetened with maple syrup for my daughter's first birthday and a chocolate cake also sweetened with maple syrup for my nephews third. I got both recipes from Feeding the While Family by Cynthia Lair. I made a delicious yam frosting for the carrot cake and it made a beautiful orange cake that i decorated with berries and flowers.

I used this recipe for my daughters first birthday, it was delicious!!! I baked in a heart shaped pan and made cupcakes with the rest of the mix. Good luck and Happy Birthday little one!
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.

this cake recipe was posted on another list I belong to. Somebody in my office baked it and brought it in and I thought it was very good. It was very rich and chocolaty, and
quite tasty! Pretty kid friendly, I think.

Chocolate Cake Recipe

3/4 cup apple juice concentrate
10 tablespoons butter
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt
½ cup lukewarm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt

Mix all ingredients and pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve plain or with unsweetened whipped cream.

for Ellie's first birthday I layered matza (although I was planning to use thin slices of bread, which you could do if you don't have/use matza) with thickened youghurt and berries. The "torte" sat overnight and became moist, delicious, and something I would want her to eat anyway. Just an idea. Happy birthday!

You can get some great recipes for cakes with sugar substitutes at http://www.sweetsavvy.com/recipes/category.php?id=Cakes%2...

I want to echo the comment of the responder who said use agave nectar. It really works well in cakes, and it's natural--not manufactured like Splenda or Sweet n Low. I've tried the oatmeal cake and the brownies from the above site and had great results with agave nectar.

I use Stevia in place of sugar. It's a plant extract and is extremely sweet, so replacement values are approximately 1/8 to 1 (more if you want it sweeter). You'll likely need to add more flour to get the batter to the right texture and I use a bit more leavening (about 1/8 to 1 tsp more) to get the right volume.

Stevia tastes a bit like name brand sugar substitutes, but is 100% natural, is recommended for diabetics as it does not elevate the glycemic index and has the added benefit of fiber! Inulin (a dietary plant fiber) is found in Stevia and some manufacturers (such as Wisdom Herbs) make a Stevia product that incorporates additional Inulin for extra fiber. I buy Inulin on its own and add it to soups, sauces, cereals ... everything ... to bump up fiber content in all our meals.

Hi K.,

I use agave necter instead of sugar. You can find it at any health food store and it is YUMMY. No one will ever know. Also we cut out the oils and butter by using applesauce. Yum Yum.

I used a carrot cake recipe in the "Super Baby Food" book, and I thought it was good! There were a number of no sugar cake recipes in that book.

There are lots of options within a "diabetic" cookbook (or online source). I did the same thing. And still haven't given her sugar. :)

I found a good one in the Great Expectations first year book that I used for my daughters 1st birthday, no sugar.

Agave nectar is natural, but it is still sugar! So is apple juice concentrate! If you really don't want any sugar, then use stevia to replace sugar. I would use a tried and true stevia recipe though. Otherwise, if you want a natural sugar use agave or maple syrup. If you go that route, you can always just use less. For my daughter's first birthday, we just used banana and applesauce to sweeten it. It was just sweet enough. We just googled some recipes and adapted them. Enjoy and have fun!

I see that you recieved many good ideas so I won't add to recipes. I just wanted to say that I agree with using the agave or stevia in place of sugar b/c they are natural and not harmful to your body.
Hope your cake turns our tasty!
T.

Personally I wouldn't use, or serve anything to my daughter with Splenda or Sweet-n-low in it. It hasn't been around long enough to know if there are any long term effects of it. Sugar is at least natural.

There is a recipe in "Super Baby Food" for a sugar free birthday cake but it's not very good. You could check around at local bakeries and ask if they make one. Everyone is so health wise these days that they might. Or how about one of those recipes that uses applesauce or bananas to sweeten and uses less sugar. Just a thought...

Good luck!

My husband is Diabetic and we find no sugar cakes at Safeway or Harvest House. Good luck on the birthday.

I took care of my sisters kids when they were little and she was a "no-sugar" mommy. I sweetened the cake with pear juice, but that can be grainy. When I used it in a carrot cake for his first birthday you didn't notice the texture, but he didn't care for the cake as much (still ate it though). You could try a frozen juice concentrate but frankly fruit has tons of natural sugars.

Always try the net. Maybe you can order a no sugar cake mix.

My Grandma, growing up, used half the sugar called for in all recipes and they were always good. Cookies, cakes, pies etc.

You can use splenda instead of sugar and nobody will know the difference.