Happy 1st Birthday
Many parents wish to continue the healthy eating habits of their babies when it comes to the all important First Birthday Cake. One idea is to make a small “healthy” cake just for baby and then make a sweeter cake for the “big kids”.
This accomplishes two things;
1. baby gets her own cake to smoosh, smash, mangle and bite into without Mom and Dad having to worry about serving a perfect cake to guests and
2. the “big kids” get to indulge their sweet tooth.
You will notice that some recipes do contain granulated or brown sugar in some quantity. A little bit of natural sugar should pose no harm to your baby on her First Birthday. Keep in mind that if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, your baby will NOT be consuming 1 cup of sugar. The most important thing is to try and keep sugar and sugary items out of baby’s daily menu!! These recipes may be divided and made into smaller cakes as well as muffins if you decide to make a cake just for baby.
We’re celebrating Oh Baby! Magazine’s first birthday and we would like to share our pick for a great First Birthday Cake with you and your baby:
Carrot Cake (Makes 1 double-layer 9-inch square cake)
Ingredients
1. 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
2. 2 1/2 cups apple juice concentrate (you may use slightly less)
3. 1 1/2 cups raisins
4. vegetable spray/shortening
5. 2 cups whole-wheat flour
6. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
7. 2 whole eggs
8. 4 egg whites
9. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
10. 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
11. 1/2 cup wheat germ
12. 2 tbsp low sodium baking powder
13. 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 9-inch square cake pans with waxed paper and spray the paper with vegetable spray/shortening. Combine the carrots with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the juice concentrate in a medium size saucepan. 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. Add the raisins and process until finely chopped. Let mixture cool. 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. 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.
Cream Cheese Frosting (Makes 1 frosting for a 2 layer cake)
1. 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2. 1 cup white sugar
3. 1/8 teaspoon salt
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Preparation: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar salt and vanilla until smooth. In a small bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cream cheese mixture.
