To have a birthday cake DD can’t eat?

[MummaW88]

I’m planning ahead for DD’s 1st birthday. She currently can’t have dairy or egg due to allergies. I’m hoping she outgrows them in time! It’s proving hard to find options for a vegan birthday cake; I’m not good at baking, and any bakeries nearby charge an extortionate amount for what I have in mind. I have a friend who makes beautiful cakes and has offered to make one, however she’s not confident with making a dairy and egg free one. My question, is it awful to have a birthday cake that she can’t eat? To clarify, I will get some little vegan cupcakes that she can have! she’d only be eating a small bit of the birthday cake so I thought cupcakes would be a good compromise. (I admit, the birthday cake would be more for me 😂) is that terrible?

I mean, I agree with PPs that it doesn't matter all that much for a first birthday, so ultimately do whatever works best. However, if your friend is so good with cakes I'm just not understanding why she couldn't at least attempt a vegan one? If it works out ok, great. If not then you can revert to Plan A

Another option is ask your friend to have a go at a vegan cake – this website Loving it Vegan has the easiest cakes EVER that are absolutely delicious.

I am not a particularly competent baker and have made glorious cakes from the recipes, and my friend who isn't vegan (but is a fantastic amateur baker!) baked one for me one year and said it was as easy as any recipe she's ever tried.

One of my ds is dairy intolerant and we get the Just Love chocolate cake from asda, it's also egg free. £6 and delicious.

I had a huge party when my DD was 1. It was - very definitely- for me! Have the cake you fancy!

I don’t think it matters since she’s 1, but in future you’ll need to get the hang of vegan cakes because once she’s old enough to understand she should get a proper birthday cake for herself.

You can get nice vegan celebration cakes in Sainsbury’s btw - they do a great chocolate one. There are also loads of vegan cake recipes online that are very simple and don’t require weird ingredients - I really recommend this one: www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-birthday-cake/amp

I’ve made it a couple of times and everyone (inc. non vegans) has loved it.

The lovely big cake for guests, candle, pictures.
Little vegan cupcake for the birthday girl. She might have a bite of it she might not. 😁

You and the guests can have a a piece of the birthday cake with something nice to toast the day.

Perfect compromise. Everyone happy.

@Yesmate

give over🙄

she won't care one way or another, and will enjoy her vegan cupcake. You and all the guests will also enjoy a gorgeous scrummy normal birthday cake. DD can blow (well try) the candle out. That will be enough for her.

Recipe
m.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Sb62ZPM7c

Thanks to all the kind responses and suggestions.

My friend is great at beautifully decorating cakes but she’s never made a vegan one... and as she is doing this out of kindness, I don’t want her to waste time/money on something that might turn out awful, just for DD to potentially have a small slice of it. I want it to look nice as she will only turn one once and I want to make a big deal. Is that such a bad thing?

To all the rude responses, no need for it really is there? I’d you don’t have anything nice/constructive to say then perhaps skip by this post?

She's 1. The cake's to celebrate you making it this far. Have the cake that YOU want.

Pretty sure I made a Chocolate Guinness cake for DS' 1st birthday, not sure I even gave him a taste! He had no idea it was his birthday, what a birthday was or what cake was. We however enjoyed the cake.

at 1 that's totally fine!
Difficult if the child was 4 or 5.

Put a candle on the cup cake and get her to blow it out.

I would say she will want the cake and will throw a mighty tantrum if she didn’t get it. That may just have been my one year old though. Not worth the risk 😂 .

DD was the same for her 1st birthday so yeah I made her a vegan birthday cake. Just found a simple recipe on line. It was only a family party so no pressure for it to be a show stopper! She loved it.
Thankfully she is now only allergic to uncooked egg but ironically now doesn't like cake at all!

My DD attended a birthday party a few weeks before her own first birthday and ate cake. (She immediately filled her nappy) On her own 1st birthday she was given her own cake, cried and refused to eat it.

@Sidewinder30 I did think this but thought I might be destroyed on here for daring to suggest that lol!

@Frazzled2207 I’m really hoping she’s going to outgrow these allergies... her dietician is hopeful. If not then of course when she’s older I’ll find alternatives.

All recipes egg free banana bread works well with fake butter. Just make sure the chocolate is dairy free (Aldi's posh dark chocolate doesn't deliberately contain dairy).

It is the least fussy cake I've ever made and still my go to now both DC are over their dairy issues...

allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/32977/egg-free-banana-and-chocolate-chip-loaf.aspx

I sub some (up to 40g) cocoa powder for some of the flour and got away with forgotten baking powder and bicarb last time. Works in loaf and round tins, plus ok at cupcake/muffin size. Is better with a cheaty cake/loaf tin liner if you want it to come out though...

Could you get a normal cake as the main one to feed guests and just get a vegan cupcake for your DD as a compromise?

The Morrison's vegan chocolate cupcakes are really nice and only £1.80 for 2

@dwiz8 that’s my plan, she’s not going to know what cake she is/isn’t eating so everyone’s a winner (or so I thought!)

@Notyouraveragecliche thank you 😊

Have a look at this website. I'm not vegan but have tried several of their vegan cakes 'just because'. No 'silly' ingredients that you've never heard of, and the cakes tasted great. Your friend, and I'm sure you, would have no problem making them.

veggiedesserts.com/

Second the make a vegan cake or look for vegan bakers (Asian cakemakers would be a great find)

I had a birthday pizza most of my life (candles on top obviously) because I just didn't like cake.

I would try to get a proper vegan smash cake, not a cupcake. If it looks like a little decorated cake, I wouldn’t feel guilty about having a second cake that wasn’t allergen free. DD’s cake though should look the best.

Just a thought... you've said it's important to you that she'll have pictures of a beautiful cake to look back on... I'm fairly sure that most children looking at pictures of their 1st birthday would feel like more of an effort was made if they saw a cake that was made for them, rather than a cake that was beautiful but made for guests...

If it's for you, that's all fine and dandy, but if you want this to be in any way for your daughter, why make the focus something that wasn't for her?? Makes no sense to me!