Healthy First Birthday cake

[lalibela]

Has anyone got a recipe for a healthy, but yummy, cake? Our dd hasn't had any sugar or eggs yet and loves fruit, but I can't find a simple cake recipe on those lines anywhere. I am not the best cook, but was thinking of baking it on Sat ready for Sun and have a great 'One' candle to stick on the top -- fancy shapes and icing are probably a bit beyond me!

I don't even think cake is 'spectacularly unheatlthy'. Butter, flour, eggs - and some sugar. Massive wodges of icing or commercial gunky filling could well transform it into an unhealthy cake.

And to the poster who did profiteroles...chocolate which had no added sugar?? Really? Even v dark choc has sugar in it. Not to mention caffeine.

Ok - this is for a big cake that you'd bake in a roasting tin, or some round cake tins (shallow):
12 eggs, separated (told you it was big! Serves 15 - or more 1 yr olds)
350g sugar (that do you, Mamazon?)
200g plain flour
100g cocoa powder
175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled.

Oven GM 4/180C/350F. Line tin(s) with baking parchment.

Whish egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy - should leave a trail in the mix when you lift the whisk. Whisk egg whites together until light and fluffy. Sift cocoa and flour together, and fold into the sugar mix alternately with the egg whites and the butter.

Pour into tins and bake for about 35 mins for a deep cake, 20 mins for a shallow one, and 5-10 mins for a roasting tin. Check whether a skewer comes out clean.

Leavce in tin for a few mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool before removing paper.

Prepare large serving tray - cover with foil. Put cake on a board and cut it to desired shape - you can stick bits together with the topping. Assemble shape on tray. Ice it with chosen topping and then put fruit on according to your artistic whim.

Topping - thick greek yoghurt mixed with fruit puree; chocolate spread; nutella; 100g bars of chocolate mixed with 1 tsp double cream per bar (can also use caramel chcolate)

Doggie - I reckon you could use a vegan cake recipe and adapt. Might want to practice with a small one first.

Castille - the 1 yo's went bonkers for this. I did have another cake at her party, as DH's birthday is the day after - that was almost entirely made of maple syrup and not one of them showed any interest. Candle goes in just fine.

And I am a cake fiend - this was just so bloody easy - I'm a good baker, but not so hot at decoration/icing.

Habbi that "fishcake" looks amaaaazing. Am in awe of one helluva creative talent...

Am slightly less in awe (more disbelief ) of the need for a fun-free cake on a child's first birthday but each to one's own...

so she won't be getting the drop of champagne DD1 got then?

(on the tip of her grandmother's finger)

lalibela - I feel that if you are of the sensitive persuasion you could feel a bit mangled. I hope you are up to taking all this in the spirit in which it's meant. Pride your self on having started a thread that has resulted in some mn corkers (Mrs B's banana; mildmanneredjanitor's minging - have cake or don't. thank you both and thank you lalibela for provoking them).

I think, whilst on the face of it harsh, Mrs B and mmj actually speak common sense.

as do those that suggest a fruit decorated cake. but I doubt you could achieve the dizzy heights of habibu.

fwiw dd1 had a very nice chocolate, strawberry and whipped cream creation - lovingly crafted by her adoring domestic goddess of a mum and eaten mainly by adults and marauding 6 year olds. dd2 had, erm, (racks brain) erm, really struggling here, in fact I'm beginning to think that second borns don;t have first birthdays. yep. that's it. dd2 didn't start having birthdays until she was 2. or maybe 3.

MI - does the finger not burst all the bubbles?

JaneHH - no creativity in copying straight from cookbook, I'm afraid! But thank you.

That cake looks so amazing Habs. Well Done You.

Thank you, bamboo!

I personally am getting ready to melt chocolate, butter and syrup together to ice the massive chocolate cake for my PFB's seventh birthday party on Saturday. They will also get crisps. Masses of them.

Habbibu -- think I will make your cake for DS's birthday, it looks amazing!

Can I ask (cake novice) how long it will keep if you make it in advance? Can I bake the cake a couple of days before and just do the topping on the day?

The ckes from pattisserie valerie are fantastic, if you are in London. Good quality ingredients-I am not really sure whta you mean by healthy cake

Habbi - that choc one sounds divine, right up my street. Wasn't being mean about your fruit one - sounds pretty tasty too, just that my 2 of my 3 rejected fruit-based desserts at that age despite loving fruit

Sorry, so busy trying to fit work in that not being very good at giving the right info in my posts. DD has hugely sore mouth from teething and is doing her own version of BLW by eating purees with her hands and the odd very mushy fishcake thing, but won't have a spoon/breadstick/lump etc anywhere near her gums. Have absolutely no worries about morbid obesity, but know sod all about baking and assumed a request for a 'healthy cake without sugar and eggs' would mean someone would suggest one of those soft fruity/puddingy things. Thank you very much for all the great suggestions and photos of cakes and tarts (less thanks for the suggestions that I am mad/joyless/neurotic probably all true, and very good for me to hear, but a bit ouch). Hopefully I'll come up with something that dd will like the adults, on the other hand, will be getting Mr Kipling's finest!

(mrsruffallo, she specified healthy as no eggs and no sugar. Hence the lengthy thread...)

Quick burst of nostalgia having read MI's post about crisps (er yes, they have that effect on me)

What about...

Hula hoops, one on each finger
Marmite sandwiches
JELLY AND ICECREAM in paper Mr Men bowls
crisps that have gone too soggy from being near your jelly portion

er what else did we all use to eat at parties...?

Meg, I should think if you wrap the cake and put in an airtight container it should keep fine for a day or so. You might need to cut it into smaller pieces and reassemble, unless you have ginormous cake tins.

Mrs R - you've just upped the fancy stakes!

blummen eck mi. you'll be telling us about the fruit shoots next. surely you know the rules by now? home made cake full of sugar and eggs good; crisps (unless they are salt-free parsnip and home cooked) not good. shakes head

Castille - no offence taken. I was actually disappointed that the little darlings didn't touch the bloody cake. And it was NICE.

JaneHH - my mum used to chop up green jelly, put it in bowls, slab of ice-cream on top, then wafers to make sails - ice cream yachts on a choppy sea. Can't wait to do those.

Why no sugar? In a cake? (sorry, maybe I should go and read through this!!}
A bread based cake maybe?

1st birthday, baby, highchair, biggest chocolate cake you can find with the works on top, stand well back, take photos and have bath already run

btw mi - can I persuade you to offer me any advice on being self-employed here.

Thanks for the recipe Habbibu. May try a vegan version for dh's birthday next month...

We still get hula hoops at parties down in south east London. I specifically wanted them at my - 43rd - birthday a couple of years ago.

They are getting ham sandwiches too, albeit with Posh Ham.

Sorry but at Mr Kipling for the adults but no sugar or eggs for the LO.