First Birthday Cake

Hi B.,

If you are creative, here are a few "fun" cake links:

http://www.access-freak.com/blog.html#BlogEntryJanuary200803

http://www.access-freak.com/blog.html#BlogEntryApril200802

http://www.access-freak.com/blog2007.html#BlogEntryNovemb...

http://www.access-freak.com/blog2007.html#BlogEntryAugust...

the bow on, for instance, the first cake was made with gum paste and, paraphrasing what was told to me: it dries fast and stays hard. Roll out a long piece of gum paste...cut it in stripes...fold the stripes together enclosing a toothpick in between. Then let them dry and poke them all in an arrangement

Warm Regards,
C.

*
(: have an awesome day :)
*

Hummingbird Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups oil (canola or vegetable- not olive oil)
3 eggs
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple undrained
2 bananas mashed
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix together all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees in two 8" or 9" round cake pans (greased and floured) for 25-30 minutes
or until toothpick come out clean. Cool and Ice
*Alternatively bake as muffins, cupcakes or a loaf...adjust cooking time as required.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 box confectioners sugar
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese (room temp)
1 stick margerine (room temp)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat margerine and cream cheese together. Add sugar in cupfuls and beat until combined. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Ice cake and top with more chopped nuts if desired.

I have a tradition I started with my son's first b-day and I continued it every year and I'll do it with my daughter too. I get 2 cakes. I get one for everyone who attends the party and a very small one just for the b-day boy/girl. It is hilarious, especially when their so little, to see them totally destroy the cake. My son had icing everywhere. Up his nose and all. And it created great photos. I don't really have time to make the cake so I buy one at the bakery or something. But it's awesome. I love this little tradition.

Hi B.,

I have a recipe that always get raves. I just one box of yellow cake mix, make a 13 x 9 size. Cut it in half horizontally. Then I take some strawberries, pulse then in the food processor a few times, mix in some strawberry preserves and spread that between the two layers. Then I cover the cake with whipped cream -- one pint of whipping cream with some sugar (to suit your taste) and vanilla extract. Cover the cake with that and then top with sliced strawberries. I hope this catches your eye.

J.

Do you have the book "What to expect the first year"? It has a First birthday cake recipe in the back. Looks good although I have not tried it yet as we are only ay 6 mo's. Carrot cake base.

I was told not to give kids chocolate (or not much) until they were around 2. I didn't want to do a plain white cake with vanilla icing, so I made a banana cake with cream cheese frosting. It was kind of healthy and everyone loved it! I found the recipe in a Southern Living cookbook. It also had pineapple in it.

I'm a boxed cake kind of a gal...but a word to the wise use chocolate frosting(or colored)...it shows up better for those pictures of baby with cake(I used vanilla once and the pictures were cute but you really couldn't tell how messy baby was)...also if you can make a small cake for baby to play with and a larger one to serve guests(that is if you're going the party route)...Have fun!

I liked to make strawberry short cakes with lots of fresh whipped cream and big juicy strawberry's it is very inviting to a one year old and not too unhealthy:)!

I started making this recipe I found online:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Too-Much-Chocolate-Cake/Deta...
it's called "Too Much Chocolate Cake" - it is DIVINE! Maybe not what you may usually consider for a kiddie bday party - but wonderful for the "BIG KIDS" ha ha ha

I didn't make this cake for my son's birthday, but if I had known about it I would have! It's semi-health, soooo easy, and delicious! http://www.recipezaar.com/259707 there's the recipe, it is exactly like the one in the cookbook. I did two cakes for my son's bday, one for him to dig into and one for everyone else.

2-ingredient cake
buy a chocolate cake mix and a 15 oz can of pumpkin
mix together (it will look dry, but keep stirring)
bake according to directions on box
(no, you don't need to add eggs, oil, or anything except the plain pumpkin)

a healthier option, and a recipe I can actually remember!

For my daughters first birthday I got 2 cakes from the store. One for her, and one to serve to guests. She played in hers and had a ball. For my now 7 yr old son's first birthday I decide to make my own. We ended up with 3 cakes and they all turned out horrible. lol I am apparently not good with scratch cakes. The cake was so hard he couldn't push his fingers through it! From then on I have used box mixes, then make the icing and decorate them myself. Unless you know you can make a scratch cake you might not even want to go there!

I made this Hummingbird Cake (http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc...) without the nuts and my very picky eater simply chowed it up. It's not very sweet and delicious.

We just had my daughters first birthday party. I googled recipes for first birthday cakes. And got a few hits. I found one that was great, but then looked at the directions and it called for way too many odd things. I then found one that called for egg whites and a little sugar. It was easy to make. I will try and find the recipe and pass it along. Also a great idea... make mini cupcakes (no icing). All the kids were able to sit by themselves and eat their cake... no need to help them. Here is the recipe:
http://chefmom.com/recipebox/recipes/1589.htm

You could cut the recipe in half... it really makes a lot, but very good.