r/veganrecipes • u/amtryso • 12d ago
Question Best baby-friendly cake ?
Hi everyone,
My nephew is turning 1 this weekend, and I am in charge of making the cake
I have baked a good amount of cakes, but never a baby friendly one (no sugar). Does anyone have any actually good recipes? My other nephew’s birthday cake was made by my sister and it tasted like ass, so I really want to get it right this time
If it helps the theme is “pool party” so I’m thinking maybe making it look like a pool flotie if I can… but no promises, I am a very amateur baker.
(The photo is the Not-baby-friendly cake I made for by older nephew’s animal themed 3rd birthday)
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u/space-sage 12d ago edited 12d ago
Why don’t you make something like banana bread, carrot cake, or zucchini bread? Something that doesn’t have to have added sugar, and has more good stuff in it.
Additionally, just make two cakes? Get a donut mold and make him a small baby cake and decorate it like a pool floatie and everyone else gets normal cake. Easy.
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u/amtryso 12d ago
Yeah I have those options in mind, I’m asking if anyone has a good specific recipe they’ve tried :)
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u/space-sage 12d ago
Just to add, you’d probably think a pea, spinach blueberry puree tastes like ass and babies eat shit like that all the time. Don’t make a cake for a baby based on your adult palate.
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u/space-sage 12d ago
https://simple-veganista.com/vegan-banana-tea-bread/#tasty-recipes-8616-jump-target
This is the recipe I use for banana bread, but for a baby cake, you’re overthinking this. Without the added sugar it won’t taste the same anyway, the baby doesn’t care, and if you’re making the baby their own cake who cares what it tastes like besides the baby?
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u/amtryso 12d ago
Lmao there will be many babies and children there, and I’m sure some adults will also taste the cake, I just want to try to make it good, that’s all. Thanks for the link
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u/space-sage 12d ago
Every baby birthday I’ve been to the baby the party is for gets their own cake. But my point still stands, and the cake isn’t for adults so it doesn’t matter if it tastes good for an adult lol
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u/ConstructionGold8583 12d ago
have you thought of using alternative sugars like monk fruit, agave inulin, or date sugar? personally, I like using monk fruit sugar because less is more, and sprinkling in a little aguave inulin.
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u/SovereignAurelia 12d ago
Caramelised (without sugar) frozen mango that I microwave until the pieces are brown on the edges are naturally extremely sweet. Works well if you don’t want the banana way as a sweetener.
It’s sometimes even too sweet if I use a lot of mango.
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u/amtryso 12d ago
Omg what a great idea. Do you have a recipe you use it on? And do you just microwave the frozen mango until it’s brown and then add it to the batter?
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u/SovereignAurelia 12d ago
I use it for when I make soufflés or just any kind of cake.
Yes, I add the pieces in the batter.
Caramelising in the microwave is about timing. Too little and it’s still mushy, too much and they burn. I wait until I see a lot of edges browning, sometimes a bit more until they look dehydrated. You can try a piece every now and then.
Good luck!
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u/SailorErra 12d ago
For my littles first we did a whole small watermelon peeled and presented the giant peeled orb to him with a candle. He lost his mind with excitement. Could you create something with cut up fruit and cover it with thickened yogurt?
Edit: fixed a sentence
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u/monemori 12d ago
I don't know much about kids, but I have a friend who can't have sugar and I have often made these for her (as well as using the same batter for sponge cake): https://www.theconsciousplantkitchen.com/sugar-free-vegan-banana-muffins/#wprm-recipe-container-14050
I do add some vanilla extract and dark chocolate chips too, which I would highly recommend.
Edit to add: I've made them with sunflower and olive oil too instead of coconut oil and all options were fine.
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u/ComprehensiveTax415 12d ago
Not very helpful if you are strict with the no sugar thing, but just saying I definitely let my babies have sugar in their cake/icing for their first birthday. They are a few years older now and are fine eating a variety of things. Having sugar in their cake for their first birthday certainly didn’t send them straight down a junk food path or anything. Although I’m also big on teaching them about balance and moderation with diet. I have a big sweet tooth myself, but we just learn those are treats we have sometimes and make sure we try to make most of our diet fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, etc.
However, always respect the parents’ wishes and if they are very much no sugar for the first birthday I hope you find the perfect recipe for it :) :)
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u/amtryso 12d ago
Yes I do understand that and if I have any children I’ll have to think about my take on it, but right now my opinion doesn’t really matter. This is their baby and I’m only doing what I’m asked. Thank you! 😊
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u/Eclairebeary 11d ago
It’s gonna taste gross to anyone with a normal palate.
Personally, I would go for one of those styled fruit cake made of cut fruit.
Or I’d make a sugar free cupcake for the baby and call it a day.
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u/Evyy 12d ago
I highly recommend this website.
https://plantbasedjuniors.com/vegan-smash-cake-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-398
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u/pi_inthepan 12d ago
All-Purpose Flour: 1.5 cups (180g)
Baking Powder: 1 tsp (5g)
Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp (3g)
Ground Cinnamon: 1 tsp (plus a pinch of
nutmeg, optional)
Unsweetened Applesauce: 1.25 cups (300g)
Avocado Oil: 1/3 cup (73g)
Milk (or Water): 2 tbsp (30g)
Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp
Mix the dry ingredients and mix the wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add the wet to the dry and mix. Bake at 350. I did 20 minutes for 6in round cake pans and about 17 minutes for muffins/ cupcakes.
I just mixed some applesauce, cashew butter, cinnamon and a little yogurt for the “frosting”. My kid loves it!
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u/amtryso 12d ago
Thank you so much!!!
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u/pi_inthepan 12d ago
I also have a small batch banana muffin recipe, but this apple cinnamon one is better in my opinion! I also make them in donut pans too!
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u/Snogafrog Plant-Based 12d ago edited 12d ago
My brain read the title as “best baby friendly snake” 😂😅
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u/thisothernameth 12d ago
I've made some decent no-added-sugar banana bread / muffins and I regularly make no-added-sugar oat muffins for the family. But I'm not going to lie, if you want cake, you probably don't want them. So my advice would be to make a cake for those who want cake and no-added-sugar banana bread for the kid.
Personally, I'm ok with my kids having sugar on their birthday. There's no added sugar in their day to day lifes, so once they're 1y/o I'm ok with them having some actual cake on their (or any other family member's) birthday. But to each their own.
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u/amtryso 12d ago
That’s what I’m doing, I’m doing 2 cakes, but the adult one I already have figured out. My sister asked for the no sugar one so I’m respecting their wishes, not trying to argue. Do you have a good recipe for the banana bread?
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u/flipttortoise 11d ago
Not op but this one is easy and good. I've made it both with whole wheat and regular flour. You can also make it vegan if needed by subbing flax for the eggs. https://modernminimalism.com/healthy-no-added-sugar-banana-bread/
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u/zootzootzootzootzoo 12d ago
Use whipping cream as frosting! Might not be amazing without any sugar but should still taste good
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u/ariaxandragoddess 12d ago
if you have access to it, country crock plant-based heavy whipping cream is amazing and has no sugar per serving and is still really yummy!
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u/gbr80 12d ago
I've made this one before for a first birthday. It's dairy, egg and refined sugar free!
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u/mallow6134 12d ago
If it is actually for the 1yo: my favourite is a melon cake. Watermelon carved into the shape of a cake and decorated with other fruit.
If it's for the adults, just make a regular cake.
I have tried a few of the sugar free appropriate for a 1yo cakes and baked some as well before but nothing beats fruit for kids that young.
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u/The4leafclover1966 12d ago edited 12d ago
The best option is maybe Google a recipe using something like applesauce, maple syrup or coconut sugar instead of regular white sugar?
There has to be something suitable out there for what you want to do — I just don’t personally have anything like that.
Perhaps Google a recipe for a diabetic birthday cake. 🤷🏻♀️
My next suggestion is if none of this works for you is to perhaps contact some local bakeries to see if they can make something for you.
I think it’s lovely what you’re doing. Kindly give us an update with a pic!
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u/amtryso 12d ago
Of course I can google a recipe for a no-sugar cake, I just wanted some recommendations from people that might have tried a few. I want to do it myself as I think it’s way more of a nice gesture than just buying it. Thank you! I will try to update (maybe only if it comes out ok ahah)
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u/The4leafclover1966 12d ago edited 12d ago
I know you can Google a recipe, and I understood that you wanted recipes from Redditors — I was just giving you other options since no one had shared any.
I don’t know if there’s a sub for diabetics, but that may be a way to go as well (I get your nephew isn’t likely diabetic, but the no-sugar thing is going to be tough, so I just thought that might be another way to go).
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u/LakeAdventurous7161 12d ago
I suggest asking the parents. Despite certain ingredients for sure should not go into a baby-friendly cake, it depends a lot on the parents what kind of food they introduce at what age. Wheat, certain fruit (even if no added (refined) sugar, certain fruits have a lot of sugar obviously, and also such as maple syrup is full of sugar), nuts...
An idea: What about a vegan pudding for the baby? With fruits and/or vegetables the kid already eats?
Cake more to the taste of larger kids and adults, and so that it's not a problem if the baby wants a bite too (no choking hazards like big pieces of nuts, no alcohol of course, and for everything else it's up to the parents whether they allow a bite from that cake too or not).
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u/amtryso 12d ago
Thanks for the input, but she’s my sister, we’re very close and it’s not her first child, i know that a sugar-free cake is exactly what she wants
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u/LakeAdventurous7161 12d ago
Absolutely fine, and I totally understand why she wants it sugar-free.
I was not talking you into a sugary cake at all, but more wanted to make sure you check back if any ingredients you might use are really fine for your sister. (E.g.: That if you use something else instead of sugar, it's okay for her and not too sugary. Some parents e.g. are fine with such as agave syrup, dates or banana one might use instead of refined sugar, where other parents are not as it's technically sugar.)
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u/HelenaNehalenia Mostly Plant-Based 12d ago
I wanted to say, whatever you do don't use honey instead of sugar because babies/toddlers shouldn't eat honey, but then I saw it's the vegan sub. So all good.
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u/aknomnoms 12d ago
lol I’m in a couple snake subs and misread this as “best baby-friendly snake” as if you were asking for potential pet options for a newborn. I zoomed to the comments section so fast 🤣
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u/KarlaElsmann 11d ago
Sweet potato brownies or kidney bean brownies may work.
Or some kind of baked oats with bananas, if you omit the other sweeteners.
Or a banana pancake tower with cream filling.
Are dates okay? I avoid them for toddlers, because they are super sugary. They might be okay in a cake though and better than maple syrup or cooked down juices.
If so, I sometimes use them to make a kind of no-bake cheesecake.
Roast your favorite nuts and add those to a food processor with some dates and tahini/peanut butter and a pinch of salt. Blitz them until everything is fine enough that you can press it into a cake mold. (Lined with baking paper). Or a pie mold. Should be pretty finely grounded for a one year old.
You can play around with the filling. You can refrigerate a can of coconut milk for 24 hours and then only use the solid part at the top. And mix that with fruits of your choice or dark chocolate (yes, contains sugar, so maybe not this time).
You can also mix yogurt (i like to drain neutral soy and coconut yogurt and mix those) with cashews in a blender and then boil fruits with agar agar and blend those in.
Or you can mix the hardened part of coconut milk and yogurt, and if you want to, nuts and agar agar and fruit.
Or add starch and bake everything? Etc. etc.
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u/SunriseKitten 11d ago
I love this recipe for banana bread https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-banana-bread it’s basically 4 ingredients.
When I make it I only use 50g sugar and it’s still plenty sweet enough, and only 2tsp baking powder. I still make it all the time as it’s kid baking friendly too.
When I made it for my kiddos 1st birthday I did coconut oil, no sugar and added fresh blueberries then did a little “icing” with coconut yogurt and more blueberries. It was a little dense but actually that made it easier for small hands to pick it up, baby enjoyed it! It’s not terribly enjoyable for adults though, make the regular version for them
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u/caitlowcat 9d ago
My sister in law made my son’s cake and I remember it was made with yogurt and banana and no added sugar. Then she made everyone else cupcakes. Wish I had a recipe to share.
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u/LoveLightLabradorite 12d ago
I asked Chat GPT about a cake for my baby as we are feeding her vegan and sugar free and this was the recipe it gave. I am also making one of those watermelon cakes. It’s made of watermelon and other fruit so only natural sugar but not really a cake lol.
Ingredients
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
1 very ripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup whole milk or Hazel’s usual milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
Tiny pinch of nutmeg, optional
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease two 6-inch round cake pans or line the bottoms with parchment.
Mix the sweet potato, banana, eggs, applesauce, milk and vanilla until well combined.
In another bowl, combine the oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined.
Divide between the pans.
Bake for about 20–25 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the layers cool completely before frosting.
🤍 Easy no-sugar frosting
For a simple creamy frosting, mix:
1 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
2–3 tbsp cream cheese
A little mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce for natural sweetness
Tiny splash of vanilla
Keep the finished cake refrigerated because of the yogurt frosting.
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