My little 2 year old grand daughter loves the look of 'cakes' but her parents don't like her having too much sweet or unnatural food.It is her birthday on the 24th and she is here from Australia, I wondered if anyone had experiemented and made a 'healthy' cake, that looked and was palatable from the perspective of a two year old.Perhaps a 'healthy' cup cake, that looks oh so pretty.....
elliehen,
Jan 7, 6:08am
I think the best idea for a two-year-old is an ice-cream cake.Simply buy a good quality ice-cream, leave it in its container, put a ruffle around the plastic, pop on two candles and perhaps her name and 'Happy Birthday' on the top.
In my experience it's the adults who eat cake at 2-year-olds' parties; the littlies just want to squash it into furniture and stomp it into carpets.Let them all eat ice-cream :)
cookessentials,
Jan 7, 8:00am
Or better still, mini cupcakes, she would probably only have a bite or two. Or you could make a "cake" from a freshly made fruit jelly and decorate it with fruits.
lythande1,
Jan 7, 11:47am
Oh god. It's her birthday! She can't have sugar for one day? Why not make little cakes then, the cupcake idea - and decorate them special for her. 2 yr olds don't eat much anyway.
toadfish,
Jan 7, 11:56am
We had a little girl in our coffee group who was very restricted in her diet, seem to live on rice crackers and fruit.... when it came to birthday partys she went wild..... I think moderation is a good idea and its her birthday. But obviously you don't want to upset her parents. I think a birthday cake will be fine... she will see it, enjoy it visually and have a small piece... Then its put away.At 2 she will only eat as much of the cake as someone puts on her plate...You said her parents don't like her having "too much" so I would serve a small piece with some yummy strawberries..... In fact you could do a strawberry theme.... maybe dust with icing sugar instead of thick icing.... You'll know what feels right.
olwen,
Jan 7, 12:31pm
A sponge flan, with loads of fresh fruit on top.Years ago I used to do one with a recipe I created myself.I made jelly from lemon juice, and mixed cream cheese with some.Spread that over the sponge flan, then a layer of sliced bananas that had been soaked in the jelly and somewhere along the way I also saturated the flan with the jelly.I finished by piping the cream cheese / jelly mix round the edge.
kiwibubbles,
Jan 7, 3:08pm
its her birthday! Just make a normal birthday cake for pete's sake! lol You could make a caterpillar cake using lots of little cupcakes
unknowndisorder,
Jan 7, 4:17pm
Carrot cake. Sounds healthy and made well, tastes great. Yeah, I know it's no healthier than any other cake, but heck, it's got veges & fruit in it lol There's a recipe in here somewhere for a Takaka carrot cake (think that's right), which has rave reviews.
margyr,
Jan 7, 4:24pm
at 2 she does not even know what "cake" is, get a list from the parents as to what they would like her to eat and then get creative and make something with what they like her to eat. You could make a hedgehog cheese ball served with crackers, some oranges cut into 1/2's or 1/4's with raisins for eyes, celery cut to look like scales, perhaps get the list and then put it here and we can come up with some ideas. Google vege animals, images, you may get some ideas there.
uli,
Jan 7, 6:33pm
A two year old has no idea what a birthday is - nor what a cake is. It is the adults that make the fuss. So bake whatever the adults would like to eat. The kid will be overwhelmed by all the fuss anyway.
gaspodetwd,
Jan 7, 9:17pm
Sponge cake - just eggs, flour and sugar. Can be filled with fresh cream or jam or fruit spread or a mix of them. Can also be filled with fresh fruit. We use do this for my gluten intolerant daughter ( using Cornflour) and fresh cream and lots of fresh strawberries. Delicious.
melford,
Jan 8, 4:03am
I once saw a cake made from club sandwiches. Each club sandwich became a carriage. On top of each carriage were chopped carrot sticks, pineapple pieces, strawberries, cheese cubes. The wheels were slices of cucumber with the skin left on and so on. The engine was made by sitting half a club sandwich on the top of it and a piece of carrot as the funnel. The train track was spring onions. It looked really great!
buzzy110,
Jan 8, 4:15am
x1
A word of caution from the square peg. Do remember to consult thoroughly with the parents. Honestly, when I made rules for my children and other people decided they knew better or just disregarded them, as has been suggested here, then it was war and mother-in-laws are in the most unenviable of positions. Any wrong move and the offended son or daughter-in-law could become very untrusting of you, forever.
This happened with my children and their 'other' grandmother. She was asked to refrain from doing one thing and she felt she knew better. She was never trusted again nor forgiven as the 'sin' was extremely serious in our opinion.
I think the parents will get over their 'sweets' thing rule and relax a little, but at present they are trying to do the right thing and it is up to you to support them, not undermine their decisions because you do not agree.
Good luck. I have ordered a book from the library that I think may contain a recipe or two that suits your requirements. If I get it within the next week, I'll post anything that fits the bill.
buzzy110,
Jan 8, 2:25pm
Paris Brest is rather a festive looking cakey type thing and can be as sweet, or not, as desired.
Here is my recipe for CHOUX PASTRY:
120g (40z) Butter 1 Cup Water 1 Cup Flour - (must be high grade or pastry will deflate) 4 Eggs
.Bring Butter and Water to a full boil over moderate heat .Add sifted Flour while it is still over the heat and beat hard with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms balls and leaves the side of the pan .Cool to lukewarm .You can transfer the mixture to the bowl of your mixer at this point and let it cool there or you can finish the recipe by hand and leave it to cool in the pot Heat oven to 220dC .Once lukewarm add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly. Do not add another egg till the mixture is stiff and all the egg is absorbed .The final paste should be smooth, glossy and hold its shape. .Pipe or spoon onto a paper lined baking tray .Bake for 20mins @ 220dC to rise and set your case .Then bake at 150dC for 30-40mins till crisp and inside has dried out
For Paris Brest draw two circles, one inside the other on baking paper. Pipe dough onto the inside circle, then do the outside circle. Pipe another ring on top between the inside and outside circle. (google Paris Brest to see what I mean) Carefully place slivered almonds onto the pastry - sort of poke them in actually) before cooking.
buzzy110,
Jan 8, 2:35pm
You can now fill this, as yet, sugar-free pastry with anything you like. Usually I use creme patisserie which is a very stiff custard and really easy to make and not very popular in NZ. Once it is cold I whip it up with cream and it looks like whipped cream.
However cream may also be on the 'naughty' list so you should adapt.
Suggested ingredients you could make a filling with that is both delicious and not so sweet:
An ordinary custard, cooked till very stiff and cooled. Whip it with drained yoghurt (any plain, unsweetened yoghurt - something like Yoplait Greek is nice - placed in a sieve that has been lined with a handi towel and put over a bowl. Put in fridge overnight and in the morning all the whey will have drained out leaving you with a stiff yoghurt cheesy type product) and a tablespoon or 2 of sugar if you are allowed.
Fresh, diced fruit and as luck would have it, strawberries will still be around on the 24th. However, bananas, mandarins, raspberries, blueberries, peaches or anything else that you fancy. Maybe even mango or papaya.
Gelatine and apple juice make a nice, sweet jelly and doesn't have any added sugar but apple juice is quite sweet so do ask the mother first. You can add in diced fruit. When set, just chop elegantly and place into the Paris Brest with whatever filling you choose and put the remainder in the middle with decorative s/berries on top or whatever.
Cream cheese. An ingenious cook can do a lot with cream cheese, lemon juice (only from the Lisbon lemon though, not meyer as it doesn't mix in) and a tablespoon of icing sugar.
If you are allowed you could dust with icing sugar.
goldgurl_design,
Jan 15, 12:40am
I agree!!Live a little - sheesh!!
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