Mom Hacks
A Better Birthday Cake For Littles
If you’ve ever found yourself in a room of post-birthday cake minis well on their way to a sugar crash, you can relate to our desire to find an alternative. Something that’s still a crowd pleaser but not quite so full-on? Particularly for a first birthday, when many children are trying cake for the first time. With that in mind, we asked Molly Knauer—registered dietician, nutrition coach and founder of the wellness site Molly’s Best—to create a birthday cake recipe even the most discerning parents, and children, can get behind. After a few trial runs, here’s the recipe she came up with and—spoiler alert—it’s delicious.
Ingredients: (makes 12 cupcakes)
8 very ripe bananas
1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups gluten free flour or whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Chocolate frosting
4 ripe avocados
1 cup cocoa powder
8 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond milk (or any milk)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mash the bananas with a fork
3. Add the rest of the cupcake ingredients and mix well
4. Pour into lined (or well greased) cupcake tin
5. Bake for 12 minutes
6. While cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Mash the avocados and and add the rest of the frosting ingredients. The consistency comes out best if you use an electric mixer with a whisk. Let the frosting cool in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes before frosting.
7. Wait until the cupcakes have cooled to frost them. Enjoy!
If you want to use this recipe for a layer cake rather than cupcakes, bake in two 6 inch baking pans!
8 very ripe bananas
1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups gluten free flour or whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Chocolate frosting
4 ripe avocados
1 cup cocoa powder
8 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup almond milk (or any milk)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mash the bananas with a fork
3. Add the rest of the cupcake ingredients and mix well
4. Pour into lined (or well greased) cupcake tin
5. Bake for 12 minutes
6. While cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Mash the avocados and and add the rest of the frosting ingredients. The consistency comes out best if you use an electric mixer with a whisk. Let the frosting cool in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes before frosting.
7. Wait until the cupcakes have cooled to frost them. Enjoy!
If you want to use this recipe for a layer cake rather than cupcakes, bake in two 6 inch baking pans!