Annabelle is my little dynamo. She wanted a “brown” star cake this year. Annabelle loves all things adventure! Her personality is huge and her determination inspiring. It’s hard to believe what she has learned in three short years.
Annabelle has always ready to go, helping me in the kitchen… cracking eggs, chopping bananas or stirring; climbing inside the true stretch, hanging from something, or dressing up like Princess Sofia.
Despite the poor quality of this video, it’s worth a share. Her reaction is priceless.
I described all of the health benefits of baking with coconut flour in my last post about Madelyn’s birthday cake, Vanilla Coconut Cake with Strawberry Cream Frosting (grain, nut, sweetener, and dairy-free). There is something lovely about making your own healthy birthday treats. I created my version of cherry cheesecake with my, Birthday Cherry Crumble. With a little planning and creativity, you can create a healthy version of traditional birthday treats.
Cutting the sweetener for your kids is never a bad thing. Consider it palate training. They can learn to appreciate treats that are less sweet. Avoiding big doses of sugar and refined, gluten-containing grains is also better for their guts.
I find that many people ignore dietary principles when it comes to sweets or treats. I am not sure why, but my assumption is because we can justify the “splurge” as a once in a while occurrence. The problem is, for most people, it is not a once-in-a-while occurrence. For kids, they are often having some type of a treat several times per week. That’s ok if the treats are not hyper-palatable and full of refined grains. Remember, you are laying the framework for their palate and their microbiome.
FOOD REWARD AND EMOTION
Another interesting thought is considering the environment when we serve treats. Treats are often served during times of celebration where we have a heightened sense of emotion. While eating is certainly a social and family activity, and many important events involve food, it is important to break the association with food and a feeling of achievement or happiness. I feel like breaking the connection between sugar and emotion is achieved when you take away the overly stimulating environment of hyper-palatable foods.
On to the recipe…
I used Wilton’s 12.75-inch star cake pan. You could also use two 9-inch round cake pans for the same ingredient ratios. If you want a single-layer cake, simply half the ingredients.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup, plus extra for dusting cocoa powder 2/3 cup coconut flour 2/3 cup tapioca flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 10 eggs 2 cups applesauce 1/4 cup honey 2 Tbsp vanilla
*I purchased the baking soda, powder, and organic applesauce at Trader Joe’s
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease your baking pan very well and dust with cocoa powder.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients and beat well with a sturdy whisk or hand beater.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine.
Fill your cake pan with batter. Tap gently on the counter to get any bubbles out and even out the batter.
Bake for 45-50 minutes with the star pan. If you use two, 9-inch cake pans, bake for 40 minutes.
Let the cake cool completely, at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. Use a knife to gently go around the edges to loosen the cake. Turn it upside down and tap gently to remove it.
CHOCOLATE AVOCADO FROSTING:
This recipe is officially the simplest, most fabulous recipe on the whole site! It freezes well and literally takes seconds to make. I had enough frosting to cover this whole cake and the middle layer of Madelyn’s birthday cake.
INGREDIENTS:
3 medium ripe avocados 3/4 cup cocoa powder 6 Tbsp maple syrup or raw honey 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil (this is optional, it will make the frosting become firm when refrigerated)
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor. Then, frost your cake! That’s it!!
I used this frosting for writing on the cake, The Best Paleo Frosting Ever.
I used this food coloring and sprinkles from Thrive Market.
We hope you enjoy this cake!
Nutrients. 2015 Jan; 7(1): 17–44. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4303825
Appetite. 2017 Jun 1;113:134-140. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.02.019. Epub 2017 Feb 21.