Birthday Resources for Kids with Allergies

Tasty cakes to make for those with food allergies, plus advice for when you're attending a birthday party and need to bring your own allergy-safe treats.

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Allergy-free cake recipe

http://www.foodallergy.com/

You will find a recipe for cake that is free of many common allergens, including dairy (as well as eggs, nuts, soy). You'll also find frosting recipes. If you want to follow a favorite recipe, you can substitute rice, soy, or oat milk cup for cup in place of cow's milk.  Use dairy-free margarine (many margarines have whey or casein in them; read the ingredients carefully), or light-flavored oil, in place of butter.

 

No-eggs cake recipe

I have a GREAT no-dairy, no eggs cake recipe:  It is from my grandmother, who made it during rationing in WW II.  I like to make it in a springform pan, which makes it easy to serve.  This recipe will make one "layer.”  You can also make cupcakes with it.  if you wanted to decorate it, you could make a stencil (like a "1" for a first birthday) and sprinkle the top with confectioners sugar thru a sieve.  (Do it just before you serve it for the best effect.) This mixes up in about 10 minutes.

 

Grandma Hart's War Cake

1 1/2 cups flour (measure unsifted)

1 cup sugar

3 Tbl cocoa powder (unsweetened!)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cold water

6 Tbl vegetable oil

1 Tbl white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

 

Attending a birthday party with allergies


One member asked the Allergy Group...

"I have a 2.5 year old with allergies to egg and peanut. The birthday parties continue to ramp up, as is his awareness (and disappointment) that he often can't have the birthday cake or cupcakes or cookies, etc., etc.

Does anyone have suggestions on what to bring or how you've handled this?"

 

Members suggested...

"My son cannot have wheat, egg, all nuts. I bring my own allergy- free cupcakes & treats for him. I usually sit him down before the party & remind him why he can’t have the other party food - he has been fine with that."

~~~

"Order some ice cream from A La Mode and bring along in a cold pack! Their bars and small cups are easy to transport, and going to their storefront in Manhattan is a real treat.

Or

My other advice is to bake an egg and nut free cupcake, I love the recipe below by Smitten Kitchen. I freeze leftovers and make a fresh batch of frosting when ready to use them, my son loves a cream cheese frosting.

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Good luck, food allergies are SO hard, but we can still live our lives!"

~~~

"In the egg-free boat over here and have been left to OK toast with jam in the morning at daycare drop off when I've been told there is a party being celebrated later in the day, another time it was a waffle :( so sad!!
What I did was bring a package of Annie's Rice Krispy Treats to her daycare recently which they know to give to my daughter in place of whatever egg-filled treat they are serving for the rest of the kids that day. My daughter seems to take it in stride, I think she was a little confused/upset the first time it happened, which I only knew about after the fact so I couldn't prep her. Now we've talked about it, and she'll even say, that has egg in it, when there are things at home on the table she can't eat. It doesn't seem to bother her that much, yet? Especially if there is another special, only at that moment, alternative to offer."

~~~

"I'll echo some of the earlier comments to say that especially through the earlier elementary years, I always kept frozen cupcakes in my freezer (I'd just make a batch every once in a while), then make up a small batch of icing (just softened butter, milk, and powdered sugar mixed in a small bowl) on the day of and take it with us. My daughter knew to eat her special cupcake, and she was happy with that. Closer friends would make/get cupcakes that were nut-free, which always felt particularly special and kind.

For school, it was helpful to have some sort of candy/packaged treat that was safe in case there was a celebration that I wasn't aware of beforehand. Some teachers are better than others about notifying before the day of, and there is occasionally a parent who brings treats without informing them ahead of time."


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