Birthday cake

[lauradj]

My DS will be turning 1 in 6 weeks and I'm starting to research sugar-free birthday cakes.  Does anyone have a particular recipe they find very tasty? 

[creations]

I made sugar free sweet potato and sultana muffins with cream cheese topping for DS's first birthday.

[lauradj]

Ooo, that sounds yummy.  I might try that! My problem is that the rest of the family, hubby's and mine will want something that resembles a cake.  We're tempted to tell them to suck it up.  You would not believe the grief we're catching over pushing for sugar free foods!

[15milner]

I didnt do sugar free for their 1st birthday cake.  It was the first time that I had given either of the boys cake, I made a larger cake for all the adults and a small cupcake with 1 candle on - they were most bemused and tbh the amount of that cupcake that they ate was very small, so the amount of sugar that, in reality, that they ate wasn't much at all. 

[creations]

Have you seen these?
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/healthy-first-birthday-cake-recipes.html
http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/tipFirstBDay.htm#.U6aGb1GRA5Y
http://uk.pinterest.com/onepartsunshine/recipes-healthy-first-birthday-cakes-for-baby/

I haven't tried them so can't recommend them for ease of baking or taste etc but maybe worth a look.

A banana bread recipe can be baked in a round cake pan instead of a loaf tin?  Decorating the top with cream cheese (there are some sugar free frosting recipes there too, adding vanilla essence or apple sauce to sweeten it) and beautifully sliced fruits can make even sugar free look (and taste) yummy. Sliced strawberries, kiwi, or fresh berries would look lovely.
TBH I've given people sugar free cake/muffins many times and no one even notices.  Depending on the recipe if you finely grate sweet potato or carrot it makes it taste sweeter throughout the cake. Also if you whizz bananas rather than mashing or chopping this makes a sweeter cake too.
Not sure if you can get sugar free jam there, there are 2 varieties here which are sugar and artificial sweetener free, 100% fruit, which could be used in the middle in a two layer cake.

Or make a regular cake for the older kids and adults and a little sugar free muffin or cup cake for baby...or like pp said, let baby have a piece of 'real' cake.  My DS chomped his entire muffin down whilst we were waiting for our food to be brought to the table (in a restaurant for his 1st birthday) but to the disgust of onlookers lol Little did they know he was getting something very healthy and nutritious - and he still managed to devour huge portions of the main meal once it came. I didn't give him anything with sugar in for a long time but a bit of sugar on their birthday is not going to destroy them.

[lauradj]

Thanks ladies!  I know DS loves cream cheese and bananas, so I think I'll try that route.  We do have no sugar added jam here, so that's an option too.  I asked both respective grandfathers to give me his first year of life sugar free, they are the absolute worst! The grandmothers have a little more restraint, so far!  I know I can't control everything he eats, I just don't want him to prefer artificial sweets over naturally sweet things like fruit and some veggies. 

[creations]

It's understandable. There's huge pressure (often from older generations) to give babies and toddlers special treats which aren't so good for them - and they have the rest of their whole long lives to enjoy those sweet foods.
Hope it turns out well for you and everyone enjoys the party