Baby Brother's Birthday Cakes

We celebrated Baby Brother's First Birthday twice.  The Chocolate Layer Cake, as seen in my previous post, turned out so much better this time around.  I now really like this chocolate cake and will make for our Birthday celebrations.  I was so happy to share this cake today friends with dairy-free and gluten-free diets.  Below is the topping recipe I tweaked today from Quirky Cooking.  This is a dairy free topping, but includes honey so it not ok for vegan guests.  I wonder how it would turn out with maple syrup instead of honey?  Would it be less sweet?  More runny?  Do you have a go-to icing or frosting you really like?  

Coconut Topping
Stir in Thermomix, speed 3 until combined:

300-350 g cream from can of  two coconut milk (put in fridge overnight and scrape the cream from top!)
3-4 tsp or orange juice 
1 tsp of vanilla paste, I used this one. 
60 grams local, raw honey


Click here for original recipe. 

Yum!

We tried another cake last week with sweet potato frosting.  This is a baby-friendly Birthday cake.  Our Baby still not ready for it though.  So he had a roasted and stuffed squash with pears.  

This cake is from this Nutrition/Cookbook.  We drizzled some maple syrup on top for some added sweetness. The texture turned out dense, and a bit more like a scone.  Here is the recipe:

What you need: 
4 cups  all purpose gluten-free flour, I used King Arthur
2 tbs  baking powder
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/ tsp nutmeg
1 cup vanilla milk.  I used coconut milk
1 cup apple juice or pear juice
1/2 sunflower oil.  I used coconut oil instead
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins (soaked in hot water and drained)
1/2 cup walnuts or sunflower seeds, chopped.  I left these out!

What to do: 
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl

Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl

Add dry to wet, then stir in raisins

Pour batter into two coconut oil-greased 9-inch baking pans.  Bake at 350 degrres for 30 minutes, or unitl toothpick comes out dry.  Cool on rack and then frost with sweet potato icing below.  

Sweet Potato Icing:
4 medium sweet potatoes. baked cooled and smoothed out in food processor or Thermomix
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp maple syrup