Berkeley Parents Network: First Birthday Cake

Berkeley Parents Network

First Birthday Cake

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Birthdays > First Birthday Cake

Bakery for first birthday cake
Chocolate cake recipe for first birthday cake
Got a great recipe for 1st birthday cake?
Chocolate Cake for 1st birthday
More Advice about Birthday Cakes

Bakery for first birthday cake

March 2006

I'm looking for a good bakery to buy my son's first birthday cake. I'd like to buy a small tradional cake (lots of frosting fun!) for him and larger one for party goers. Any suggestions appreciated! Michelle

we got a postcard from safeway for a free 8 inch (i think, it was enough for at least 8 people had we shared it) cake for our sons first b-day. It's just what you are looking for and tasty to boot. they even put his name on it with happy birthday! Other mom's I know have just taken the birth certificate in. We got our at the safeway at 51st and Broadway in Oakland. love free tasty cake

We have used Toots Sweets bakery in Berkeley on Gilman Street for birthday cakes and they have been quite yummy! I especially enjoyed their carrot cake. anon

I don't know how small a cake you are looking for, but Grace Bakery, at Market Hall have delicious little cakes, that feed about 4-6 adults. They're like a higher quality Safeway cake. They come in bright, fun colors, too. Cathy

Hi, Such a fun event to plan for isn't it? I found out right before my son's first birthday that both Safeway and Albertson's offer a FREE first birthday cake with a birth certificate. And as far as a great adult cake I LOVE the cakes at Tucker's on Park Street in Alameda. Their contact information is: Tucker's Super Creamed Ice Cream (510) 522-4960 1349 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 Cross Street: Near intersection of Park St and Alameda Ave www.tuckersicecream.com Have fun! Happy First Birthday

Try Viriginia Bakery on Shattuck. It's a real old fashioned bakery, and they do lots of specialty birthday cakes. They also have a wide variety, so you can get something for the adults, too. Cake lover

We have always gone to Toot's Sweets on Hopkins in Berkeley for birthday cakes. They can copy beautiful designs, or take work easily over the phone. This is not gourmet cake, this is kid pleasing, sweet, frosting, type of cake. We always freeze what is left over and it is such a temptation to eat it afterwards. They have always had cakes ready on time and everyone has been pleased. For a one year old, well, give the baby a lick. Sandy

Great places for cakes are: Love at First Bite, in Berkeley, tucked away off Shattuck and Vine. They make the most amazing Red Velvet cake, a fantastic strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream, and a really great variety of other cakes using wonderful, natural ingredients. No yucky transfats smeared on flavorless cakes, like safeway!

Bake Sale Betty at 51st and Telegraph also does a wonderful strawberry shortcake which is perfect for a first birthday party. Miette, in the Ferry Building in SF, has my favorite cakes! Well worth the trip. Happy Birthday to your little one! Cake Maven

1999

Both Safeway and Lucky's will give you a free small round cake for your child's 1st birthday. You just have to bring in a copy of the birth certificate and order it a few days before the party so it can be decorated. It was worked out great when my son turned one.

Chocolate cake recipe for first birthday cake

March 2004

I'd like to make my daughter's first birthday cake, but I don't have a recipe for a good chocolate cake. The icing will be orange-chocolate. I've heard that the cakes with coffee as one of the ingredients are pretty good. Anyone have a good recipe?

I found a great recipe on Epicurious (Double Chocolate Layer Cake) It is the best chocolate cake I have ever made at home. Don't worry if you don't have 10-inch pans. I just use 9-inch pans and pour leftover batter into a muffin pan. I'm sure it will be delicious with your orange-chocolate frosting. http://food.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=101275 Joanna

Try: Mahogany Chiffon Cake
It's an old, old family favorite of a friend of mine and has 
been their birthday cake of choice for decades now!
(FYI it requires an angel food tube pan and presents 
beautifully. When icing it, somewhat runnier icing is better)
Mahogany Chiffon Cake
3/4 c. boiling water
1/2 c. cocoa
1 3/4 c. sifted cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c. vegetable oil
8 egg yolks
2tsp vanilla
8 egg whites (1 cup)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 3/4 c. sugar
Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine boiling water and cocoa; 
cool.  sift flour, soda and salt into mixing bowl.  making a 
well, add in order; oil, egg yolks, cocoa mixture and vanilla.  
Beat with wooden spoon until smooth.  in large bowl, beat egg 
whites and cream of tartar to very stiff peaks.  Do not 
underbeat ( a dry rubber spatula leaves a clean path).  Pour egg 
yolk mixture in thin stream over entire surface of egg whites, 
gently cutting and folding in with the spatula until blended.  
Do not stir.  Pour into 10-inch angel food tube pan.  Bake 65-70 
minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  Invert 
pan on bottle utnil cold.  Loosen from sides of tube with a 
spatula.  Turn pan over and hit edge sharply on table to release 
cake.

Hope it turns out well. have a great birthday party. P.S. If you like this recipe, consider buying the awesome cookbook it comes from, called ''Yum!'' put out by El Cerrito Preschool Co-op (professionally published). 350 recipes, lots of award-winners, international stuff, desserts aplenty and kids- stuff. $12 each. Call 526-1916 to order one! Christine

I'm crazy for cake and have tried many recipes for chocolate cake and found this one from Martha Stewart to be the best. Moist, dense and oh so delicious!

One Bowl Chocolate Cake 
  
Makes 2 eight-inch square or 3 eight-inch round layers 
 
  
   Unsalted butter, for pans 
1 1/2  cups unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for pans 
3  cups all-purpose flour 
3  cups sugar 
1  tablespoon baking soda 
1 1/2  teaspoons baking powder 
1 1/2  teaspoons salt 
3   large eggs 
1 1/2  cups buttermilk 
3/4  cup vegetable oil 
1 1/2  teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

  1.  Preheat oven to 350B0. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round or 
square cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment; butter 
parchment, and dust with cocoa. 

  2.  Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle 
attachment, sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking 
powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, stir in eggs, 1 1/2 
cups warm water, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla until 
smooth, about 3 minutes. 

  3.  Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake, rotating once, 
until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 45 
minutes for 8-inch layers, depending on amount of batter. 

  4.  Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes, 
then remove from pans and cool completely, right side up on 
rack.

timjean

I have a wonderful chocolate cake recipe. It's extremely easy, uses oil instead of butter, so it stays light and moist:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups water*
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 9'' baking 
pans.  Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.  Mix all wet 
ingredients in another bowl.  Ad wet ingredients to dry and beat 
until just smooth; do not overbeat. Pour evenly into pans; batter 
will be thin. Bake for approximately 25-35 minutes or until a 
clean toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
* You can substitute up to half of the water with milk, 
buttermilk (makes a richer cake), or even some coffee, if you 
choose.

Liz D.

I'm not sure, but is chocolate appropriate for a 1 year old? Or perhaps the cake is for grown ups only? For baby, there is a carrot cake recipe in What to Expect the First Year. I suggest your local library.

Try the Texas Sheetcake in Joy of Cooking. So yummy and amazingly EASY. Especially because you serve it right from the pan.
chocoholic

I don't recommend coffee for a chocolate cake for kids. It just fuels the fire of over the top energy even more. However, I have come across a great moist chocolate cake recipe (and am looking forward to everyone else's. It's from a book called Quick Vegetarian Pleasures and its on page 215. It uses that vinegar-baking soda reaction to get its rise.....Preheat oven to 350 (and make sure it is ready cuz the batter MUST go in as soon as it is mixed). Wait 10 minutes for oven to begin to heat. Butter and flour (I like cocoa powder instead) two 8 inch cake pans. When the oven is hot thoroughly combine 2&1/4 cups unbleached whit flour, 1&1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1&1/2 teaspoons baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Pour into the bowl 1&1/2 cups WARM water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1&1/2 teaspoons vanilla extact, and last of all 1&1/2 teaspoon white vinegar. Stir all briefly until well combined and pour into pans and get it into the oven very soon. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center tests done. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, THEN remove cakes from pans and cool completely. Yum. Yum Yum Yum

Got a great recipe for 1st birthday cake?

Oct 2002

My baby is turning one year old soon and I would like to make her a cake from scrach. It sounds more healthy to me than buying these artificial cakes from the store. I know that babies not suppose to have nuts, chocolate and honey and I am wondering if anybody can send me a great first birthday cake recipe.

I just made a carrot cake with maple cream cheese frosting for my daughter's first birthday. It was YUMMY and very easy. The recipe was in the 2001 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. If you'd like me to type it up and email it to you, just send me your email address. Liz

For both my kids first birthdays I made strawberry shortcake: white or vanilla cake, strawberries, and whipped cream. It was yummy, easy, and did the trick for the messy face photo op. Laurel

I solved the cake dilemma for the 1st birthday by buying a cake for the adult guests and children who already eat sugar. And making a whole grain muffin recipe from the back of an arrowhead mills flour bag w/o sweetner. I used grated carrots and sultanas. My child ate it with gusto that day and never again. And I found it a decent breakfast for the next few days (with a little extra jam). no sugar mama

we made a cake from scratch for our son's first birthday. we used the recipe for angel food cake from ''joy of cooking,'' with a whipped cream and banana frosting. (if you need the recipe, email and we can get it to you.) it was a wonderful yummy cake which made for a yummy wonderful mess! :) jolie

You could use the recipe for "First Birthday Cake" (p. 624) from the "What to Expect the First Year" (Eisenberg et al, 1996). It's a carrot cake (made with all healthy ingredients and no sugar) and you could simply omit the cream cheese icing. I made it for my son's first birthday and he (and we) loved it! In fact, he much preferred it over the gourmet bakery cake we had (which had lots of sugar, etc.). Hope this helps and is not too late to be useful--happy birthday!

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