I had no clue one year ago that the birth of my first son would be such a life changing, monumental experience! Motherhood has been the most amazing event of my life and I am so thankful to God for the precious gift He has trusted me with! This year has passed so quickly, I can’t believe that my 8 pound, 3 ounce bundle of joy now weights over 22 pounds and it seems like he is getting bigger every day. (I really can’t believe that I went from weighing 182 to 123 in less than a year!)
In the past 8 months I have embraced Grain Free and Sugar Free wholeheartedly and I refer to this lifestyle as the Second Gospel because I know and have seen how it can transform people’s health and quality of life. This is so much more than just about weight loss, but about staying healthy so that I can be around for Hunter’s 60th birthday. Hopefully this blog has helped you on your Grain & Sugar Free journey be able to eat yummy foods and help you not feel deprived. There is definitely more to come!!
When I reflect back on my pregnancy and my 60 pound weight gain, sometimes I just can’t believe I let myself gain so much weight! It is not like I sat at home eating gallons of Chocolate Chip ice cream all day! The nausea that accompanied part of my first trimester lead to the consumption of crackers and breads that turned into a full-fledged addiction. Even after Hunter was born, I was still eating these types of foods and not losing the much needed “baby” weight. Thank God I have been delivered! lol But at the end of the day, I don’t beat myself up and I am so thankful that I had a healthy baby and have discovered eating Grain and Sugar Free and had my weight loss journey that has evolved into this blog, as well as Hunter’s Kitchen and an upcoming cookbook! Sometimes we have to go through a wilderness experience and I am thankful I did!
 |
| Hunter’s Kitchen First time at Farmer’s Market, May 2012 |
I’ve come a long way!
 |
| June 2011, Hunter was 1 month old |
 |
| Hunter, almost 1 month old |
 |
| Hunter James McGehee, 8 lbs, 3 oz and 21-3/4 inches long |
 |
| Birthday Boy eating his cake! |
 |
| Those baby blues make me melt! |
 |
| Family Photo, May 2012 |
In celebrating my son’s first birthday I thought I would share with you his birthday cake recipe. I also have linked some keto cookies that actually taste good. I was debating on sharing this recipe now, wanting to save it for the cookbook, but I just couldn’t hold out! 😉
When I made this cake at my son’s party in Georgia last week, everyone loved it! I have also made it since for others and so many people compliment to how moist the cake is! It is a blank canvas for anything from whipped cream and berries to just a drizzle of Chocolate ganache!
 |
| First batch of Milk Chocolate Ganache |
 |
| If you want to keep it simple you don’t have to do a filling. |
This is a pretty simple cake to prepare. My only warning is about the baking times. I have a professional gas oven and sometimes I think it cooks things a little slower than my teeny-tiny oven I had before so just be sure to check for doneness before the end of my suggested baking time.
For the filling I used my Southern Strawberry Delight filling (1/2 recipe) and just stirred in 1 cup chopped strawberries. Blueberries would also be nice! As always, taste for sweetness.
For the frosting, you can use my Sugar Free Chocolate Ganache or my Sugar Free Whipped Chocolate Ganache. The recipe I used is a just a variation of the first. The first Milk Chocolate Ganache I made was from left over ganache I had used to dip strawberries and I added some coconut milk and when it set up, It was firm. When I tried to duplicate the recipe, it didn’t harden as much as the first time but was still great. I do hate when a great dish comes through an accident and you can’t recreate it!
**Note about Baking Powder: Take a look at THIS You Tube video of an easy Grain Free Version:.
**Dairy Free Version: Substitute 4 tbsps of Coconut Oil for the butter and use 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk and 3/4 cup canned coconut milk for the dairy. For the frosting, substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream. I love the dairy free version just as much as the regular. The slight coconut taste is quite nice!
The Best Grain & Sugar Free Birthday Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup almond flour Honeyville
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp coconut flour Tropical Traditions
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 plus 1/8 tsp Stevia Select or granular sweetener of choice to taste*
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream or coconut milk
- 1/4 cup milk of choice cow’s, coconut or almond
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
Milk Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate or favorite dark chocolate
- 4 oz heavy cream
- 4 oz coconut milk
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon Stevia Select Stevia taste for your desired sweetness
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and sweetener.
- In separate bowl, beat eggs and then blend in heavy cream, sour cream, milk, vanilla and butter. Blend well.
- Add wet to dry and whisk until there are no lumps.
- Scoop into cupcake liners or lined cake pans (lined with parchment paper). I used a large ice cream scoop (1/4 cup) for cupcakes.
- Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes and check. Will possibly need up to another 5 minutes.
- Bake 8” cakes for about 22-25 minutes and check for doneness.
- Carefully remove from pan and remove paper and cool on rack.
- **Note: If batter is a little thick, simply add a few more tablespoons of dairy. I always weigh my ingredients on a scale because the volume of flour will vary depending if the flour is packed or not and this can affect how much liquid you need.
- ** Update: To an even lighter cake, separate the egg whites and yolks. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and blend the egg yolks with the other wet ingredients. Blend dry ingredients with wet and then fold egg whites into batter.
Ganache
- Chop unsweetened chocolate and add to a medium pot.
- Melt on low heat stirring occasionally. It is not necessary to use double boiler.
- Once chocolate is melted, whisk in coconut milk, heavy cream, vanilla and stevia. Taste for sweetness and how strong the chocolate is for your taste. If still not Milk Chocolaty enough for you, add up to 2 tablespoons more of coconut milk or heavy cream.
- Allow to cool before pouring over cake. Store frosted cake in refrigerator but let come to room temperature before serving.
Have you enjoyed this blog post?? I hope you have! If you love my site and have enjoyed all of my recipes and content, please consider supporting me through my affiliate links. This is at NO cost to you. I simply receive a VERY small commission on purchases made through links on my site or by using THIS link through Amazon. Thanks so much for your continued support!
Also be sure to check out my two cookbooks, Satisfying Eats & Comforting Eats, NOW available in eBook format through Amazon the spiral bound versions are available here on by blog.
