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!
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| Hunter’s Kitchen First time at Farmer’s Market, May 2012 |
I’ve come a long way!
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| June 2011, Hunter was 1 month old |
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| Hunter, almost 1 month old |
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| Hunter James McGehee, 8 lbs, 3 oz and 21-3/4 inches long |
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| Birthday Boy eating his cake! |
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| Those baby blues make me melt! |
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| Family Photo, May 2012 |
In celebrating my son’s first birthday I thought I would share with you his birthday cake recipe. 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!
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| First batch of Milk Chocolate Ganache |
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| 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
Makes 12-13 cupcakes or 2-8” inch cakes
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp Kal Stevia or granular sweetener of choice (to taste)*
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)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix dry ingredients.
- In separate bowl, beat eggs and mix in remaining wet ingredients.
- Add wet to dry and whisk until there are no lumps.
- Pour into cupcake liners or lined cake pans (Wax/parchment paper). I use a large ice cream scoop 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.
Milk Chocolate Ganache Frosting
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 oz heavy cream
4 oz coconut milk
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp Stevia (taste for your desired sweetness)
- Chop up 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.
- Allow to cool before pouring over cake. Store frosted cake in refrigerator but let come to room temperature before serving.
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Your little boy is addorable!!!! Happy birthday Hunter, you have beautiful eyes! Thank you so much for this recipe! Can't wait to make it!
Thanks LindaG! He is a doll baby! Let me know how you like it!
OMG! I made this cake today and had some after supper. It is so good! Reminds me of Boston cream pie!! My favotite! It will be our birthday cake from now on! Hubby and I have not been able to have birthday cake for 6 years! You are such a blessing Melissa! Thank you so much!
LindaG, thank you so much for the kind words! It's people like you that inspire me and I am so happy that you can have birthday cake again!
Fabulous website and recipes! I've added you to my Bloglovin.com list, I've made out my grocery list for this week so that I can make your ice cream and milk shake and chocolate chunks, and I've ordered the Kal stevia from Amazon. Thanks so much, from another grain-free sugar-free cook & eater,Pearlhttp://WhatDidYouLearnToday-Everyday.blogspot.com
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is the coconut milk the canned or dairy variety. Please clarify. Thankyou
@Pearl, so glad you are enjoying the recipes! The Kal Stevia is the key!@yiayiamommy, I only use canned coconut milk. The only ingredients should be coconut milk and water. Hope this helps.
What can you use in place of coconut milk? We don't buy canned food.
@vjbakke, are you wanting to make the recipe dairy free? If so, use more almond milk. There are also recipes for making your own coconut milk. You could also try the coconut milk in the refrigerated section. I just prefer to use the canned milk because all I am getting is milk and water unlike the milk in the carton which has stuff added to it. If not needing to make it dairy free, you can substitute sour cream or heavy whipping cream. Let me know how it turns out!
Is that full fat coconut milk, or can one use the lite?
Carol, I prefer full fat but you could use lite.
YES!!! Thanks a bunch for the great recipe!! 🙂
Great blog Melissa! I've been sugar/grain free since early this year – down 40 pounds so far. Always happy to find another great blog that inspires my new eating lifestyle. I'm following you now at http://www.empoweredeating.blogspot.ca/ 🙂
Hi, this looks great!This instructions don't use the strawberry filling? Did I miss something? Will it taste just as good without? thanks!
@Trina, congrats on your weight lose and what a great blog!@Leonora, you can use any frosting/filling on this cake. Read below the pictures of the cake and you'll find the variations and link to Strawberry Filling. Good luck!
Hi! So excited about this recipe! We are on the Maker's Diet right now and want to stay with it. This would allow us a taste of my daughter's birthday cake! Thanks so much! Do you use powdered stevia or the liquid? I'm pretty sure it's powder, but wanted to check! Thanks so much!
My daughter is on a low sugar low carb diet. Can you tell me how many carbs are in the cake? I know you said that the frosting has less than 6g. Thank you so much. If you could, email me at annis@wow.com Thank you!
@ourtwomiracles, the Maker's Diet is a great book! I use powdered Kal Stevia. I would think it would still work with the liquid stuff! Good luck!@Bonnie, 1/12th of the cake has less than 6 grams of carbs! Enjoy!
Oh its great that sugar free cake on birthday so nice. i forget my diabetes by this post thanks buddy sugar free ketchup recipe
This cake looks amazing! Is there a substitute for almond flour – my family has tree nut allergies.
I was also wondering about subbing the almond flour and milk. Would soy milk work? I'm new to the sugar and grain free lifestyle and have a lot to learn. (Being terribly allergic to nuts is not helping!) This looks delicious, and you look fantastic! Way to go!
H! I would love to make this for my husband’s 40th birthday tomorrow. We have been wheat belly since Jan 1/2013 and its been an adventure! I would love to know how you keep the weight off with all these great foods!? You must practice great portion control and stay within the 15 g of carbs per meal strictly? I lost 6 pounds in Jan and then went off thyroid meds in Feb to trial without and see how “hypothyroid” I was and then it caused major problems and every pound I lost I gained back. I’m miserable about it but hoping that going back on meds 2 weeks ago might help the weight loss. I’m not so sure as I find I am eating all the time. I try to consider the 15 g carbs per meal but probably go over the 50 grams in a day because of snacking. I need to get back on track. Cake doesn’t help! haha. Anyhow……I use some Truvia that I bought while in the U.S. and I am wondering when you say 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp for the kal-stevia – do you mean 1/4 cup stevia plus 1/8 tsp or 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp? Do you think the truvia acts the same so that I would use 1/4 cup also plus 1/8 tsp (if that is what you mean). thanks!!!
Hi Sue! The wonderful thing about these goodies is that they are all VERY low carb! I have cut back on the recently because I felt I was eating too many treats and breads, need to give my system a little break! 😉 It may take a little time using “diet” and meds to get your system regulated, don’t give up! My advise is to cut out ALL GRAINS, Sugars and even possibly dairy (some people are much more sensative to dairy than others). About this recipe which is delicious… I will be making this cake again for my son’s 2nd birthday next week. Kal Stevia contains an itty-bitty spoon and I consider that 1 serving and any other measurements are in tsp such as 1/8th tsp. If using Truvia, the measurements for the Kal listed in the recipe will not apply. I am not sure how much Truvia you will need but start will 1/4 cup and taste your batter and go from there, possibly adding more. Do you have my Cookbook?? I have a helpful hint about microwaving the batter to see what the final sweetness will be. Does this help?? Please let me know and the big key is to TASTE your batter and make sure the batter taste good before you bake it. If the batter doesn’t taste good the final cake won’t either!
Reblogged this on Satisfying Eats and commented:
Making this cake this weekend for my son’s 2nd Birthday! I haven’t made it in a while, I can’t wait!!
Your story sounds all too familiar 😉 I was wondering what Kal Stevia is? I have both liquid and non-liquid stevia, so not sure which to use (for cake or ganache) or if you are referring to something else. thanks! =)
Brandi, Kal Stevia is AWESOME! No fillers and the best one I have tried (I’ve tried about 6-8 brands over the 9 years I have used Stevia). It is very concentrated and I use the powdered form for all of my recipes. It may seem expensive but it last FOREVER because it is so concentrated. A serving (there is an itty-bitty spoon inside container) is less than 1/32 of a tsp. Hope this helps! Here is link to the exact stevia I use: http://amzn.to/YMvZ9k
Hi! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I found you on Pinterest. I was looking for a sugar free version of a Boston Cream pie to make for my birthday after failing my glucose tolerance test yesterday. (I’m 28 weeks along with my 7th baby and have never failed a glucose test before.) I now have to go in and do a 3 hr fasting test next week, just days after my 39th birthday! I am so not looking forward to the test, but I am hoping this cake will be a helpful way to get my carbs and sugars down before next week’s test! I will also be back to your blog as I have been considering cutting out sugars and carbs for a while now. Failing my glucose test is probably what I needed to jump start me on this new path toward healthier eating! Thanks again for the recipe! I hope mine comes out as good as yours looks! http://www.dirigochristianhomeschool.blogspot.com
HI!!! My son’s first birthday is coming up next month, and I was wondering if you thought this cake is sturdy enough to cut/stack… I’m planning on making an airplane Like in the link below:
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/30/e2/88/30e288f73957d22cf4fd7f540eb2a876.jpg
Do you think it will work?
Tabitha, yes, it should hold up fine! I wish I was ambitious as you when it comes to decorating cakes! Good luck and please let me know how it turns out! (I would love to see a picture)!
Nasya, I really couldn’t answer this question. I haven’t baked with wheat flour in over 2 years. I am sure there are other gluten free and low carb cakes out there but I haven’t tried one to recommend it. Too bad you can’t make this one.
I went to Amazon to order Kal Stevia and read in the comments that they now add maltodextrin. Are there any other pure brands you recommend?
Mona, this is a new thing from KAL and I’m SO disappointed! I have been using this Organic Sweet Leaf brand and it’s good. You generally use 2 times as much as you would Kal. http://bit.ly/sweet-leaf-organic-stevia Also, I have been told that KAL’s organic doesn’t contain the maltodextrin. My bottle should arrive tomorrow and I will compare them. Hope this helps!
Hello I would love to know the result of your finding with the new Stevia you ordered and if you have tried the Organic KAL to see if it’s the same?
My husband is extremely picky with his sweeteners so we have tried many different ones and now we are using Sucanat for our coffee but I would love to find a Stevia that we can use because the ones I have tried have a disgusting after taste.
We been Gluten free for about five months now and I feel in heaven on your blog.
Thank you so much for your recipes.
Wendy, I really didn’t notice a big difference in the organic vs. the old KAL stevia. I would advise if you buy the Organic variety to add a little less than the recipe calls for and taste the recipe. You can then add the remaining Organic KAL or another sweetener of choice. Also, some people are VERY sensitive to the taste of stevia and for those folks, I say use 1/2 the amount I call for and then use alternative sweetener. I hope his helps! I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes!
I have a question about the stevia you use vs.a granular sweetener: Does the stevia you use still have an aftertaste? The only organic ones I’ve used have the strange aftertaste and leave my mouth feeling “filmy”. What’s your take on using coconut sugar instead?
Jessica, check out this post about Stevia (it is long because I have been writing my explanation for a while): http://bit.ly/All-About-Stevia I do use coconut sugar and stevia together. Let me know if you have any questions after reading the other post!
Thank you for sharing your recipe, I am very anxious to try it. I was wondering if you would share the weight (oz. or grams) that you use? I also have a scale and prefer to bake this way because I achieve better results in my opinion.
Thanks!
Judy, when I measure almond flour, each cup is approximately 3.3-3.4 oz. I don’t pack my almond flour nor do I pour it in the cup rather I scoop it and the level the cup off. I hope this helps.
That helps a lot thanks. What about the weight of the coconut flour? It seems like I have to be more careful with coconut flour since it is so absorbent/thirsty.
Your foods look great! Where is the farmers market that you sell your goods?
Nicole, I used to sale in Baton Rouge good to have not since baby number two arrived.