I planned on waiting until Briggy turned 18 months to give him chocolate and nuts. A couple weeks prior to his 18 month mark I gave him a little chocolate mixed with his milk to see if he 1) liked it and 2) had any signs of allergy to it.
He seemed to like it and didn't get a rash so I went for a celebration cake on the
15th!
He's going to be 2 before I can catch my breath--he's growing so fast! He liked the cake, but he really prefers fruit over anything else.
This recipe for chocolate cake is special because it has pureed veggies in--beets!
(this is from jessica seinfelds deceptively delicious cookbook)
Batter:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
3 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup beet puree (I personally think you could add up to 3/4 cup...I didnt taste anything funky)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
1 8oz package of cream cheese
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
(I didn't have cream cheese on hand so I just made a buttercream)
1-Preheat oven to 350. Coat 9 inch pan with spray
2-In a large bowl, beat brown sugar with oil until creamy. Add the whole egg and whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate, beet puree, buttermilk and vanilla
3-Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat until smooth
4-Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. (35-40 minutes) Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a rack to cool completely.
5-Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat the cream cheese with the confectioners sugar, cocoa and vanilla until smooth. Slice the cake in half horizontally. Spread the frosting over the top and between the layers of the cooled cake.
