HELP PLEASE! Need Alternative to Birthday Cake

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jalysia
jalysia Posts: 43
in Food and Nutrition
Ok my birthday is coming up and my husband and I want to be able to celebrate with my kids. However, it just doesn't seem like a good choice to buy a birthday cake (I don't think I have enough will power to eat only one EXTREMELY small piece). Since my husband is being very supportive of my trying to get healthy and lose weight, he agreed to not buy a cake. BUT, now we have NO IDEA what a good alternative would be that the kids would enjoy (like cake) but is healthy and/or low calorie/low fat...

PLEASE HELP!!!

Thanks :)
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Replies

  • ptoleary
    ptoleary Posts: 26
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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU4pZ14qrQw go to youtube type lean body lifestyle
  • letgomyego
    letgomyego Posts: 2 Member
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    how about getting a large construction paper ,draw a big cake on it and have the kids decorate it for you ,crayons ,glitter ,ect they will be supporting you and having fun ,something they will rember . Good luck and Happy birthday.
  • JulieF11
    JulieF11 Posts: 387 Member
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    Make one... or better yet, let your hubby make it. :-) Here's a great recipe and for only 175 calories a slice, it's the bomb!

    Dark Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe (from Cooking Light, Nov 2005)

    Ingredients

    Cooking spray
    3/4 cup powdered sugar
    3 large eggs
    2 tablespoons cornstarch
    3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
    2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
    1 tablespoon Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
    1 tablespoon hot water
    Dash of salt
    2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
    Powdered sugar (optional)
    Orange rind strips (optional)

    Preparation

    Preheat oven to 350°.

    Coat an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray; line bottom of pan with parchment or wax paper. Wrap outside of pan with aluminum foil.

    Place 3/4 cup sugar and eggs in a bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 7 minutes.

    Combine cornstarch and cocoa in a small bowl; set aside. Place juice, liqueur, water, salt, and chocolate in a small glass bowl; microwave at high 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture; whisk until smooth.

    Gently stir one-fourth of egg mixture into chocolate mixture; gently fold into remaining egg mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Place pan in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to larger pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes or until top is set. Remove cake pan from water; cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula; cool to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with powdered sugar and rind just before serving, if desired.

    Nutritional Information
    Amount per serving

    Calories: 175 (1/6 of cake)
    Calories from fat: 31%
    Fat: 6.1g
    Protein: 4.3g
    Carbohydrate: 26.1g
    Fiber: 1.7g
    Sodium: 33mg
  • chicky89
    chicky89 Posts: 262 Member
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    angel food cake is relatively a good choice.
  • chattychick
    chattychick Posts: 90 Member
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    I know my local grocery store sells individual cake slices? Perhaps buy exactly enough slices for everyone to have one piece? This way even if you are tempted to have more there isn't more to have.
  • JustLindaLou
    JustLindaLou Posts: 376 Member
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    Angel Food cake (virtually fat free) and fresh strawberries, maybe a little non-dairy whipped topping?? One of my favorite nearly guilt-free desserts. Happy Birthday!!
  • kimberly130
    kimberly130 Posts: 166
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    Why not cupcakes? They are small you can make a 1/2 batch of 6 and decorate them with the kids!(Or buy a box of minis at the grocery store) It would be fun and portion controlled! you can put a candle in it too!! :flowerforyou:

    PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
  • angelaclassact
    angelaclassact Posts: 66 Member
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    Make a healthy cake recipe and put it into small cup cakes. This will control the portions. Skip the frosting on all of them, keep enough out for you and the family and freeze the rest in single serving sizes.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
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    I made my sister a birthday cheesecake this year for her birthday, thats a better choice than most others. I had also thought about an ice-cream cake (home made healthier icecream).

    Otherwise you could make a bunch of cupcakes and tower them as the birthday cake. Then you dont even have to think about portion control!
  • sister_bear
    sister_bear Posts: 529 Member
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    My brother and I have our birthdays at the end of November in the midst of Thanksgiving. We almost never had birthday cake when we were growing up. My brother always wanted pumpkin pie and I usually had root beer floats.

    This year, my husband and I made cupcakes, so we could have nicely portion controlled tiny cakes. :)

    My point is, you don't have to have cake. And yes, making your own is always a good idea. That way you can control what's in it.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Go out for a treat, and enjoy it. Don't bring home any leftovers (not that there's a high risk of leftovers when it comes to treats).

    This is one way you can "have your cake and eat it too" :wink:
  • benoit822
    benoit822 Posts: 2 Member
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    A cupcake per person -- allow yourself just one and only buy one for each person.
  • petey247
    petey247 Posts: 9 Member
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    When the dessert blues get me down and I feel I just have to get my cake on, I always turn to the magical can of pumpkin.

    Buy a box cake mix, add a can of pumpkin to it, stir and bake. Don't add the oil, eggs, butter or water; just the pumpkin. It turns out slightly denser than a cake and lighter than a brownie. My favorite box mix to use with the pumpkin is chocolate. It tastes great, counts as a serving of veggies and soothes the sweet beast.

    Top it off with a dab of fat free cool whip or a very light sprinkling of powdered sugar instead of frosting, add a candle and celebrate another year of being older, wiser and healthier.

    Happy Birthday!
  • AmyG1982
    AmyG1982 Posts: 1,040 Member
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    Angelfood cake with strawberries and low fat cool whip?
  • ltlemermaid
    ltlemermaid Posts: 637 Member
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    you could make little cupcakes that way you and your family can have something sweet to celebrate with but a much smaller portion.

    here is a link that has ideas for alternative healthy options for bday cake:

    http://www.ehow.com/way_5217266_healthy-birthday-cake-alternatives.html
  • AmyLRed
    AmyLRed Posts: 894 Member
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    angle food cake (fat free sugar free kind) and fresh strawberries with fat free coolwhip. Feels like a great treat, low cal!

    Also, you can use angel food cake mix and add a can of crushed pineapple, nothing else. bake as cupcakes for 69 cals each.
  • newCourtney
    newCourtney Posts: 168 Member
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    There was a discussion on here a few days ago about making cupcakes using diet soda instead of all the other ingredients (cake mix, diet soda, mix and bake). You could try that and use whipped cream instead of frosting. There are entries in the database for the cal counts, but 1 cupcake is between 90 and 120 cals, depending on the mix you use.
    Happy Birthday!
  • NickiStone
    NickiStone Posts: 101 Member
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    My birthday is coming up in a week or so and I will be trying the Diet Soda Cake. It is one can diet soda mixed and baked with a cake mix of your choice.

    Take a look at this thread with soda and cake mix combos.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/55171-diet-soda-cake?hl=soda+cake+mix&page=12#posts-4956211
  • stevwil41
    stevwil41 Posts: 608 Member
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    A couple of my local grocery stores sell half cakes so there's not nearly as much to eat. You could look for something like that or even get a small package of cupcakes. I think the local bakeries do 6 packs for a reasonable price. You'd have built in portion control that way.
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
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    I love the mini cupcake idea. I hear you about not having any willpower, i dont either. For my hubby bday I got a recipe from here. So easy.

    1 box angel food cake

    1 can light pie filling ( i use strawberry or rasberry)

    Mix ONLY these 2 ingredients together and pour into a cake pan 9 x 13. Then bake for about 25 minutes. Top with fat free cool whip. It is amazing. Only 88 cals a slice.

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