Talking Allergies

Not sure if this should be in cooking or parenting or... so it's here.

4th birthday is approaching and I want to make a special cake for my girl. Running into problems with creative cake books being in stock at stores and of course many products are unsafe (eg Wilton). So, I am going to have to play with icing and colourings etc.

Has anyone become a mini-master-baker? Any lessons learned that you can pass along? I may be over compensating but I want a "wow factor" cake since she misses out on so much else...

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renie
daughter: ana for egg, sesame, dairy, pistachio/cashew/hazelnut. allergic on contact. allergic to soy protein isolate. other lesser allergies (e.g. dogs, dust mites). well controlled asthma. eczema.
son: p-p-p-p-peanuts

Oh yeah...I'm the cake lady. What do you need to know? Cake /icing recipes?

I find the easiest cakes with "wow" factor are shaped pans (I've ordered from here many times) I use Wilton gel colours (other food colorings thin the icing)

http://goldaskitchen.com/merchant.ihtml?id=48&step=3

You just follow the pattern imprinted on the cake...pipe in the outline and fill with stars (easy).

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DD age 9 1/2 -peanuts, nuts,
DD age 7 1/2 - milk, eggs, chicken, peanuts, treenuts, cats, dogs,
DS age 2 1/2
Husband- asthma, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish environmental
Self - penicillan, eurithromiacin, mild laytex allergy.

One cake I made that had lots of wow factor and was supereasy was to make a big castle out out rice krispies or cocoa puff square (or alternating) recipes. I just used a square pan and for the base, but made a couple of layers, and then used different shaped molds (funnels make good turret tops), then decorate with safe candy, icing, etc.

Mine was about a foot high when I was finished.

Make sure to stick a couple of princess dolls or knights, plastic dragons, etc. You could make a moat out of double strength blue jello.

We've had success with a doll cake.
Bake a cake (1 recipe in a medium size bowl)
bake a second and cut off the bottom third. Place the 1st cake on top of the bottom third and cut a whole in the top to place a clean Barbie type doll into. Decorate with frosting to create the dress.
Cut the whole for the doll big enough or the cake will crack.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I am no master baker but last year I melted pairs of mini candy canes together to form little hearts. I pressed them into the sides of the ( plain) cake and stood them on the top.

I have also made a heart cake. Make one round cake and one square cake. Cut the round cake in half and place it on the sides of the square cake that is placed as a diamond- does this make sense?

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daughter: 6 years tree nuts, peanuts

What a great idea Gem! I love that! How did you melt them together?

I just placed them together in a heart shape on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the oven at about 250 and watch them the whole time ( it just takes a few minutes). You just want them to melt a bit so that they stick.

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daughter: 6 years tree nuts, peanuts

We did this for a Harry Potter party for my sons' fifth, and it was a huge hit, and so, so easy.

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1 son allergic to eggs, peanuts, green peas, chick peas, lentils and tomatoes
(avoiding tree nuts and most other legumes too)
1 son allergic to eggs, and has outgrown peanuts
Both with many environmental allergies, asthma and eczema

First of all I want to thank people for their encouragement (in the posts and PM). As my girl is in a big Cinderella kick, we went that way... I did one practice cake which gave me the courage to continue then the day before her birthday made this one (thankfully a friend gave me some pointers).

We were not able to use a single product from Wilton, so this was 100% home-made. For the icing, all I had was the standard 4 set of food colouring (red, green, yellow, blue).

I don't know how to post photos, so here's a link (we post wayy to many photos on line):
http://public.fotki.com/renela/2007/dec ... 07258.html

She isn't perfect, but for my second cake, I was pretty happy. As I had to remind my perfectionist self, it was for a 4 year old birthday party, not someone's wedding....

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renie
daughter: ana for egg, sesame, dairy, pistachio/cashew/hazelnut. allergic on contact. allergic to soy protein isolate. other lesser allergies (e.g. dogs, dust mites). well controlled asthma. eczema.
son: p-p-p-p-peanuts

WOW! You should go into the cake business! I'm very impressed.

I did a chocolate cake with "snow " icing as requested by the b-day girl. One guest has a dairy allergy so the snow icing aka 7 minute frosting was perfect.

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daughter: 6 years tree nuts, peanuts

Renie,

I'd say that cake was pretty perfect. There is no way I could have done such a nice job. Way to go

Soccermom

VERY NICE! Anything with a face is very tough and you pulled it off. Way to go!

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DD age 9 1/2 -peanuts, nuts,
DD age 7 1/2 - milk, eggs, chicken, peanuts, treenuts, cats, dogs,
DS age 2 1/2
Husband- asthma, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish environmental
Self - penicillan, eurithromiacin, mild laytex allergy.

Wow!!! What a gorgeous cake!!! Waaaaaaay better than any I've ever done!!!

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Married mom of 4 living children and a baby girl in Heaven.
Between myself, my husband, and our children we have way too many allergies to list.

I hope she liked it.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

You guys are way too kind! It turned into my obsession and like any 4 year old should, she took it totally for granted! At least it wasn't the usual rectangle cake with sprinkles that she's been so used to...

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renie
daughter: ana for egg, sesame, dairy, pistachio/cashew/hazelnut. allergic on contact. allergic to soy protein isolate. other lesser allergies (e.g. dogs, dust mites). well controlled asthma. eczema.
son: p-p-p-p-peanuts