How to make a Muno birthday cake using real food
February 22nd, 2013My little boy turned 2! And many of you absolutely pounced when I shared a photo of his cake on Instagram. It really turned out great, and lived up to this mama’s idea of making a cake without a lot of processed sugar or chemical junk. As I mentioned last year when he turned 1: It doesn’t make sense to celebrate our lives with food that makes us weak and sick.
For this recipe I really focused on the frosting and decorations, which are the most worrisome parts of any birthday cake. Muno in particular (a bright red character on my son’s favorite TV show) seems to require bright, fake red frosting…until I realized there was a better way.
Have you ever read the ingredients on a tub of frosting? UGH. Gross. (I wrote more about that last year if you are interested.)
Start with a plain cake
Start with a basic sheet cake. Mine was chocolate. If you’re adventurous, substitute Sucanat 1:1 for sugar, and replace half of the flour with whole wheat. Or, use any gluten-free recipe you like. As long as you end up with a rectangular cake, you’re good to go.
When it’s cool, cut the round shape of Muno’s head by carving the corners off one end of the cake. Use the rim of a medium size bowl for a “stencil.”
Whip some cream
Don’t buy whipped cream – that stuff is full of junk. Instead, buy a half pint of organic heavy cream (or “whipping cream” which is a bit easier to work with). This is actual food, sold near the milk.
8 oz. organic whipping cream
1 Tbl. pure maple syrup
1 bottle food-based red dye (I used India Tree brand from Whole Foods)
First, make sure the ingredients are cold. Place the metal bowl and beaters of your stand mixer in the freezer so they are ice cold, too.
Combine ingredients and blend at high speed until it gets thick (probably less than a minute). You’re done!
Note that the icing will be more pink than red, but that’s ok. It will blend in nicely with the strawberries.
Go Muno! Go Muno!
You will need:
1 white and 1 black thin foam sheet from a craft store (not edible!)
Your whipped cream
16 oz. organic strawberries, sliced
For Muno’s eye, cut 1 big white circle and 1 black smaller circle out of the foam sheets. Cut a black mouth and 2 white teeth. (Using a photo reference is handy to get the right shape/size!)
Frost cake. Arrange eye and mouth. Then cover exposed frosting with strawberry slices, including around the sides.
You can refrigerate for a short time, but it’s best if served right away. Remember to remove the foam before eating!
Happy Birthday, Danny!
And congratulations to all the mamas out there who give 200% every day and still make time to feed their children real food. Hugs to you.
