Do you think sugar makes kids hyper?
It’s a widely-held belief that sugar makes kids act crazy, but I’m not sure I believe it. Especially at birthday parties, with all the presents and balloons and ice cream and games… who wouldn’t get excited in such a revved-up atmosphere? And the experts are split: some swear childhood hyperactivity and sugar are linked, while others argue no solid evidence exists to back up the theory.
No matter the truth, there are still many other reasons to be wary of America’s favorite sweetener. Excess sugar consumption has been linked to gum disease and cavities, blood sugar spikes, mood swings, Diabetes, and obesity (which can lead to high cholesterol, heart disease, etc.).
One thing is certain: as a whole, we are consuming way too much sugar. According to a study conducted by Family Circle, the average teen is taking in roughly five times the AHA’s recommended daily sugar limit of 6-9 teaspoons. And eating sugar leads to craving more sugar: Penn State researchers found that the more sugar children consumed, the less they ate vegetables, fruits, and other healthy foods.
So what’s a sugar-craving, health-conscious dessert lover to do?
Have a piece of cake!
That’s what.
With a light and fluffy texture, the following healthy cake recipe can hold its own against any boxed birthday cake mix. It’s been kid-tested and approved, so you know it must be good. Yet it offers you fiber, selenium, manganese, and protein… all while tasting like real, sugary birthday cake!
The cake above is frosted with my recipe for Healthy Strawberry Frosting.
(No, I don’t think it’s bad to have a slice of processed, sugary, white-flour birthday cake every now and then. But if you can make a healthy cake that tastes just as good, why not save your empty sugar calories for something else?)
Kid-Approved Healthy Cake
Adapted from Homemade Donuts.
- 1 1/3 cups milk of choice (320g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar (23g)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (15g)
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp veg or melted coconut oil (50g)
- 2 loosely-packed cups spelt or all-purpose flour (or Bob’s gf, plus 1 tsp xantham gum) (240g)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup xylitol or sugar of choice (140g)
- 1/8 tsp pure stevia, or 1/4 cup more sugar of choice
- jam, frosting, sprinkles or Hannah’s Homemade Sprinkles
Healthy birthday cake recipe: Preheat oven to 350 F, and line two 8-in round pans (or one 13×9) with parchment paper. Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk well. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir very well. Pour wet into dry, stir until just evenly combined, pour into the pans and immediately put in the oven. Bake around 22 minutes, or until cakes have risen and no longer look undercooked. Allow to cool 10 minutes, then gently go around the sides with a knife and invert the pans onto large plates. (The frosting recipe I used is linked directly under the second photo of this post. If you use that particular recipe, I recommend frosting the cake just before serving.)
View Healthy Cake Nutrition Facts
For more specifics on the amount of sugar in this healthy white cake recipe–even if you use all sugar and none of the optional substitutes–see the nutrition facts above.
For the birthday cake photoshoot, I called my roommate at work and asked her if she knew where the matches were. Her response was a suspicious “Why are you looking for matches?”
Ever since I set a pot on fire about a year ago, she doesn’t trust me with matches. 😕
Link of the Day: 14 Homemade Larabar Recipes
Sugar does not make me hyper… Alcohol does. The cake looks good but a little dry is it moist?? And is xylitol sugar natural? I find that fake sugar really messes up my body. What are the calories if you use real sugar? And with frosting and jam?
Thanks
Yes, xylitol is an all-natural sweetener. Some brands are better than others; I use the Xyla brand for recipe testing: http://www.xylitolusa.com/
I offer it as a sugar-free option for people wanting to cut back or for people who can’t have sugar, but it’s best to not go crazy and eat too much (just like with anything else). Personally, I use it for recipe testing and have no problems eating it. (It tastes just as good as sugar in most recipes)… but if I’m making something that isn’t a recipe test, I’ll usually use coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice, simply for the sake of variety.
Calorie-wise, xylitol is actually not a calorie-free sweetener. I think it has a little less than sugar, but people use it to cut back on sugar, not to cut back on calories. Sorry, I don’t have nutrition info for the cake made with frosting and jam. Just get the calories for the entire frosting recipe and divide by however many number of servings your cake gets. That’ll be the amount of calories from frosting per piece. Hope that helps!
Katie this looks gorgeous!!! Like a real Birthday cake!!! I will have to try this!!! 🙂
I’m hosting a teen birthday at my home this Friday. I’m going to try, if for nobody else but me 🙂
Hi Katie!
This looks stunning, as usual! I really want to make it… like NOW! 😛
I was wondering though, would almond meal/flour work in place of the spelt/all purpose flour that this recipe calls for?
Thanks!
-Grace 🙂
I don’t think so. It would crumble.
Hi Katie,
I love your blog and I’ve made and love many of your recipes. I am hesitant to even write this comment–but I was wondering if you are aware that Tyson Frozen Food products (aka frozen meat sticks) are sometimes advertised at the top of your web page? I bring this up only because I would want someone to make ME aware of this if I wasn’t, since I am a 99.9% vegan for ethical reasons as well as health reasons. Maybe you know and are ok with it and I respect you either way. But just incase you didn’t know, I thought I’d say something. And on a much more positive note, thank you for your amazing recipes!
Yeah… I just noticed one of those last night and am waiting to hear back from my ad network rep. I DO have a no-meat preference stated in my contract. However, the rep who was assigned to me just left for a new position, so the only thing I can think of is that the preference got lost in transition (i.e. she failed to tell the new person about it). So hopefully it is an easy fix! I’m vegan first-and-foremost for ethical reasons as well.
sooo cute..
cutie cake for my kids..
i’ll definately try this one..
I’ve got 3 o’clock-itis and this just looks like the most amazing thing in the world! I’m just wondering though where the protein comes from – is it in the spelt flour?
Yes, even all-purpose flour has around 3g of protein per 1/4 cup (according to the bag).
Holy moley! You’ve posted this TEN days before my birthday! Awesome!
What can i put in instead of coconut oil?i don’t have that one and is very expensive here:(
veg oil is fine
Your cake looks amazing and I love the ingredients in it! Beats the stuff in the box!