Wednesday, December 05, 2007

On Cupcakes and Parties

Jill left some questions for me to answer, and I've decided to answer them in a post. (Hope that's Ok, Jill!)

"I wondered about your daughter taking her dairy-free cupcakes to things. How does she like that? Is she ok with it? Does it go over ok with other kids and stuff? Do you have several in the freezer and pull them out for these occasions? Are they already decorated in the freezer?
Sorry for all the questions, but my daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs and soy. So, I have been letting her take a piece of candy instead of eating the cake (she doesn't normally get candy, so she has been fine with it so far). Just wondering about making cupcakes for her to take to birthday parties and such."

When Katherine was younger (2-3) I was more likely to pack fruit snacks or a granola bar for her dessert if we went somewhere. She didn't really notice what the grownups were eating. But that was before school, friends, birthday parties, etc. Now that she's older, she prefers to match her friends whenever possible, but she understands if what she brings isn't exactly the same. Katherine's friends and classmates are very accepting and understanding as well.

I keep cookies, cupcakes, Tofutti frozen dessert, and Tofutti Cuties in the freezer. The cookies are usually unfrosted sugar cookies and chocolate chip. The cupcakes are usually yellow cake mix with chocolate frosting. After baking the cupcakes and letting them cool, I peel back one side of the cupcake wrapper, slice the cupcake almost in half horizontally (as you would a hamburger bun) , and spread frosting in the middle. I then rewrap the cupcake and place it in a freezer bag with several others. I usually send one Tofutti Cutie sandwich and one cupcake with Katherine when she attends a birthday party. More information on what I send to school and other locations is here.

Since we are dealing with just one allergen, our situation is a bit different than yours, Jill, and I know that not all of the foods I'm writing about are safe for your daughter. (Maybe you could give her sorbet or Italian ice for a frozen treat?) But I hope this helps a little bit!

4 comments:

  1. My daughter is allergic to dairy and eggs, too. I suggest going to vegan cookbooks to get recipes for baked goods. Most baked goods are different without the egg, so it's important to be able to experiment with various recipes to find out that your child likes. You'll also have to experiment with which ones freeze well.

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  2. That's great. Thanks for the tips! I have some great recipes for cookies and cupcakes, so I will try freezing them. Plus, I didn't know what to do about the frosting (especially since that is my daughter's favorite part).

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  3. HWM - Thanks for chiming in! I was hoping someone would.

    Good luck, Jill!

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  4. Leave the frosting off when you freeze the goodies. After you defrost, then you can add frosting to your heart's content.

    Also, there are some regular cake and cookie recipes that convert okay to eggless...as long as they only use one egg. You can also substitute the butter with your preferred margarine or oil.

    Hope this helps!

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