Blow the candle out on....the strawberry?

As W's 1st birthday approached, the question of the cake loomed largely on my mind.  How does anyone make a cake that is free of dairy, eggs, flour, and everything else on his list.  Several friends and family members suggested an array of Vegan and Gluten friendly bakers (thank you all).  One person mentioned a lady in my own neighborhood who started an in-home bakery after her own son suffered from childhood allergies.  She maintains a totally gluten-free and nut-free kitchen to start, so I had hope. I emailed her with the daunting list and crossed my fingers.

Angela, owner of Liberation GF Bakery, accepted the challenge and got right to work on ingredient lists so that I could check them off.  Back and forth, back and forth.  Can he have margarine? Only if it isn't made with canola oil (such as Earth's Balance Vegan Spread).  What could she use to dye the frosting? Thinking of all kinds of natural food based dyes like berries that she could safely use. It turned out that we couldn't have frosting anyway since he vomited after testing the margarine.

Angela was so patient, and more than anything, she made me feel like she was vested in giving W a normal birthday, that she could feel my disappointment at the thought of just no frosting.  She offered to bake a test cake that we could try a few days before the party to ensure that he wouldn't have a reaction on his special day.

The test cake came the day before his actual birthday and we tried it that night. Unfortunately, the results of the test cake were a failure.  I was so disappointed. I was so sad for my sweet boy.

I finally realized that all of my feelings revolved around my need for W to have a normal birthday party.  He won't care or realize that he is supposed to be blowing out a candle on top of a yummy baked confection! In the end, W's candle sat atop a strawberry, which he can and did eat.

 

So we don't have any pictures of W digging his fingers into cake and smearing the frosting all over, but that's okay.  Maybe  I will let him have a smash cake when he is four.  After all, don't you as an adult still yearn sometimes to just dig in with both hands, and stuff your face with cake!

P.S.  I would highly recommend Angela and Liberation GF Bakery to anyone who needs an allergy or gluten friendly baker.  She is very talented and the cake that the rest of us had at the party was delicious (highly recommend the Vanilla Bean!). She can be found at www.liberationgfbakery.com or her facebook page, www.facebook.com/liberationglutenfreebakery.