Allergy-Friendly Birthday Cake
Allergy-Friendly Birthday Cake is the perfect egg-free, milk-free, and nut-free dessert to enjoy at your next #foodallergyfamily birthday celebration. It’s flavorful and moist and pairs perfectly with homemade allergy-friendly ice cream!
I’m a strong advocate that food allergy kids should be able to celebrate their birthdays with a good-tasting dessert that everyone in their family can enjoy with them.
At the same time, I fully appreciate how difficult it can be to find a safe cake, especially for families juggling multiple food allergies. Additionally, many of us in the Midwest do not live near a bakery that caters to the food allergy community. And many parents do not have the time or experience to bake a cake from scratch.
So is the plight of the food allergy family.
And I am here to help. Today I wanted to share an egg-free, milk-free, and nut-free version of my favorite Allergy-Friendly Birthday Cake recipe. It is very similar to my Egg-free Birthday Cupcakes, but without the dairy. In fact, if you do not have a milk allergy in your family, you can easily substitute the cow’s milk, butter, and plain Greek yogurt back into this one.
So, ready to give it a try? Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
What are milk-free yogurt options?
If possible, I recommend using a Greek-style yogurt product in this recipe. Another option would be a milk-free sour cream. In the photos below, I included a picture of the Greek-style yogurt made from coconut milk that I used. It came from my local Hy-Vee store. But you can also find yogurt alternatives made from soy, oat, or tree nut milk (including almond or cashews).
As always, check every label, every time. Different brands of the same ingredient may contain different allergens. I also recommend checking the company’s website for their allergen statement or contacting them directly to learn more about cross contact risk.
What are milk-free butter alternatives?
There are more and more options available for milk-free butter alternatives. This time I used earth balance(R) vegan buttery sticks (contain soy), but there are other brands with similar products. I have also used Crisco all-vegetable shortening (contains soy) with similar results. Side note - there are several vegan butter products that contain tree nuts, so if you do not have a nut allergy these may be an option as well.
As always, check every label, every time. Different brands of the same ingredient may contain different allergens. I also recommend checking the company’s website for their allergen statement or contacting them directly to learn more about cross contact risk.
What nondairy milk should I use?
If you have a child with very sensitive taste buds, I strongly encourage you to use whatever milk option that is served most frequently in your home. For example, if they drink Ripple milk, then use that instead of soy milk in this recipe. Different types of nondairy milk have distinct flavors that will carry over into baked goods.
Personally, my favorite nondairy milk options are soy or coconut. But I have also baked with Ripple and milk. We do not have a milk allergy in our family, so my kids prefer the taste of cow’s milk. So while everyone taste-tested and approved this milk-free cake recipe, my family prefers the nut-free, egg-free version for our birthday celebrations.
What are allergy-friendly substitutions for this recipe?
As written, this recipe contains wheat and soy. As always, check every label, every time for individual ingredients. Some milk-free products (like yogurt and buttery sticks) can contain nuts and/or coconuts.
To make wheat-free birthday cake: use wheat-free/gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
To make soy-free birthday cake: use soy-free versions of milk-free yogurt, buttery sticks, and milk alternatives.
How to make Allergy-Friendly Birthday Cake:
Step 1: Wash hands with soap and warm water. Gather ingredients and supplies.
Step 2: Measure milk-free yogurt and milk alternative. Add vinegar to milk and stir. Set milk and yogurt aside to warm to room temperature. (Don’t worry - the milk is supposed to look like that! Essentially we are making milk-free buttermilk alternative.)
Step 3: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans.
Step 4: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & sugar.
Step 5: Add butter and mix until evenly distributed into dry ingredients. Add yogurt, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until completely combined. This is known as the reverse-cream method. After mixing in the fat, the resulting texture should be crumbly or sandy (as pictured above). Once the liquids are added, the batter should look like the photo below.
Step 6: Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Step 7: Let cakes cool in the pans set on a wire rack. Let cakes cool completely before frosting and assembling. To assemble, place one cake on a cake stand or serving platter. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Set the second cake on top and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides.
More allergy-friendly baking ideas:
Allergy-Friendly Birthday Cake
Lisa Woodruff | September 1, 2022
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 25-30 minutes
- Total time: 40-45 minutes
No nuts | No eggs | No milk | No fish | No sesame
Contains wheat (flour) and soy (milk-free yogurt, milk, and buttery sticks). Milk-free yogurt, milk, and buttery sticks may contain nuts or coconuts - check labels and compare brands.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup milk-free Greek yogurt
- 1½ cup soy, coconut, or Ripple milk
- 1½ Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cup sugar
- ¾ cup milk-free buttery sticks
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 recipe milk-free vanilla frosting)
Instructions:
- Wash hands with soap and warm water. Gather ingredients and supplies.
- Measure yogurt and milk. Add vinegar to milk and stir. Set milk and yogurt aside to warm to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & sugar.
- Add butter and mix until evenly distributed into dry ingredients. Add yogurt, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until completely combined.
- Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in the pans set on a wire rack. Let cakes cool completely before frosting and assembling. To assemble, place one cake on a cake stand or serving platter. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Set the second cake on top and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides.
Allergy-friendly Substitutions:
- No wheat: use wheat-free/gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- No soy: use soy-free versions of milk-free yogurt, buttery sticks, and milk alternatives
