Mommy, This Tastes Like Bananas!

by Shonna
(Opdyke, IL)

For my son's first birthday, I needed to make a cake with ingredients he wasn't allergic to. We would have skipped the traditional cake party if we didn't find an alternative. It took some searching (Internet and library cookbooks) and trial and error. As he was allergic to milk and egg products, I was going crazy trying to figure something out.

Finally I found a recipe for an "everyday" cake - using fairly simple ingredients that could be substituted (like 1 cup of water or soy milk for cow's milk and 2 tablespoons of corn starch instead of eggs.)

I am VERY health conscious so I added molasses and honey instead of white sugar. I used half whole wheat flour and half white flour to make up the balance of the batter.

Oh, yes, and the secret ingredients were overripe bananas, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a dash of vanilla. With the other "sugars", these additions made the cake a healthy delight.

I crossed my fingers. I wasn't sure whether the concoction was really going to be edible. And to be honest it wasn't the most appetizing looking batters I'd ever made.

Well, it turned out perfect. It came out of the pan (regular cake pan, nonstick) with ease and smelled delicious. I used granulated sugar to top it off. We added candles and enjoyed our son's first birthday!