Recipe: Baby Safe Chocolate Cake

My Tiny Dancer has been eating solid foods for a few months, and I love watching her discover new flavors. I really wanted to introduce chocolate to her. But I couldn't figure out how to do this without giving her foods for which she isn't ready. But after much research, I devised a recipe for chocolate cake that includes foods she already eats (and likes) as well as cocoa (and a little maple syrup and Stevia for sweetness). The verdict? I'll let this picture give you an idea.

Ingredients:

For Cake:

1 banana (egg substitute)

1 large carrot (peeled)

1 large zucchini (peeled)

1 medium apple (peeled and cored)

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup ground oats

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2  tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup equivalent Stevia (about 16 packets)

1 tbsp maple sugar

1/2 cup hot water (for desired wetness)

For Frosting (from Eat Yourself Skinny):

2 avocados, mashed

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Mash the banana. Shred the vegetables and place in a bowl with maple syrup. Sift together rice flour, ground oats, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and Stevia. Add the banana and dry ingredients to the vegetables. Mix until combined, adding water for desired wetness. Spray cupcake tin with cooking oil. Distribute batter into cupcake tin, and bake for 40 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a knife into center (should come out clean or with dry crumbs on it). Allow to cool before frosting.

To prepare frosting, in a blender or using a hand mixer, mix together the mashed avocados, cocoa powder and maple syrup until smooth. Let sit in the fridge until cupcakes are cool and frosting is stiff.