Are your kiddos home for the holidays? If so, it’s the ideal time to get in the kitchen and whip up some tasty treats together. Why not tackle a cake — a kid-friendly one, of course?
Baking does more than provide you with sweet treats. It’s a chance to reinforce math skills — how do you double ½ cup — and teach about nutrition by using healthy substitutes. Here are five easy cake recipes for kids of all ages, including the youngest tots.
1. Simple White Cake
The best cake to start with is your basic white. Why? You can improvise a million ways to make this recipe unique. It’s never too early to teach your kids about making healthy substitutions.
The basic recipe calls for staples many moms have in their kitchens — such as white flour, sugar and vanilla. However, you can get creative. Make it a rainbow tie-dye swirl by adding a few drops of food coloring to your batter as you get ready to pour it into the pan.
This recipe is perfect for making healthy substitutions. Start by playing with the flour — do you get better results when you use almond or quinoa? Move on to the sugar and see if you can get a similar flavor using stevia or monk fruit powder.
2. No-Bake Orange Cheesecake
No-bake desserts are ideal for the youngest chefs because they don’t have to risk burning wee fingers in the oven. If your kids never fail to ask for a Creamsicle from the ice cream truck driver, they’ll adore this cheesecake recipe that tastes almost identical.
You can purchase a premade graham cracker crust, but if you have holiday vacation time, why not make one from scratch? Add a few nuts to the crumble — they provide your body with minerals like zinc and magnesium. The former helps you heal from winter colds more quickly, and the latter can help ease any seasonal depression you or your children feel.
3. Strawberry Shortcake Lasagne
Here’s another no-bake wonder that could nevertheless win first prize at the county fair bake sale. Lasagna is amazingly rich and delicious — and it’s even tastier when you sweeten the treat.
You might not even need to run to the store for this easy recipe, although you might swing by your farmers market for fresh strawberries. Make sure you have plenty of milk on hand to wash down your tasty concoction when you finish. Better yet, use any leftover fruit to make smoothies and double your fun.
4. Easy Red Velvet Cake
Red velvet cake practically screams elegance — it’s why you’ll find it on some of the most elite restaurant menus. However, that highbrow taste doesn’t need to mean spending your entire holiday break in the kitchen.
You can make your job less complicated by using the mix suggested by this recipe. Of course, if you want to get fancy, you can try assembling all of the ingredients from scratch, but when baking with tiny toddlers, you must keep their patience levels in mind.
If you want to make this easy cake recipe for kids less hard on the arteries, try substituting applesauce for oil. You can also use skim milk in making the frosting, but it will slightly alter the consistency.
5. Root Beer Float Cake
While this recipe may sound intimidating, you only need five little ingredients to work the magic. If you don’t like the canola oil this recipe calls for, you can always substitute a heart-healthier variety such as coconut.
You won’t even need to fuss much with the frosting — you can use a store-bought whip. Make sure you get extra. It’s delightful to pair this treat with the beverage of the same name, and it goes down more smoothly with a little extra sweetness on top.
Do you want to give this cake a touch of holiday festiveness? Why not sprinkle some red and green crystallized sugar on top — you have a little bit leftover from baking cookies, don’t you?
Whip Up One of These 5 Easy Cake Recipes for Kids
If you have some extra time to spend with your little ones this holiday season, why not do so in the kitchen? You can whip up one of these five easy cake recipes for kids and spend the rest of the afternoon watching cartoons while indulging in your sweet creations.
