Yes, You CAN Host a Fun Kids Birthday Party with NO Sugar!
I asked myself the question, "Can I really host a fun kids birthday party with NO sugar?", when I started planning my son's 2nd birthday party.
You see, he hasn't yet had any candy, cake, or refined (white) sugar products yet. I'm not a freak about it, and I know the day will come when he will have those "foods", but I just feel like it's really not that hard to keep them out of his diet at this age, and I didn't want to ply him with loads of sugar all of a sudden just because it was his birthday.
Game on. I accept the challenge.
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Are there alternatives to white flour cakes (with sugar)?
Last year, for his first birthday, I searched and found a (really yummy!) black bean chocolate cake with no flour and no white sugar (it has honey as a sweetener). EVERYONE LOVED IT, both kids and adults...and especially the birthday boy.
(Edited in 2019 to add my second son's 3rd birthday cake pics. It's the same recipe used again because seriously - everyone loves it!)
So this year I had no qualms about using the same recipe. In fact, the recipe turned out really well as dirt cupcakes to go with our "Elmo and Cookie Monster Go Gardening" theme for the party - stay tuned for how I made them...
I have to admit, I did cheat on my no-white-sugar goal when I crumbled Annie's chocolate bunny graham cookies (or buy on Amazon) on top of the cupcakes to resemble dirt (most dirt cake recipes call for Oreo cookies here). I really struggled to find anything to use that would look like dirt and not taste like dirt...so I caved. Bigger picture, right?
Now for all my mom-friends who have been asking for the recipe since last year's party, here it is!
yes, these are seriously delicious!
Flourless Chocolate Black Bean Cake (or cupcakes)
Makes a single 9″ layer cake or about 10-12 cupcakes.
When making a cake, I usually double this recipe and make 3 thin 9” round cakes to stack upon each other for a more dramatic looking finished cake.
1-15 oz can of unseasoned black beans OR 1 1/2 cup cooked beans (Rinsed and drained.)
5 large eggs
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup honey
6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Spray a 9" cake pan with extra virgin olive oil cooking spray, or just grease it with a thin layer of butter. Dust cocoa all over the inside of the pan, tapping to evenly distribute. Cut a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan, then spray the parchment lightly.
Place beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, stevia (if using) and salt into a blender. Blend on high until beans are completely liquefied. No lumps!
Whisk together dry ingredients: cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat (softened) butter with honey until light and fluffy. To the butter mixture, add remaining two eggs, beating for a minute after each addition.
Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Finally, stir in dry ingredients (cocoa powder mixture), and beat the batter on high for one minute, until smooth.
Scrape batter into pan and smooth the top. Grip pan firmly by the edges and rap it on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done with the top is rounded and firm to the touch.
Let cook for 10 minutes on cooling rack, then turn out cake from pan, and flip over again on to a cooling rack. Let cool until cake reaches room temperature, then cover in plastic wrap or with cake dome (I use an overturned plastic chip bowl). For BEST flavor, let the cake sit overnight. I promise this cake will not have a hint of beaniness after letting it sit for eight hours! If you are stacking this cake, level the top with a long serrated knife, shaving off layers until it is flat and even.
Frost immediately before serving.
Try this recipe for a no-sugar frosting option.After I crumbled the "dirt" (crumbled chocolate graham cookies) on top of the cookies I stuck a mint sprig in each one to resemble a plant growing in the dirt. The cupcakes were a hit! Just know that if you try this at home, the mint will wilt, so get all the sprigs ready and leave them standing in a glass of water until the last minute.
Use extra virgin coconut oil instead of butter for a dairy-free version.
Mint Chocolate variation: 2 tsp mint extract in place of 2 tsp vanilla.
adding the mint at the last minute
No-Sugar party favors
Another concern I had about throwing a "no-white-sugar" kids birthday party was that kids are so used to getting candy as party favors. Also, we were hosting an Easter egg hunt since the party was the day before Easter. What would I fill the eggs with?
I filled the Easter eggs with stickers, tattoos, and toys and as far as I know...only one little girl was disappointed to not find candy in the eggs, but she moved on from that pretty fast!
The kids also got to take home the mini potted planters that they made...
Gardening is more fun than sugar!
What child doesn't like to play with dirt? I made a trip to our local nursery and bought some biodegradable small pots, a bag of potting soil, some fast-growing seeds (dwarf sunflowers and daisies) and some kids gardening shovels and watering cans from the local store for about $1 each and let the kids go crazy. Most of the kids at the party were 2-4 years old and it was a blast to watch them having so much fun with dirt!
We also had lots of bubble making toys (and the Easter Egg hunt) but to be honest, at this age, the kids were just so happy to be outside I could have done without the egg hunt and I'm not sure if they would have even noticed.
Food Offerings with no sugar
As for the other food at the party, my husband grilled tandoori chicken for the main dish and I put out a spread of other healthy foods after scouring Pinterest for cute ideas. My mission was to provide healthy but delicious foods that both parents and kids would like.
I didn't want anyone to leave feeling unsatisfied with the culinary choices, especially because there was going to be a major "food group" (sugar) missing from the table that most people have come to expect, especially at children's birthday parties.
Here are the dishes I served:
Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and Elmo fruit and veggie platters with veggie dip as the eyes.
Tandoori chicken on the grill
antipasto skewers
gazpacho (cold tomato soup)
olive and bell pepper cream cheese rolls
octopus (red bell pepper and olives) in hummus
baby carrots to go with the hummus
Pretty simple and most of these dishes can easily be made ahead of time - that's key!
So, can you throw a fun kids birthday party with no sugar?
A resounding "YES!" is the answer to the question of my blog post title, in my opinion.
I urge you to consider serving less sugar to the little ones when you plan your next birthday party or playdate. As parents, let's bond together to help make a difference in what our children's palettes are served. I'm not saying to never serve sugar to kids, but I'm hoping to inspire some alternatives to reduce the overall consumption.
If you want to host a no-sugar kids birthday party and need some ideas, feel free to shoot me a message! Better yet, leave a comment below.
Happy partying (with no sugar lol),
Wondering who took all the amazing pics featured in this post? My amazing friend and photographer, Liz Hansen - check her out here.
