My son has been on a picky eating kick where he doesn’t want to eat much, unless it’s mashed potatoes, corn, chicken nuggets, cereal, bread, or some form of dessert. I decided that the best way to help him get more of the nutrition he needs is to sneak it into the foods he likes.
I searched the internet for baking recipes that use baby food, which would be an excellent source of nutrients. I adapted a recipe for Baby Food Cake from Cooks.com to make this delicious cake, although you can use whatever fruit flavor of baby food you like:
Apple Cherry Baby Food Cake
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 jars of Gerber Apples & Cherries baby food
2 cups whole grain white flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamonPlace eggs and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Mix in canola oil, baby food, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Gradually add flour. Mix well.
Grease a 13×9-inch baking pan with Pam for Baking cooking spray. Pour batter in the pan and bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
I chose to specify canola oil instead of just cooking oil because of the proven health benefits of using canola oil. Whole grain white flour tastes just like regular white flour, but it adds the benefit of whole grain without changing the taste. I prefer Pam for Baking (or the store brand equivalent) to grease my pans for baked goods because it contains both the non-stick spray and flour for easier removal. It also adds zero fat.
I wouldn’t feel even a little bit guilty giving some of this cake to my picky son after a small bowl of cereal at dinner time. It includes the real fruit of the baby food and the whole grain of the flour. Healthy and delicious, and he’ll never know it’s good for him!