Taking Cake to Kinder need ideas of do's & don'ts ??

Hi all,

I'm making a birthday cake tomorrow night for DD to take to 3years old Kinder this Monday morning (as her 4th birthday is this coming Thurs) ...

I rang the Kindergarten this past Friday but the teacher/director was in the middle of a group session so i got the assistant on the phone but she didn't sound confident in her answers to my questions of any do's and don'ts of what to bring or not bring in the form of a birthday cake :rolleyes:

I told her it would be just a plain round shaped vanilla cake that i will decorate with bright coloured icing (i'm thinking bright orange icing) and decorate it with smarties (good brand not compound chocolate) ... and stick a number ' 4 ' candle that has coloured spots all over it in the middle of the cake ;) ... I might even pipe little iced bright yellow colour dots in between the smarties.

............................. What do you ladies here on BB think of that ?? :think: .....................................


The Kinder assistant said it sounds like a FUN cake (just what i intended :D)

The Kinder assistant said as long as there are no nuts, fresh cream & no cooked eggs (??) ... Does that sound right ladies ? Anything as else i should know ?? :dunno: ... im not out to make the perfect cake as i suck at cakes but didn't wanna take the ' Wrong ' cake so that my DD would be disappointed !!

TIA for any suggestions xoxox

Sounds great Smiles :)

When you take it in, include the recipe and if you're using lollies, just put in the lolly packets as well (with the list of ingredients). M&Ms are made on lines with nuts, so avoid that with your smarties etc.

OMG thanks heaps Kaz :hug: cause i was considering decorating it with those itty bitty MM's you can get in the plastic tube ... well, it's Smarties for sure then :D

OK, you'll hate this, but here's what I want from a cake that comes to kindy/childcare:

* No bright colours. In fact, I prefer no colours at all.
* If it's decorated, do it with dried fruit and maybe glace cherries. Prefer no lollies.
* Definitely no nuts. Prefer no egg as well.
* As natural and sugar-free as possible
* Large cake that is to be cut so that teachers control the portion size. Enormous cupcakes are a nightmare for us.

Sorry!

Smiles I think it sounds great. You can't please everyone. If the assistant didn't point out any of the kids had allergies then what you're doing should be fine.

DD's kinder had cake rules so I just took bags of lollies in for the kids in the end and they were distributed at the end of the session.

:o OMG now i feel stressed about this cause the assistant i have never met as she clearly works different days to when my DD is there and i just wish i had of spoken with the teacher/director then at least i would feel more confident about her information and answers now but i couldn't ring back as i rang later in day and the assistant could have answered again ... and i have no idea what she meant by ' cooked eggs ' ?? cause at first she said " ah no nuts, no fresh cream and no eggs (then there was a pause from her) oh i mean NO cooked eggs " ... What the heck does she mean ? I was thinking she might have meant like Greeks putting a boil egg in shell sitting in the middle of a cake :dunno:

It would break my heart that i take the cake to Kinder on Monday morning at 9am and find out the assistant that doesn't work there on a Monday stuffed up with her info, cause it would be so upsetting for my lovely DD who is so looking forward to taking a birthday cake !!

Maybe i could take a cake that is made with no eggs, with icing made from cocoa and put dried fruit on it (glaze cherries even i couldn't eat). But just a normal size round cake tin.

no worries Audax i appreciate your advice do you have a recipe for NO egg cake for a normal size round cake tin ?? ... and what sort of dried fruit ?? Do you mean cut into itty bitty pieces ?? :think: ... (Thanks !!)

Could you do like a banana cake with a cream cheese icing? Cut dried apricots into little strips and make them into a big 4 shape? Am I just too much of a health nazi? :redface: What about even using pale yellow icing and sprinkles? Just cut back on the colour - I have had other parents make complaints about it before.

I use "No Egg" in my cakes but you can also substitute 1 tbsp psyllium husk and 1tbsp water, or 2 tbsp jam, or 2 tbsp apple sauce, or a mashed banana to bind it. Obviously this doesn'twork for cakes that require 10 eggs, but your average kindy cake, it should be fine.
I have no idea what she means by no cooked eggs. Up here in QLD, most places aren't fussed on eggs in cakes etc, but one place I worked in Vic wouldn't even let an egg pass their doorstep, in any form, and all cakes were baked on-site, just to be sure.

We had a kid yesterday who brought these smartie and sultana biscuits sandwiched together with chocolate icing, each in an individual box. We didn't give them to the kids because we couldn't control the portions and some kids really DO go batty on too much sugar or chocolate. The child was devastated.
Meanwhile, two weeks earlier, we had a little guy in with an un-iced sugarless banana cake and his three candles. He was still proud as punch, his friends still loved it, and we were all happy as the ones who had to supervise them for the afternoon.

We are not allowed home made cakes at Kinder due to not being made in a registered kitchen, so would not be meetinng the food safety standards but allow shop brought with no nuts, cream, and if we have an egg allergy often we make a cup cake for that child

well DD1 has an egg allergy and i always had little cupcakes made with 'no egg' kept in their freezer for them to give her if there was a birthday cake on any given day.

so, basically i would just make the cake the way you wanted to make it. if you really want to get some 'no egg' from the shop to replace the egg in the cake. (cakes turn out just the same). cakes are meant to be fun. its something that happens every now and then so i think it is fine. (and i also work with children as well).

i always liked it when parents bring in cup cakes (one for each child) its much simpler than cutting up a acake into smallish bits.. however its not like i roll my eyes and hate it when a normal round/square cake is bought in.

also, it would really only be a problem if there are children there with those particular allergies. maybe call back again and ask if you need to replace the eggs etc.

try not to stress.. i think it is kinda up to the kid with the allergy's parents to provide an alternative. (and i have a kid with an allergy)

i am really sure that if you brought in the cake and you have been given the wrong info.. i doubt that they will tell you to take it home. its just that those certain kids with the allergies will miss out.


(just re-read an above post about not giving the kids the biscuit thingys- was that just something he brought in or was if for an occasion like his birthday etc?, i dunno just sounds a bit harsh to me. if it was something that i thought was way over the top i probably would have sent them home in the childrens bags and let the parent decide)

:-)

OMG i never thought something so simple would give me such a huge headache ... ahhhhh if only the Kinder teacher answered the darn phone yesterday instead of the wishy washy answering assistant :doh:

i too was surprised they would let me take a cake made with eggs, i especially figured no nuts ... Audax i googled and found a chocolate cake recipe with no eggs, might have a trial run of making one tonight and see how it goes (and tastes) and thanks for the idea of the cutting up dried apricots placing it into a number ' 4 ', reckon i will do that ;)

smiles i have a delicious no egg choc cake recipe if you want it :)

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smiles i have a delicious no egg choc cake recipe if you want it :)

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OMG ... YES PLEASSSSE :dance:

(i can't ring the Kinder cause being the weekend it's closed and her Kinder starts 9am Monday and they don't answer the phone earlier or early enough for me to bake a cake YKWIM ;))

... well, i sort of have good news i remembered i had the mobile number to a Mum who's son did 4year old Kinder last year at the same Kindergarten as my DD ... she texted me back she bought an iced sponge cake from the supermarket and decorated it with smarties, but like she mentioned it all depends if there are any kids in DD's group that have allergies which i am unaware of !!

So yeh Oorki would love your choc cake egg-free recipe and i will ice it with choc icing and take it undecorated to Kinder on Monday at 9am and i will have with me a box of smarties and a container of diced dried apricots so the i can ask the Kinder teacher/director which i can decorate on the cake :D

Well, i must say i feel much better now, and that's the plan i'm sticky too ;)

THANKS a million everyone for helping ... i just wanted it to be a fun day for DD enjoy and talk about for the next 12mths :dance:

I have always taken a homemade cake in for Nina's birthday to kindy, as does every other parent there for their children. We let them know the recipe and they have always been fine with that.
But then again, me, and the other parents always make it into a little party for the kids and take lollies, chips & fruit as well for their parties. The childcare workers actually encourage us to do it :lol:

We are allowed to take cakes to our kindy but the rules seem to be a little different to the ones Audax is saying lol
'we are only allowed to do cupcakes but not the big one they have to be thoes tiny baby ones. No nuts or cream.
they are given out as the kids LEAVE kindy so the parents put up with any sugar highs lol

Sounds like you have done all you can to follow the rules of your kinder... the egg free one seems like a safe option if you dont know!!
Good luck!

Our childcare has a no cake from home policy. We pay $12 and they buy an ice cream cake so there is no concerns on most allergies. I would definitely give them another call as things are so strict these days.
Your cake sounds really good by the way.

Oh yes please on your receipe Oorki as my DS is allergic to egg and I was devestated he would miss out on birthday cake.

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We are allowed to take cakes to our kindy but the rules seem to be a little different to the ones Audax is saying lol

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... i think perhaps it might be Audax personal choice (she refers to herself as a Health Nazi, i have to say i thought that was funny, love it :dance: ... i refer to myself as the Crazy Mumma, harr !!) in her first post there was no mention of the rules at her child's Kinder (although i might be wrong or it could be both personal choice & Kinder rules combined ... again i might be wrong ??) !!

Well i found in Coles some bright colourful chips to decorate the cake, they are called Rainbow Chips and they come in a small clear tub. They are Egg free, Nut free, Dairy free & Gluten free :D They are not as small as sprinkles but not as big as smarties (btw way smarties on the box states they are made on machines of nut products like MM's someone here mentioned). And i must say these chips i have bought taste pretty good do ;)

So at the end of the day i have covered ground well enough in case there are any children with allergies and more importantly my DD whom this is for as it' her birthay has a fun bright coloured cake as she is use to fun and colour in her life and it's not like she gets a birthday cake every day like children that don't have allergies don't :D

Thanks again everyone for your input and help, my job is done the Mother of a Kinder gal ROFL :lol:

P.S - Thanks Jodi i would soooo love that idea as i like to give the feel of a party for kids especially but sadly there are not a friendly bunch of Mummies at my DD's Kinder, clicky groups & those that are not approachable ... oh well only next year 4year old Kinder to go then i can say " i " survived Kinder, LOL :ROFL:

Geeze louise Audax, you'd hate me as a mother. If someone put those restrictions on me that weren't allergy concerns I'd be handing out cake at the gate! But then I've seen what happens to children who are not taught moderation, but rather complete restriction.

We have no egg, no dairy and no nuts. But we also have a no birthday cake from home policy, because we've had too many parents who refuse to abide by the allergy restrictions. I think what you're doing smiles is wonderful :)

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Geeze louise Audax, you'd hate me as a mother. If someone put those restrictions on me that weren't allergy concerns I'd be handing out cake at the gate! But then I've seen what happens to children who are not taught moderation, but rather complete restriction.

We have no egg, no dairy and no nuts. But we also have a no birthday cake from home policy, because we've had too many parents who refuse to abide by the allergy restrictions. I think what you're doing smiles is wonderful :)

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... thanks heaps Rouge, yey i don't wanna do the ' wrong ' thing and i do care about others children especially if they were to have health issues with a simple cake i bought in but yeh at the same time want my DD to have a fun moment for her too :dance:

(hee hee reckon i'm doing ok for a 1st & last time Kinder Mummy :D)

xoxoxoxox

Hate to say it but technically Smarties are off the menu for nut allergy kids because they are made on the same production lines as other products containing nuts (my DS has a severe nut allergy).

Just decorate the cake with 100s and 1000s.

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Hate to say it but technically Smarties are off the menu for nut allergy kids because they are made on the same production lines as other products containing nuts (my DS has a severe nut allergy).

Just decorate the cake with 100s and 1000s.

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... :D Thanks Curly but i mentioned it in one of my post's here, yeh was in supermarket last night and read that on side of the Smarties box that they are made on production line of nut items as you said ... but thanks for mentioning it again in case anyone might have overlooked my post about it :hug:

Our Kindy is a strictly no cake kindy. They make a cupcake shape out of playdoh at the end of the session and stick candles in it for the child to blow out. The child also gets to sit in the special birthday chair.

Our Kindy is also very health concious. Not even allowed to take tubs of yoghurt which I personally think is a bit OTT. Their reasoning is a child might spill it.

we also have a no egg, nuts or smearable dairy rule, ive make cake for DD for play lunch, i make a crazy cake will find you a recipe, it normally has spices in it but i make it chocolate using cocoa

heres one i found online:

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cold water
Directions
1.Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork.
2.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing

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Not even allowed to take tubs of yoghurt which I personally think is a bit OTT. Their reasoning is a child might spill it.

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:o I reckon that's OTT, too! I've never heard of a dairy allergy which can be set off by contact (unlike nuts and shellfish)?? I think the child would need to ingest the dairy.

Our kinder has a no-nut policy, which I think is fairly standard these days. Home made cakes or bickies are always welcome. More welcomed than preservative-laden cakes from the supermarket! The kids with allergies have suitable cake in the freezer, which is defrosted so that they can celebrate with the birthday kid. This cake is supplied by the parent of the child with the allergy.

We don't have any parent's who don't like their child to partake in the odd slice of brightly coloured, sugar-containing cake for any reason other than allergies. I am very happy for my kids to sing happy birthday and enjoy a piece of cake. If a parent did have a problem with it, I would suggest that they discuss this with the teacher and perhaps supply a suitable alternative for their own child so that that child might join in the celebration. I don't think all the kids should miss out on a treat because one or two parent's object on the grounds that it's not 'healthy'.

So, to the OP... IMO you should make a nice cake, ensure that none of the ingredients or decorations contain nuts (or traces of) use No Egg if you're concerned (we had a child in my daughter's kinder with an egg allergy and the No Egg works a treat in cakes :D Most parent's CHOSE to use this product so that the little girl with the allergy could eat the same cake as everyone else... none of the kids even noticed the difference). Decorate the cake with some icing and 100's and 1000's. Take a list of all the cake ingredients to kinder with the cake and be proud of your home made efforts!! When did making a birthday cake for a bunch of kids become so stressful????

You've probably baked it by now, smiles... how did it turn out???:D

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I don't think all the kids should miss out on a treat because one or two parent's object on the grounds that it's not 'healthy'.

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im not sure how making a cake that isnt full of junk is making kids miss out... its only us adults that care about the cake. kids like the birthday as a whole and any type of cake will do the job! yup even a playdoh one.

i think its a great thing to show your kids that you care about others and therefor will change , easily changable things for there friends. flexibility is the key... for everything! it definatly isnt hard to make an allergy free cake if that is what is needed to INCLUDE everyone.

How is a standard home made cake 'full of junk'?? I assume you mean the sugar? Sugar is part of a healthy diet - we should be teaching our kids about moderation. The odd birthday cake at kinder is IMO moderate consumption.

I disagree that a kid would be as happy with a playdoh cake as they would with a homemade cake. The birthday child gets to hand a piece of cake to all his/her friends and they enjoy eating the cake together. There is pleasure in the sharing and pleasure in the eating. Entirely more satisfying to your average kid than blowing out a candle on top of playdoh. If I asked my kid 'would you like a homemade cake you can eat or a playdoh cake?'... well the answer would be obvious!

I have no problem catering to children with allergies. I have a problem catering to parents who expect me to live by the same ideology that they do. I agree, make a nut-free cake, dairy-free, egg-free if necessary. Include all the children in the experience. But if you don't want birthday cake at kinder because you don't like your kid eating cake, I'm pretty sure you would be in the minority. Again, it's about moderation. No one is going to force your kid to eat a piece of iced cake... but my kid is still going to eat it. Why should MY kid miss out on cake because YOU think it's junk?