Duncan Hines & 1st Birthday - Please advise

Wow, I did not know Duncan Hines is supposed to be dairy free. I gave up reading cake mixes in the store years ago, because my dd is allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts, and the mixes were never safe. However, Pillsbury vanilla frosting (the kind that comes in a tub and you don`t have to make) is milk free, egg free, and peanut free. Here is a great recipe for a milk free egg free peanut free chocolate cake. It is wonderful, and I have made it many times. Sorry it is more work than a mix, but it is still pretty quick.
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (obviously read the ingredients on the cocoa--I use Hersheys)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir then beat with electric mixer about a minute. Bake 350 degrees about 40 minutes (my oven cooks low and I bake it 42 minutes, you may want to do it less than 40 minutes) until wooden pick comes out clean.

This cake is wonderful. Definitely does not taste like anything is missing. I also use the same recipe for cupcakes and bake about 23 to 24 minutes.

Dear Carefulmom-

Thank you so much for the recipe. I will give it a try. The recipe I tried was similar, but some of the quantities were different. I'm sure that's where the funny texture came in (yuck!). Thanks also for the hint on the Pillsbury. I've gathered that everyone is comfortable with them here if it's distributed by General Mills and not Multifoods.

As for Duncan Hines, I have a friend whose son is deathly allergic to dairy. She uses it, so I guess it's ok. I haven't tried it yet b/c I was wondering if anyone has had any cross-cont. reactions from duncan hines. I just looked at a box of Duncan Hines brownie mix that's been on my shelf for eons b/c I'm afraid to use it, and there was only a wheat warning on it, and no dairy in the ingredients.

Neither of my kids had the "dive into the cake" experience. To be honest: at one year I am sure neither of them had any clue they were missing anything. I don't even remember what we gave my dd at her first birthday (she is now 8 3/4 so it's been a while - lol). She was allergic to eggs and dairy. Actually, I may have made an egg and dairy free cake, now that I think about it; and also gotten a store bought cake for the other guests. (Like I said, I can't really remember.) I do remember what I did for my 3 year old's first birthday: I gave him a dairy, egg, and wheat free banana muffin that he really loved, (I frosted it with some "icing" I made from alimentum and powdered sugar!) and had a "normal" cake for the other guests. (We were being [b]super[/b] cautious with what we fed him after dealing with all of big sister's allergies.)

Just another POV if you don't want to drive yourself crazy over a cake that your little one can eat.

[img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] Miriam

We bought duncan hines for my 1 year old daughter who has a dairy allergy - she was fine -- but then I decided to call about it for cross contamination issues for my 3 year old peanut/tree nut son and they said there is a risk of cross contamination - and no it is not labeled that way and yes they were going to change the label -- no quess on how long until it is changed and even when it is changed the previous ones will remain on the shelves til gone - we no longer use them.....

I do not trust Duncan Hines products for my p.a./tree-nut allergic children. I only use Pillsbury or Betty Crocker and call if it is a new flavor. I simply have not trusted the responses to my questions when I have called Duncan Hines. I also don't buy Keebler or Nestle products.

My child is allergic to milk and peanuts and only recently outgrew egg allergy. I believe that in the past Duncan Hines would not guarantee safety for PA and TreeNutAllergy. If your child is not allergic to eggs, I would go ahead and use any "from scratch" cake recipe, just substitute soy or rice milk for the dairy milk and be sure to use a dairy free margarine if the recipe calls for margarine/butter. We use soy milk and you really can't tell the difference! Otherwise, I have had good luck with FAAN's wacky cake recipe. I have found that with wacky cake, it is important to measure the ingredients very carefully.
As far as frosting goes, you can make one with just shortening, confectioner's sugar, water and vanilla.
2/3 c shortening
1 box confectioner's sugar
3 TBSP water
1 tsp vanilla extract.

In medium bowl, cream shortening and sugar until well blended. Add water. Beat until smooth. Chill at least one hour. Beat again and add vanilla. This frosting is good for decorating with, but if you add more water, it has a nice spreadable texture. My non allergic child and nieces/nephews love it! Also, I use the Betty Crocker tubes for decorating.

[This message has been edited by margaret (edited September 23, 2003).]

I recently called Duncan Hines because my dd was attending a birthday party with a Duncan Hines birthday cake the women who answered told me that all there products are made on the same line as the nut products and therefore were not safe for the PN/TN allergy. We went to the party but she did not eat the cake I made her safe brownies and she was fine. Simply Organics make great safe mixes and they are made in a NUT Free Facility.

Margaret -

Thanks for the icing recipe. We haven't tried eggs yet, and I'm trying to hold off for a few more months, since he's only a year, or at least until we do the skin test (CAPRAST neg. for egg & milk, but hives from cheese & yogurt????).

I did call Wilton (and posted in the Mfr. section), and they told me the Icing colors for decorating are completely safe for P/TNA individuals, b/c they're made in a separate facility w/out P/TN. Also, the Ready-to-use Decorator Icing in the tub is safe for dairy & egg allergic, and she said also safe for P/TNA b/c it is made on a dedicated line. There are nuts in the facility though. But I feel pretty comfortable with the dedicated line information. I had also emailed them & got the same information. Depends on your comfort level...

Toomanynuts - where do you buy the Simply Organic mixes?

Thank you everyone for your input. It's much appreciated. I'll be trying the wacky cake w/the Wilton icing in the big 'ol dump truck mold for the "Big 1." (Next week is the fire truck for my soon to be 3 year-old PA DS [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img])

What about the Duncan Hines brownie mix? I assume that is on shared equipment with tree nuts, since there is also a brownie mix with some sort of tree nuts (can`t remember if it was almonds or walnuts). About trying eggs, it is now recommended to wait until age 2 if the child has allergic tendencies. I would not do it any time soon if I were you. I gave dd egg for the first time at 2 years 7 months and I had to use the Epi for the first time (and only time, thank goodness). She was skin test negative to egg, but her doctor decided after I had to use the Epi that the skin test must have sensitized her. She was skin tested again a few weeks after the egg anaphylaxis, and she was strongly positive.

Back to the cake mixes, it sure is hard to find one that is safe between cross contamination issues for tree nuts/peanuts, and having to avoid dairy and egg. I have found that when a recipe calls for margarine, our milk free margarine changes the consistency and the recipe comes out horrible. The soy milk does not seem to affect the recipe, but the margarine is a big problem. Margaret (or anyone else), can you recommend a brand of dairy free margarine that works well for baking and does not change the consistency? The only one I can find here in California that is truly dairy free (no casein either) is Willow Run. It is great on toast, but just does not work for baking.

Sorry, I don't have any info. on cake mixes. We have used all kinds, just reading the label, and not had any reactions. However, now I only buy Betty Crocker mixes.

I have had good luck making dairy free cakes and other baked goods simply by substituting the milk in any recipe with soy milk. It turns out the same.

Don't know much about the milk/egg allergy, but can you use a safe frozen desert and make a "ice cream" cake? Molds can make it a fun shape or you can even decorate the rectagular block to look like a house/castle etc...

Carefulmom -

Just want to thank you for the cake recipe. It turned out great!! I used the Wilton ready-to-use icing in a tub & didn't have any problems (even w/my 3yo PA DS). Wilton said it's made on a dedicated line. My 1 yr old DS loved getting his hands on the dump truck cake - he had a wonderful time.

As for your question about the dairy-free margarine, we use Fleishman's Light Margarine & Unsalted Margarine. I personally haven't used it yet in baking, but my DS's preschool teacher loves to cook w/the kids & that's what she uses (2 dairy-allergic kids in the class w/my PA son - a lot of epi-pen stress for her!!). And I have another friend that also uses it w/out mentioning any problems. I also called Crisco & the woman I spoke w/said there were no pn/tn in the facility. I use that a lot when I bake.

MJMD, thanks for the info. I`ll buy the Fleischman`s next time I go to the store. I am so glad you liked the cake. It is really hard to find a good recipe with no peanuts, milk, and egg. That is one of the very few recipes that works for me ( and no one can tell it is an allergen-free recipe).

Hi eveyone:

Just a quick note about the experience we had with cake mixes and already prepared frostings. We found out our DS is allergic to cottenseed which is in those types of foods. Also some flavoured oatmeals have cottenseed in them which caused him to breakout in hives and swelling of eyes. When I spoke to Quaker about the oatmeal, thinking it had been contaminated with PN she told me that cottonseed is an allergen and could be the cause. Sure enough when he was tested it come up positive. So just a thought as to what could have been in the cake mix.

good luck

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ssmd mom of 3

Re-raising for abbylukesmom.