By Jane Barthelemy. When people invite me to birthday parties, I always ask to bring the cake. Oh yes, I love to cook, but I also LOVE TO EAT. Most cakes are simply not safe to eat – they contain sugars, processed ingredients, and flours that make people sick. Commercial or cake-mix cakes may look beautiful, but they have no life force or nutrition in them. Another reason I LOVE to bring the cake is because no one wants to gain weight or feel sugar-crazed. The cakes below are so low in carbs that they won’t spike blood sugar or cause weight gain, provided that your use one of the suggested non-glycemic sweeteners. So you leave the party feeling light and festive, not stuffed or on a sugar-merry-go-round.

Why waste time and money on commercial sweets? My friends know my books and recipes. They understand I don’t eat grains, sugar, processed dairy, or GMO foods. Some are willing to eat industrial foods. However my grave illness of previous years is forever etched in my memory, so it’s easy for me to say “No thanks”. That’s why I don’t “cheat” on my diet. So, here are my favorite real-food birthday treats, and inspirations for YOUR next healthy birthday! Click on the titles to view the recipes.

Best Paleo Carrot Cake

Finally, a tree nut free carrot cake with non-dairy cream cheese frosting! This cake is alive with flavor! Fresh carrots, apple, and orange zest add nutrition and keep it lusciously moist. It goes perfectly with my dairy-free Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting! Great for birthdays, special occasions, or just a snack, the cake is free of gluten, grains, dairy, sugar, and will not raise blood sugar or cause weight gain if you use one of the suggested non-carb natural sweeteners. Hint: You can make this as a round layer cake like the photo above, or a sheet cake, or cupcakes!

Mexican Chocolate Birthday Cake

Three layers of incredible flavor, I think I just died and went to heaven. Rich cacao with Paleo Orange Buttercream Frosting and Raspberry Sauce is deeply satisfying, titillating, and refreshing all at the same time. Avocado and apple make the cake incredibly moist so it melts in your mouth. Cinnamon, coffee, and hot pepper give it an ¡Ay caramba! Latino flavor. Everybody loves this cake and never guess it is Paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free. Great for birthdays and special occasions, it won’t even spike blood sugar or cause weight gain if you used the suggested non-glycemic sweetener.

Paleo Chocolate Pudding Cake

Here’s an easy chocolate treat that looks beautiful and tastes amazing! A luscious moist texture and deep chocolate flavor make it great for birthdays and special-occasions. The ingredients may surprise you – shredded coconut, high-anti-oxidant blueberries and apple! It is gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb, Paleo, diabetic-friendly, and truly delicious. Baked in a Bundt pan, served with chocolate sauce, it’s an easy cake that makes a beautiful impact. And the flavor is divine!

Paleo Strawberry Crepe Cake

Crepe cake is surprisingly easy to make. A stunning treat for birthdays or special occasions, it looks and tastes incredibly luscious and decadent – hardly caveman food! But it’s secretly loaded with hunt & gather ingredients, protein, and anti-oxidants, a truly nutrient-dense dessert. (I love when desserts are also healthy food!)

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling

This cake is incredibly moist, flavorful, and a very dark chocolate color. It is a rare chocolate cake that is gluten-free, grain free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. The recipe is a preview from my book Paleo Desserts, and the ingredients are coconut meat, apple, blueberries, pure cacao, vanilla bean, pastured eggs, sweetener of choice, fresh raspberries, avocado, decaf coffee, baking soda.

Ooey Gooey Vegan Chocolate Cake

Many of you asked for a healthy chocolate cake without eggs. Well, here it is! A super-luscious, ooey gooey chocolate cake, soft and creamy, like a true chocolate decadence cake. But with no eggs, you might ask: What holds it together? Aha! The secret Paleo ingredients are sweet potato, chia seeds, and coconut butter. It’s really easy to make, and even more luscious with Paleo Chocolate Sauce.

Apple Ginger Cake with Caramel Sauce

This amazing cake is rich and warm with the flavor of apple and fresh ginger. Paleo Caramel Sauce adds a sweet taste to each bite, enhancing the Old-World homemade flavor. It’s delicious moist texture comes from coconut, tart apples, and pasture-raised organic eggs. You can bake it in any shape pan. A Bundt pan makes a beautiful presentation for birthdays, with Caramel Sauce drooling down the sides, and candles on top!

Gluten-free Sugar-free Red Velvet Cupcakes

Quiz: When a delicious cupcake is made with REAL beets, apple, coconut butter, and eggs, does it count as a GOOD food, or is it still naughty? One thing for sure, its luscious deep red color is from beets, never food coloring. In fact, these cupcakes are made with nutritious low-carb, Paleo ingredients that taste fantastic, but won’t cause weight gain. That’s because these babies are free of gluten, grains, sugar, dairy, and processed foods. I think they’re even yummier than my mom’s.
 They taste decadently moist and irresistible with: Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

or Red Velvet Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. 

Paleo No-Honey Cake

Traditional honey cake is ancient, its rich flavor imprinted deep in my memory. I know honey is Paleo and natural, however it sends my blood sugar sky high! This unique recipe tastes just as satisfying as the original, but contains no honey at all!

 

Primal Beet Brownies

Surprisingly quick and easy, these dense, fudgy indulgences touch my deepest primordial desires. A great way to use leftover beets, they’re also a perfect way to hide healthy veggies in a snack that seems decadent, but isn’t. I made them for a Paleo party and they were demolished in minutes. Kids love them, and no one would ever guess they’re getting their veggies in a dessert!

 

Dark Chocolate Blackberry Tart

Blackberries taste divine with chocolate. This luscious, sinfully delicious treat seems decadent, but is full of high-antioxidant nutrient-dense ingredients. Its smooth, creamy filling is loaded with superfoods such as blackberries, avocado, and pure cacao. Lemon and pomegranate powder give the flavor an added zing. A blended dessert, you can even make this a day or two ahead of time and freeze, so your party day is super-easy. Pull it out of the freezer an hour or two before serving so it’s soft enough to slice.

Chocolate Brownie Superfood Bars!

Are they a snack, a dessert, or a meal? Well, they’re a perfect birthday cake with chocolate sauce and a few candles on top. Moist, flavorful, chock-full of high anti-oxidant chocolate and superfoods, these flourless brownies taste like pure decadence, but they’re really a meal in a bar. While your taste buds are spinning for joy, your body is soaking up nutrient-dense, healthy food. No blood sugar blues after eating these – everyone will feel balanced and satisfied.

Paleo Birthday Cake Pops!

Kids love cake pops! Yes, it’s just a ball of cake on a stick. A surprising birthday idea, these cake pops are so easy any child can make them. They require no baking, so the kids can roll them, dip them, and they’re ready to eat! They’re made with 100% Paleo ingredients, so they’re gluten-free, vegan, low-carb, diabetic-friendly, healthy for kids and adults too! Oh, and they taste lusciously divine. Pick up the sticks in advance, craft a stand to keep them vertical, make the dipping sauce, and let the kids do the rest!

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Ooooh, there’s more! For other amazing birthday ideas, pick up a copy of my book, Paleo Desserts. You’ll find these recipes below, perfect for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions:

Yellow Birthday Cake
Lemon Layer Cake
Honey Cake
Tiramisu
Tres Leches Cake
Whole Apple Spice Cake with Orange Maple Glaze
White Coconut Sponge Cake
Applesauce Cupcakes
Carrot Mini Cupcakes
Gingerbread Cupcakes
Black Forest Cake
Chocolate Lava Cake
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
Devil’s Food Double Chocolate Cake
German Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Cream Pie
Coffee Toffee Pie
Coconut Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Coconut Pecan Frosting

 

Paleo Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – recipe in my book Paleo Desserts.

Chocolate Cupcakes – recipe in my book Paleo Desserts.

Strawberry Shortcake – recipe in my book Paleo Desserts.

So next time you need a healthy birthday inspiration, relax – you have plenty of options! Oh, please invite me to come to the party. And don’t be surprised if I show up!

“Lead me not into temptation – I can find the way myself.” – Rita Mae Brown