first birthday carrot cake

Happy birthday Owen and Oliver! It is hard to believe that this photo was taken 8 years ago! In honor of the boys birthday it seems fitting to share a nice cake recipe. There is always great debate about what should be served at a first birthday party...does the birthday boy or girl get their first bite of cake? If yes, can it be chocolate? I decided that cake was necessary but maybe carrot cake with cream cheese frosting was a good "healthy" choice. I developed this recipe while working as the food editor of Martha Stewart Baby magazine. 

To decorate the cake I used homemade marshmallow bunnies that had also appeared in an issue of Martha Stewart Living. Because we had a large group I also made a batch of the cake and baked it in mini muffin pans...just a dab of frosting was needed to pipe the cute carrots and they were perfect little treats for all the babies.