Birthday cake for diabetic?

My boyfriend has type 2 diabetes. His birthday will be here not too much longer from now so I'm asking ahead of time to see if I can get any ideas or possibly some bakery that makes diabetic cakes? I know what kind of cake I want to get him but omg the sugar! Hes obsessed with superman so I figured a superman birthday cake would be perfect, though I'm not sure what flavor yet. Is there a way I can make or buy a diabetic birthday cake without having it taste like crap? He still eats sugar but not like he would a cake. I dont want to make a birthday cake(or anything for that matter) to spike his blood sugar/glucose. I'm new to all this diabetic stuff. And not familiar with what's ok to substitute with sugar or flour. Or if there's even any kind of bakery or store that does diabetic cakes. Please please help!?

My experience....my young son is a type 1 diabetic. The sugar free stuff typically has a substitute called sugar alcohol....so I learned the hard way....via chocolate syrup. Sugar alcohol is basically used by hospitals as a laxative. So what I've done with him, and yes I know type 1 and 2 are different....but with him, I've let him have regular bakery items at parties or on special occasions but of course in moderation. He has an insulin pump, so its fairly easy to monitor and adjust.

I'm no doctor, you might want to talk with one, but I'd just get a regular cake. I'm sure, unless he was just diagnosed with diabetes, that he can monitor and adjust and be ok as long as he doesn't eat the whole cake, alone, in one sitting.

Sugar free substitutes don't taste right with baking. And several as adviceplease mentioned function as laxatives. So they are not ideal.

You could maybe skip the super sweet icing and make just a nice yellow or white cake with some candles. If he eats in moderation it shouldn't be too terrible on his blood sugar for a type 2 diabetic. How about drawing a nice red superman S in food coloring on top of the plain cake instead of using icing?

You can use Splenda in place of sugar in baking and it tastes pretty good. My mom has had type 2 diabetes since I was a small kid so I've made quite a few deserts with sugar substitutes. You can also use Stevia which is actually sweeter then sugar and good in baking, though when you bake with Stevia you have to replace the bulk of what the sugar would take up. Google it, there are lots of articles/recipes on it.

Depending on where you are you may also be able to find a bakery that does specialty sugar free cakes, or even try Whole Foods if you have one- they have their own bakery in most stories, they may do custom orders.

Diabetic baking can be a little tricky. The guy I'm seeing has Type 2 too and I also am mindful when it comes to my sugar because I have insulin resistance myself. I've made good low sugar banana bread and also cakes with Splenda and jam too but I have to get the proportions right. I don't recommend that for you because I've been baking a long time and kind know what to use in that regard. You can get there but it takes some practice and experimenting. I would not try something new now for his cake.

Have you considered a fruit tart-cake type thing? Fruit has sugar but is definitely lower on the glycemic index than an actual cake. It also comes out quite tasty and VERY beautiful looking if you use fresh, whole fruit.

I actually buy these for special occasions at my local grocery store but I can make them as well: ]

Take a pie crust (graham cracker is fine) and make a custard to put in it. Use a little marscapone in it. Put into pie crust and chill for a while as you ready your fruit and such. Then layer the fruit and make it look really pretty.

Still some sugar in there from the custard and fruit but far healthier than a cake and less likely to cause a huge spike. Also looks pretty.

Do you have to make a cake? Why not make him a really nice dinner and give a gift instead. You can have a candle in a stand to blow out.

The problem with Splenda and Aspartame is the body tastes it, thinks its getting something sweet and preps with insulin to do so, but when it gets down there, its not sugar, so it can toss things out of whack. I think Stevia is different because you can use a lot LESS of it to have something be sweet - but when in doubt, I would use none of those things. You can sweeten things with fresh squeezed fruit juice, but then it has no fiber to back it up.

I agree on the "sugar free" - its not good. And anything that has a lot of white flour, etc, will turn into sugar. So that is why I think Fudgie's idea, or the idea of no cake at all - is a good one.

Still some sugar in there from the custard and fruit but far healthier than a cake and less likely to cause a huge spike. Also looks pretty.

Could you use greek yogurt? Or is it too mushy?

Some chains have ice cream cakes...and can decorate with whatever design. Ice cream may be richer so you eat less. But agree with adviceplease2 that sugar free stuff tastes weird.

I just had an idea - what about something with ricotta cheese as a filling? Then it would be fluffy and decadent and ricotta cheese has negligible, almost no existent sugar - less than a gram per cup?

I just got diagnosed with Type 2 but my mom has it, actually an entirely extensive family history of it - So I have a good amount of experience cooking/baking to suit my fam.

Whole grain wheat flour tastes weird in a cake. I can get used to the pasta, the bread, but cakes it's just not right, IMO. It's good in muffins and sweet breads, though. I have used Splenda and Stevia to make cakes and sweet breads(banana). It's true that it's hard to get the amounts right. I know whatever they put on the box...DID NOT taste even remotely as sweet as it claimed it would(like the equivalent to a cup of sugar or whatever). There is almond flour, but jesus mary and joseph, although it tastes good - It is heavy on the calories.

We have lots of bakeries catered to diabetics where I live, which is a major metro area. Their cakes are awesome because it's all they do. I've ordered from places that do not specialize and while it's alright, it's not the same. So I'd look into one of those and ask for samples when you go.

The fruit tart is a great idea, my mom has a massive sweet tooth and is diabetic and I get those for her sometimes. OR check with Whole Foods or another health food store in your area for what they might have. And Amazon has a massive selection as well. I personally use Bob's Red Mill brand gluten free cake and flour mixes sometimes to make her desserts. They're pretty decent and just a thin layer of icing--grocery stores, markets and bakeries usually layer that stuff on way too think anyways.

Agree with everyone else to stay away from chemical sweeteners as much as possible, but if you look online in places like Amazon you'll find a wide variety of sugar free to low sugar to gluten free ranging from Pillsbury now having sugar free cake and icing mixes (of course full of chemicals, but once in a grand while is not gonna hurt) to more natural selections.

One other tip, if you're baking anything apple sauce, yes good old apple sauce of the plain with no sweeteners added will make your cake moister and sweet. I will also use that sometimes, baking with half the sugar then making up for it with applesauce. It's a bit of hit and miss since I'm not a great cook, but so far my mom hasn't once chucked it at my head and scolded me for not letting her have "real" cake. LOL

My Albertson's bakery will also do sugar free cakes and pies if you ask ahead of time and they aren't bad either.

Just some ideas of the things I do for my mom.

I would skip the cake altogether and get him something Superman related. You don't want to give him something that can have a negative affect on his health. My mom was diagnosed with diabetes on the past Christmas Eve and we had to skip baking altogether. She's a type 1, but a type 2 is on a more severe level.

I'd be careful with fruit as some fruits contain high levels of sugar.

Taking him out to dinner somewhere would be an easier choice.

I agree on skipping the idea of baking anything unless you want to ask him or maybe his mother (not sure how long he's had it for) what he likes in that department. Sugar substitutes generally taste like **** in baked goods but he or she may know some tricks or at least of a place that does.

I have type 2 diabetes and if you can find a person or bakery that specializes in sugar free cakes then you are part way there. It's not just the sugar that's the issue, it's carbs. Carbs raise blood sugar, the more carbs, the more the spike. I had a sugar free cake one year and it was fine, it was the "icing" that sucked. Splenda just doesnt work for a decent icing. Personally I'd find another treat for him than a cake, even if allegedly sugar free.

I'm sure there will be recipes if you look around. I once made chocolate zucchini muffin is which tasted a lot like a cross between chocolate mud cake and Xmas pudding. Didn't have any sugar in it - had apple and fruit to sweeten it. I can't recall exactly what it had in it, but I think it may have also had coconut and ginger. Not sure how a diabetic would with the chocolate, but I recall at the time I made it, other people talking about cakes they had made that had vegetables in them. Some of those recipes were Turkish. It does sound weird about the vegetables, but they really don't taste line vegetables - think carrot cake.

I r ember now that when I made it, I had looked at a couple of recipes, but had fun just adding what I wanted set the time but was all healthy. I. Positive that Ai had put a couple of eggs I. It which made it ver filling, and of course had some coco. Maybe I put in some dried apricots, definitely coconut. If they say don't peel the zucchini, don't believe it. If you don't peel the zucchini, the calk will look as though it is full of mould.

If a diabetic person consumes sugary food, he/she will eventually need to have fingers and toes cut off. My mom's doctor had to sit her down and literally tell her "You cannot have any sugary foods or you will need to go into amputation." I was F-ing there with her... This past Christmas Eve and let me tell you- that stuff is scary and completely changed our household's lifestyle.

Type 2 is a severe case of diabetes. This is very serious. The OP should avoid giving him anything with sugar altogether and get him a gift- or take him to a restaurant where he can choose what he can eat.

I mean really... The Batman v. Superman movie came out a month ago. It really shouldn't be that hard to find Superman related stuff.

If a diabetic person consumes sugary food, he/she will eventually need to have fingers and toes cut off. My mom's doctor had to sit her down and literally tell her "You cannot have any sugary foods or you will need to go into amputation." I was F-ing there with her... This past Christmas Eve and let me tell you- that stuff is scary and completely changed our household's lifestyle.

 

Type 2 is a severe case of diabetes. This is very serious. The OP should avoid giving him anything with sugar altogether and get him a gift- or take him to a restaurant where he can choose what he can eat.

 

I mean really... The Batman v. Superman movie came out a month ago. It really shouldn't be that hard to find Superman related stuff.

I will add I had a relative that had diabetic amnesia at one point and even later on went into a diabetic coma. All it took was a stressful week and the wrong snack on an empty stomach in the first case, and then later going to a birthday and not wanting to be rude not to eat the cake on top of it.

I agree - there are tons of Superman stuff out there. Maybe going and finding something Retro - like an old Superman collectible on eBay unless he has all that.

Another idea - there are a lot of men who love it if their girlfriend, friend, mom, dad, whomever made them a steak dinner with all the non-bread and non-starch fixings - what does he eat on really special occaisons? My guy's dad thinks a really special occasion calls for a porterhouse steak, and asparagus or green bean almondine or surf and turf. Making it at home. Or maybe he is the salmon or swordfish type. Of course if he is vegan, then not. But I know a lot of men who are into that sort of thing.

If you do some sort of fruit tart - make sure you have the protein to back it up to balance it out. Fruit is a better sugar but it depends if he is diet regulated with an occasional insulin pill, or if he relies on injections. if he relies on injections and is obese as well - at that point sugar is sugar, but his diabetes is to the point where that's not him and he is mostly diet regulated, a little fruit balanced by protein will probably be fine as long as there is no thick pastry

I am not a doctor, of course, and am just saying from experience - but if you date him long term the idea that celebration = sweets has to be modified instead of having the sweets and modifying them for him to eat them.

I will add I had a relative that had diabetic amnesia at one point and even later on went into a diabetic coma. All it took was a stressful week and the wrong snack on an empty stomach in the first case, and then later going to a birthday and not wanting to be rude not to eat the cake on top of it.

OP, seriously listen to this and think of something else. You will feel very guilty if your boyfriend had a major reaction to a cake you wanted him to eat.

Another idea - there are a lot of men who love it if their girlfriend, friend, mom, dad, whomever made them a steak dinner with all the non-bread and non-starch fixings - what does he eat on really special occaisons? My guy's dad thinks a really special occasion calls for a porterhouse steak, and asparagus or green bean almondine or surf and turf. Making it at home. Or maybe he is the salmon or swordfish type. Of course if he is vegan, then not. But I know a lot of men who are into that sort of thing.

They have a holiday for this kind of thing

I'm going to get pummeled here but--Are you sure he wants a diet cake? I think you're very thoughtful and sweet but maybe he'd like a slice of real cake once in a while. Then, it also depends on how regulated his blood sugars are. I only eat bread or pasta once/twice per week and in small quantities. If it's my birthday I'm going all out!!!

Are you sure he wants a diet cake? I think you're very thoughtful and sweet but maybe he'd like a slice of real cake once in a while. Then, it also depends on how regulated his blood sugars are. I only eat bread or pasta once/twice per week and in small quantities. If it's my birthday I'm going all out!!!

Have you been listening to any advice abitbroken and I have given based on diabetes? Do you know what Type 2 Diabetes are? I sincerely urge you to research it before giving this kind of advice.