The Very Hungry Caterpillar party .... Isabelle 1st birthday

Isabelle turned 1 on 17th March, we decided to have a little family get together the weekend after her birthday but I was struggling with ideas for party food because of Isabelle's many allergies... then when I was reading Isabelle a book, I decided upon The Very Hungry Caterpillar theme!

Perfect, just fruit and nothing to worry about, little preperation and no worrying about crumbs Isabelle might get... having said that I did decide last minute to buy 3 cakes from a local farmers market for other people to have, a victoria sponge, lemon cake and chocolate walnut brownie. I made little signs for the cakes she couldn't have saying please don't feed to Isabelle - incase anyone needed reminding.

I was going to buy the very hungry caterpillar plates, cups and decorations but then I decided just to stick with some from sainsburys at less than half the price! They were colourful so looked good next to all the other bits anyway.

I made some signs, exciting to use our new printer! you might notice that I changed a few bits from the story, on Wednesday I've got bananas instead of plums and Friday - who want's oranges at a party? So I made some jelly... which actually only my two children ate! I cut out the signs and stuck them to a cocktail stick and then popped the stick into whatever was on that plate.

I made Isabelle's cake... I made the very hungry caterpillar out of icing, I used red icing to make his head and the body I used white icing which I had coloured green so that it gave more of an uneven colour. I made it a week before her party so that I didn't have a last minute panic. I did have hopes to make some fruit icing to go around the cake too but didn't have the time after all.

So how did I make Isabelle's cake completely suitable for a little girl who can't have dairy, wheat, soya, egg and potato? (potato is in gluten free flour!)

First of all I mixed these dry ingredients together in a bowl -
1 & a half cups of rice flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup of sugar - normal sugar not caster sugar

Then I made three holes and in each I put one of the following -
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar
5 tbsp. Rapeseed oil

Then I added 1 cup of water and mixed really well before pouring mixture into a greased cake tin and popping into the oven at gas mark 4 for 45-55 minutes. I  think it might be my oven not being fantastic and just took longer to cook it!

It did fall apart alot, less so when you let it cool for ages! I made two to create this cake - rice flour doesnt rise well in cakes! I put them ontop of each other with a layer of icing in the middle and then I covered the cake with buttercream icing - free from buttercream ofcourse, made using pure sunflower spread and icing sugar, coco powder and vanilla essence. I covered the cake with white icing and used some 'chocolate' letters to write Isabelle - they are dairy free! I also added little balls of icing, different colours around the bottom.

Isabelle got lots of lovely presents, shes a very lucky little girl.
I got little party bags too for the children that were there, babies got bubbles and in the night garden books. The older two got bubbles, chocolates and paint, paint brush and a little hanging thing to paint... they seemed popular!

Isabelle thought that the cake was very yummy!!...

This is Isabelle's very own present opening assistant! He works for free...

 And how cute are her new headbands? She wore the red very hungry caterpillar one at her party ofcourse!

Mary-Kate, x