Taste More Birthdays Cake Contest

The American Cancer Society, the Official Sponsor of Birthdays, joined forces with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to reinvent the birthday cake. Because healthy living is key to creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays, the Society and CIA challenged CIA’s baking and pastry students to create a better-for-you birthday cake. The winner is now the official birthday cake of the American Cancer Society. “Ace of Cakes” Chef Duff Goldman joined the Society and CIA to select the winner, Chef Alexandra Mudry’s new take on red velvet cake, from a pool of five talented finalists.

The Society’s official birthday cake is a healthier version of a red velvet cake that delivers plenty of taste but fewer calories and much less sugar and fat than a traditional recipe. In addition to cutting back on sugar, eggs, oil and butter, Mudry’s inventive additions - including roasted beets, dried cherries, applesauce and whole grain flour - help kick the nutrients up a notch. The result: a better-for-you cake that tastes great and still has the fun, celebratory feel of a traditional birthday cake.

The Winning Recipe