Cake is a baked sponge of flour, sugar, butter and egg, usually layered or topped with icing or cream. Once baked it is safe in pregnancy, and a slice at a celebration is entirely fine; the small cautions are around raw batter and a few kinds of icing.
Why it's good in pregnancy
A slice of cake gives you a little protein from its eggs and milk and some B vitamins from the flour, and the pleasure of marking an occasion. Pregnancy is long, and treats you enjoy without worry have their place in it.
Key nutrients
ProteinEggs and milk in the sponge provide a few grams of protein per slice.
B VitaminsFortified flour contributes thiamine and folic acid.
Serving ideas
A slice of Victoria sponge with jam
Carrot cake with cream-cheese frosting
Banana loaf cake with a cup of decaf
A small cupcake with buttercream
Lemon drizzle cake alongside fresh berries
Safety
Baked cake is safe; avoid raw batter and icings or fillings made with raw egg.Check that cream fillings are pasteurised and have been kept chilled.
Baking cooks the eggs and flour through, so the sponge itself is safe; do not lick the batter from the bowl. Icings to be careful with are the ones that may contain raw egg: traditional royal icing, Italian or Swiss meringue buttercream that has not been heated, homemade mousse fillings and tiramisu-style layers; shop-bought and bakery versions almost always use pasteurised egg, so ask if unsure. Fresh cream fillings should be pasteurised and kept chilled, and cakes with cream should not sit out for hours at a party. Buttercream, fondant, ganache and cream-cheese frosting are all fine.
Common questions
Can I eat cake during pregnancy?Yes, baked cake is safe; the only things to avoid are raw batter and icings or fillings made with raw egg.
Is buttercream safe in pregnancy?Ordinary buttercream made from butter and icing sugar is fine; meringue-based buttercreams are safe when made with pasteurised egg white, which bakeries normally use.
Can I have cake with fresh cream while pregnant?Yes, as long as the cream is pasteurised, which supermarket and bakery cream is, and the cake has been kept chilled.
Did you know?
Fondant, ganache and ordinary buttercream contain no egg, so most decorated cakes carry no raw-egg question at all.
A standard slice of iced cake has around 30 g of sugar, close to a full day's recommended added-sugar limit.
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