Hi - I hope you have web access as well as email, because there are some GREAT cooking resources on the web. My web page is a practical primer for cooking and eating without milk, and includes links to such resources as milk-free cookbooks (which you can purchase at amazon.com or order through your local bookstore), and a bunch of milk-free web sites. I also include cooking tips, including some simple ingredient substitutions. For a birthday cake, which is of specific interest to you right now, you can use almost any recipe that starts off without milk, and substitute a milk-free margerine or lard (which is GREAT for baking) instead of the ubiquitous butter. Put jam between the layers (if you make layers). For the frosting, you can make a boiled-sugar frosting or you can try out DUncan Hines brand from the ready-made container. (The Duncan Hines brand has no milk ingredients, but is listed as kosher-dairy, which means that there may be a risk of cross-contamination from milk-including products manufactured on the same line.) If you're not confident of your cake-baking skills, ask at your local Jewish temple for a kosher bakery that can make a PARVE cake for you. (Better do it soon, since Passover starts on the 7th of April and no kosher bakers stay open at that time of year. A 10-day hiatus in operations.) I hope this information helps. --Beth Kevles [log in to unmask] http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.