Easy Healthy Baby's 1st Birthday Smash Cake

This homemade, simple, healthy and delicious smash cake is the perfect recipe for baby's first birthday cake. Made with healthy ingredients such as bananas (natural sweeteners), yogurt, flaxseeds and coconut oil it will be enjoyed by your baby while not giving them a huge sugar rush. Perfect for their first birthday party. 

Coconut sugar is found only a little bit in the frosting so there is very little added sugar in this healthy smash cake recipe.  

This is also a nut-free and egg-free first birthday cake recipe so it is great for babies that have food allergies. 

*This post has been written by Dora Babic-Cikos, PhD Nutritional Science

Baby Cake Smashing 

Baby's first birthday is the perfect time to introduce your little girl or boy for the first time to cakes and desserts. And what better way than with their very own healthy smash cake! 

It's not only super simple and easy to make, but when the right ingredients are chosen, it is also a delicious and healthy treat. 

Even though in the end you might end up with a huge mess from the cake smash, the photos and memories you'll have will be endless. And your baby will have lots of fun. 

What is a Smash Cake

A smash cake is a cake traditionally made for a baby's first birthday. Generally it's not intended that you'll serve your party guests with the smash cake but it's more for your baby. 

It's usually much smaller than a traditional cake that you would make for an adult or older child's birthday. Also traditional cakes usually have a lot more added sugar. 

And the intention is that your baby won't really eat it but rather make a mess out of it by smashing it, and then exploring it with their hands and eating. And love every bit of the process!

This is a fun tradition we did with all our kids (make sure you take some smash cake photos, the before and afters). 

How to make a smash cake 

This 1st birthday cake can literally be made of any ingredients to your liking. Generally, the sponge would be thicker with a thin layer of frosting but it isn't the rule. 

It does however normally require some baking, a bit of frosting and some time and patience to assemble the cake. 

Good news is - no overnight settling in the fridge so it can be made the same day!

Ingredients for a homemade banana smash cake 

For a birthday cake for a 1 year old, I would always recommend using healthy and nutritious ingredients and if possible no added sugar or very little. 

The main ingredients you would need for a 1st birthday cake recipe are: 

• flour: all purpose flour is the most obvious choice, but wholegrain or spelt flour can also be a good option 
• rising agent: baking soda or baking powder or both (if using baking soda then a sour ingredient like vinegar is needed as well) 
• fat component: butter or oil 
• sweetener: fruit, coconut sugar, birch sugar, agave syrup  
• binding agent: eggs, ripe banana, applesauce or seeds 
• creamy agent for the frosting: coconut cream, cream, cream cheese 

This baby's cake has a fluffy texture.  

How to make a 1st Birthday Cake? - Step by step

• This recipe is for a small cake made in a 7 inch (18cm) cake pan. Once the sponge is baked we cut two circles to make our 3 inch (7 cm) baby smash cake. If you want to make a larger cake, such as a 7 inch cake (18 cm) then double the ingredients and then you will cut it lengthwise to add frosting in the middle.

Sponge

• Preheat the oven to 180℃/350℉.
• Line a 7 inch (18 cm) round cake pan with parchment paper.
• Add all the wet ingredients into a large bowl and stir.
• Mix separately all the dry ingredients.
• Mix the wet ones with the dry ones until you have a thick batter.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan.
• Bake for about 20 minutes. The baking time may vary depending on your oven, but usually 20 minutes is perfect. 
• Allow to fully cool down to room temperature before taking out of the cake pan.

Frosting for Smash Cake 

• Double the ingredients if making a 6 - 7 inch (18 cm) cake.
• Put the cream into a bowl with the coconut sugar and raw cocoa powder and mix until you get a thick and heavy chocolate-like frosting.

Assemble the healthy cake

If you are making a 6 - 7 inch (15 cm) cake:

• Take out the sponge from the cake pan.
• Cut in half lengthwise if you duplicated the batter and baked only one.
• Place one sponge (top half if you have cut your sponge lengthwise) on a platter or plate.
• Cover with bottom half cake layer with the frosting.
• Place the second sponge (top half) on top of the frosting.
• Cover the top of the cake (and the sides if you want) with the rest of the frosting.
• Decorate with seasonal fresh fruit - raspberries look best for us.

If you are making a 3 inch (7 cm) baby cake:

• Take a round cutter about 3 inch in diameter and cut two circles from your sponge.
• Place one circle/sponge on a plate and cover it with half of the frosting.
• Place the second circle/sponge on top making sure that the flatter side of the circle/sponge is facing upwards.
• Cover the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the frosting. Decorate with seasonal fresh fruit - raspberries look best for us.

How to make a vegan birthday cake 

If you'd like to make your smash cake vegan, here are a few tips and substitutions to the original recipe: 

• use vegan yogurt or plant-based milk instead of regular yogurt 
• use plant-based cream or coconut cream for your frosting 

Smash cake variations and decoration ideas 

• If you're not very good at baking, you don't need to make baby's first cake in layers. Simply bake the sponge and add some frosting on top. Your baby wont care anyway. 
• To decorate the 1st birthday cake, I find seasonal fresh fruit being the best option just because it's healthy and full of nutrients. But here are some other tips you can consider as smash cake decorations:
  • ground nuts like hazelnuts 
  • coconut flakes 
  • dried fruit
  • edible flowers 

Equipment

To make the perfect baby smash cake, you only really need a handful of equipment. 

• electric mixer - a stand-alone mixer like this Kitchen aid is preferable as it will reduce the preparation time as well as the amount of other utensils you'll need to use in preparation. 
• cake pans - we use the 7 inch / 18 cm round cake pans but you can also make it in a smaller one. 

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Storage

Cakes, especially smash cakes that don't have a lot of frosting, are great for storing. Both in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Refrigerator: 

• Sponge: covered in a cake box for up to 5 days 
• Frosting: up to 3 days 

*if you're storing a cake that has already been assembled, then the shorter timeline should be followed - so in this case up to 3 days 

Freezer: 

• Sponge: in an airtight container or covered for up to 6 months
• Frosting: up to 2 months 

*if you're storing a cake that has already been assembled, then the shorter timeline should be followed - so in this case up to 3 days

Top tips

For perfect smash cakes, follow the below top tips: 

• Make sure to line the bottom of the cake pans with parchment paper to prevent the baked sponge from sticking to the cake pan
• Allow the sponge to fully cool down and reach room temperature before taking it out of the cake pan
• When mixing the whipped cream with coconut sugar and cocoa powder to make the frosting for smash cake, make sure not to overmix it (you need to have eyes on it at all times) as one whisk to many and it will turn to butter 
• This cake can be made 2 ways - either as a 6-7 inch )18 cm) round cake so you'll need to double the ingredients OR as a small cake where you will be cutting round circles from the sponge. Check the recipe below for details! 

FAQ

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