This homemade healthy smash cake recipe is the perfect treat for baby’s first birthday and is so easy to make! Made with no added sugar and sweetened naturally with banana and applesauce, it’s packed with moisture and a delicious and fun way to celebrate this special day! {Gluten-free, dairy-free & paleo}
Table of Contents
Baby Smash Cake Recipe
If you’re looking for the perfect cake for baby’s first birthday party, you’ll definitely want to try out this healthy smash cake recipe. Our little guy just turned one and for his birthday, I wanted to make him a special cake that the rest of the family could enjoy too.
We opted for a banana smash cake with no added sugar and a light and creamy frosting. It was a major hit, not only for baby, but everyone else loved it too (especially his older brother)!
This cake recipe is naturally sweetened with ripe banana and applesauce, packed with moisture and nutrients, and has a soft and fluffy texture that’s perfectly smash-able!
For more naturally sweetened treats, be sure to try my refined Sugar Free Birthday Cake and No-Sugar Added Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes too!
Why We Love This Smash Cake Recipe For Baby
- No added sugar: This healthy smash cake recipe is naturally sweetened with bananas and applesauce. With only 5 grams of sugar per serving (much lower than your traditional cake!), it’s ideal for those looking for a lower sugar cake option.
- Nutrient-packed: This easy recipe is made with wholesome ingredients like almond flour, bananas and applesauce so it’s packed with healthy fats, in addition to fibre, potassium and vitamin C. Hard to go wrong with this healthy birthday cake!
- Simple to make: This little cake requires simple ingredients and only takes around 10 minutes to prep before it gets baked in the oven. No high maintenance cake here!
- Easily adaptable: This baby smash cake can easily be made with different flavours, like chocolate, coconut and blueberries, so you can switch it up depending on your personal preferences!
- Perfect size: If you’re looking for a small cake to serve up for baby’s first birthday celebration, this recipe is made in 6-inch pans and yields a 2-layer cake. It’s the perfect size for baby, but party guests can enjoy some too!
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: To incorporate more nutrients, we use almond flour rather than all-purpose. Use super-fine blanched almond flour for best results.
- Cinnamon and vanilla: To add flavour and sweetness to the smash cake.
- Baking soda and salt: So that the cake rises in the oven when it’s baked for a light and fluffy texture.
- Bananas: Use overripe bananas for this recipe. They will be easier to combine with the other ingredients and will be naturally sweeter compared to unripe ones.
- Eggs: Used to bind the ingredients together and incorporate protein into the recipe.
- Applesauce: Used to naturally sweeten the cake and add moisture.
How To Make a Smash Cake for 1 Year Old: Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray two 6-inch round cake pans (I used a springform pan) with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pans with a piece of parchment paper cut so that they they fit the bottom of the pans.
- In a large bowl, mix together almond flour, cinnamon and baking soda (and salt, if using).
- In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, eggs, applesauce and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined (do not over mix).
- Divide mixture evenly between the two baking pans.
- Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool before removing from the cake pan.
- Meanwhile, prepare frosting of choice. We chose to to frost the cake with homemade unsweetened whipped cream. Using a knife, spread a thin layer of frosting on the bottom layer of the cake. Place the top layer on and continue to apply frosting until the entire cake is covered. Decorate the small frosted cake with desired toppings.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full recipe!
Tips for the Best Smash Cake Recipe
- Use overripe bananas (the brown spotty kind) which will be naturally sweeter. It’s best if the bananas are as sweet as possible since there is no added sugar in this recipe.
- I highly recommend that you line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan and for easier removal.
- For this recipe, we whipped some 35% heavy cream using an electric mixer and used that as the icing for the cake for our baby’s first birthday. We spread the whipped cream in between the two layers, on the top and sides, but you can also just spread some over the top. If you prefer, you can add some icing sugar to the whipped cream, use coconut whipped cream or make a Greek yogurt or cream cheese icing as well.
Recipe FAQs
A smash cake is basically a small birthday cake that’s served on baby’s first birthday. As we know, one year olds can be pretty messy when it comes to meal times, so this cake is specifically designed for them to eat, smoosh and play with. It also works well for those cute cake smashing photo shoots!
The flavour that you decide upon for baby’s cake is totally a personal preference, but we went with banana flavour since it’s a great way to sweeten the cake naturally without using any added sugar. Plus, most babies love bananas so it’s tough to go wrong with a banana cake that tastes like banana bread!
Smash cakes are traditionally made for 1st birthdays, but there’s no reason why you can’t make it for a 2nd or 3rd birthday (or another occasion) if you like. They are great for those special photos!
I used two 6-inch cake pans and found they worked perfectly for this cake. I haven’t tried making this cake in another size cake pan, so if you plan to use another size, you may need to adjust the baking time depending on the size of the pan. If you’d like a taller or larger cake, simply double the recipe and add two extra layers or use larger cake pans.
I haven’t personally tested this cake with all-purpose flour, but some readers have tried it and noted that the cake turned out way too dense with all-purpose flour. For best results, stick with the almond flour as noted in the recipe card.
Storage Guidelines
Refrigerator: You can store this banana smash cake covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Beyond that, I recommend storing it in the freezer.
Freezer: Freeze the unfrosted cake layers in a freezer safe bag or container for up to three months. Place in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for several hours to thaw before frosting and serving.
Ideas for Serving Baby’s Cake
We spread homemade whipped cream with no added sugar as the icing on our smash cake recipe to keep the sugar content lower. If you’re extra fancy, you could also use a piping bag to pipe a design around the edges. We finished the cake by topping it with some fresh mixed berries.
You can also top it with any or a few of the following:
- Coconut whipped cream
- Greek yogurt
- Homemade cream cheese frosting (try this peanut butter cream cheese frosting)
- Chocolate frosting without powdered sugar
- Chocolate sweet potato frosting
- Naturally sweetened frosting
- Nutella or other nut butter
- Vanilla buttercream
- Flaked coconut
- Banana slices (or other fresh fruit)
- Sprinkles
- Shaved chocolate or mini chocolate chips
Tip: Try blending up freeze-dried fruit like raspberries, strawberries or blueberries into a powder and mixing it in with cream cheese, Greek yogurt, coconut cream or whipped cream. It will add extra flavour and colour! Alternatively, you can add in vanilla extract, a little maple syrup, or date paste for some added sweetness.
Other Smash Cake Flavour Variations
- Blueberry: Add blueberries to the cake mix for blueberry banana cake.
- Coconut: Add unsweetened coconut flakes for banana coconut cake.
- Chocolate: Add cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a banana chocolate cake. This should be reserved for older children and adults since babies shouldn’t be served chocolate until after the age of two due to the sugar and caffeine content.
What Readers Are Saying
“I made this exactly as the recipe recommends for my baby’s 1st birthday. It came out great!! I made cupcakes and stacked two on top of each other + cream cheese frosting to make a mini “cake” for her. Then I stored the remaining ones and she ate the leftover cupcakes for breakfast! Great recipe, really flavorful and good texture.” – Vanessa
This turned out great. I made it for my niece’s first birthday and even grownups couldn’t stop eating them (made mini-muffins). – Alexa
“Loved it! Made these in a cupcake tin. I put a little bit of grease in the tin and put the dough straight in it, because the cupcakes would stick to the paper cupcake holders. Great recipe and the kids loved them! They make good breakfast snacks, also!” – Priscilla
More Healthy Treats
- 2-Banana Bread
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Healthy Banana Cookies
- Spinach Banana Muffins
- Banana Egg Pancakes
- Banana Blueberry Mini Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Cake
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Healthy Baby Smash Cake Recipe {No Added Sugar}
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups super-fine blanched almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large overripe bananas
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting (optional):
- 35% heavy whipping cream whipped (I used 1 1/2 cups for this recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray two 6 inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pans with a piece of parchment paper cut so that they they fit the bottom of the pans.
- In a large bowl, mix together almond flour, cinnamon and baking soda (and salt, if using).
- In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, eggs, applesauce and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined (do not over mix).
- Divide mixture evenly between the two baking pans.
- Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from the cake pan. To remove, run a sharp paring knife around the edges of the cake to help loosen it from the pan.
- Meanwhile, prepare frosting of choice. We chose to to frost the cake with homemade unsweetened whipped cream. Using a knife, spread a thin layer of frosting on the bottom layer of the cake. Place the top layer on the bottom layer and continue to apply frosting until the entire cake is covered. Top with desired toppings.
Notes
- Use super-fine blanched almond flour. If your almond flour is too coarse, use a food processor to grind it to a finer texture and sift it through a mesh strainer. This is important in order to achieve the right texture.
- Do NOT use all-purpose flour as a replacement for almond flour. Some readers have tried it and noted that the cake turned out way too dense with all-purpose flour. For best results, stick with the almond flour as noted in the recipe card.
- Use overripe bananas (the brown spotty kind) which will be naturally sweeter. It’s best if the bananas are as sweet as possible since there is no added sugar in this recipe.
- I highly recommend that you line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper to prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan and for easier removal.
- For this recipe, we whipped some 35% heavy cream and used that as the icing for the cake for our baby’s first birthday. We spread the whipped cream in between the two layers, on the top and sides, but you can also just spread some over the top. If you prefer you can add some icing sugar to the whipped cream, use coconut whipped cream or make a yogurt or cream cheese icing.
- If you want to make this recipe into banana bread instead, follow these instructions for baby banana bread!
Nutrition
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Hey, there! So excited to try this recipe! Do you think I could use frozen bananas? I always use them for my banana bread, just letting them thaw on the counter beforehand. They end up being extra sweet, but also a little wet. Thanks for the advice!
I haven’t personally tried this recipe with frozen bananas, but I think it could work! If the batter seems too wet, you could always mix in a little extra almond flour. Hope it works out for you if you decide to try it :)
Did a test run of this for my son’s birthday next week and it was perfect! I cut the recipe in half (I ended up using an extra 1/8 cup of apple sauce to account for only using 1 egg) and baked in 3 mini (4in x 1.25in) cake tins for 25-30 minutes. I also used apple sauce in between the layers to add a little bit of extra sweetness + plus have some textural contrast. The baby loved it and it was the perfect size for a smash cake!
That’s great that it turned out well despite the modifications, and that your baby loved it too! Thanks so much for sharing the alterations to the recipe – I’m sure it will be helpful for others as well! :)
Can I make this the night before? If I do can I leave it on the counter overnight or should I put it in the fridge?
Yes, you can make it the night before! If you frost the cake, I would store it in the fridge. Otherwise it should be okay to sit on the counter for one night. Hope you enjoy!
Love this recipe. Not dry at all and has a really nice, light banana-bread taste. Did a test cake first with no icing and it was a huge hit with the wee ones and the not-so-wee ones lol. I used 3 four-inch pans and kept the same baking time. This recipe is going to be go-to for sure.
Amazing – I’m so happy both the little ones and adults loved it! I appreciate you sharing your modifications with the pans/baking time. Glad you found a new go-to recipe :)
Elysia, Thank you for this recipe! I want to try it next week for my baby. There is baking soda among ingredients. Do you mean baking SODA ( sodium bicarbonate) or baking POWDER?
I’ve always made it with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and it has turned out every time. I haven’t tried it with baking powder, but if you happen to experiment, let me know how it turns out! Hope your baby enjoys the cake :)
Hi Elysia
I made this with baking powder for my grandsons first birthday. The equivalent amount was 1.5 teaspoons.
The cake was a huge hit with everyone. I have passed on your recipe link to others. Thank you.
Awesome, thanks so much for sharing this feedback! I’ll have to test it out with the baking powder next time :) I’m so happy it was a winner and I appreciate you sharing the recipe!
This is a fabulous recipe. I’ve made it many times and with many different types of flours. Thank you!
That’s amazing! I’m so happy it’s worked out with all of the different flours you’ve experimented with :) Thanks for reporting back!
I made this last year for my baby’s 1 year birthday and it was amazing! I would like to make it again, but do you know how I could make this as a 3 layer 8 inch cake? I’m not sure how to calculate the measurements of ingredients for that and also what the baking temperature should be. And how long to bake?
So sorry for the delay! I’m so happy that the cake turned out well for your baby’s 1st birthday! As for making it into a 3 layer 8 inch cake, I haven’t personally experimented with that, but as a guess, I would start by doubling the batter recipe. I would keep the oven at the same temperature (350 degrees F) and start by baking it for 15-20 minutes and then check it periodically until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Please keep me posted on how it turns out!
I used the recipe to make a 9in cake (that I am cutting down smaller for my smash cake), and cooked for 26 min. I would just make this recipe 3 times and fill each 9in pan, then layer.
Awesome, thanks so much for the feedback!
Looks amazing thank you! Can I make this egg-free (allergies)?
So sorry for the delay! I’ve never tried making this cake egg-free so I’m not 100% sure how it would turn out. If you decide to experiment, please keep me posted!
Hello, i want to try this cake, can you please convert 2 cups os almond flour into grams? thank you 😊
I apologize for the delay! 2 cups would be about 261 grams of almond flour. Hope that helps!
Delicious cake. I added coconut sugar to the bananas and I made the frosting with cream cheese with a few drops of beet juice to give it a pink color. I also added mascarpone in the middle of the cake. I whipped the mascarpone with oat milk. It was so tasty. The baby and mamma loved it.
Love it!! Sounds absolutely delicious and I bet it was so pretty with the pink frosting too! Thanks so much for sharing these amazing ideas — I’m sure others will appreciate the inspiration too :)
Hi, I want to make this for baby’s first bday but I want it a bit taller than pictured. Can I use 3 4” pans instead of 2 6” and keep the recipe the same? Thanks!
I haven’t personally tried it, but I think some readers have with success! You may have to adjust the cooking time a bit if you’re cooking the cakes in smaller pans. Please let me know how it goes if you try it out!
Just made this with 3 4” pans in my little convection oven and still baked for about 24 minutes! Waiting for them to cool now and found a frosting recipe that utilizes dates, cashews and plant based milk. Super excited to see how the whole thing turns out! Thank you xo
Followed this recipe for my son’s first birthday and it’s delicious. Such a perfect recipe for a smash cake.
Awesome! So happy the cake worked out well for your son’s birthday! Thanks so much for the kind review :)
Would it be possible to swap out for oat flour? Either way I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! Thank you!
I haven’t tried making this recipe with oat flour so I’m not sure what the outcome would be. My concern is that it might turn out too dense. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it turns out!
I tried a sample batch with Oat flour. It was indeed pretty dense! Will try with cake flour next (allergy concerns with almond).
Thanks for confirming! Hopefully it works out better with another flour!
How are you able to make this without measuring the ingredients?
I’m not sure I understand your question. The ingredients and quantities are all listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Hope that answers your question!
I was hoping to make this cake as a sheet cake. Do you think there will be enough batter to fill a 9×13 pan?
thanks!
I apologize for the delayed response! I’ve never tried it in a 9×13 inch pan, but if I had to guess, I don’t think there would be enough batter. You may have to double the recipe. Hope it works out for you!
Can I make without applesauce? Don’t have any and have to make today!
You can try adding extra mashed banana as a substitute for the applesauce! Hope you enjoy :)