This healthy smash cake is made with almond flour and bananas. It’s the perfect option if you’re looking for a no added sugar cake for your little ones first birthday.
Before I get this post started, I have to stop for a minute because I can hardly believe that my baby is turning one! It honestly feels like I gave birth to her yesterday and yet a whole year has gone by. Before having Liv I remember hearing parents say that their babies grow up way too fast and oh my goodness, now I can totally relate.
No Sugar Added Smash Cake
I’ve been thinking about making Liv a special cake for her birthday for months and it took some experimenting because I wanted it to be free of added sugar. Olivia eats pretty much any and everything (gluten, soy, dairy, etc.) but the one thing I try to stay clear of is added and processed sugar. When looking for a smash cake recipe almost all of them still had some sort of sugar and a lot of the healthier options looked too heavy and dense (aka less smashable).
With the no added sugar criteria in mind, I started testing cake recipes using mashed banana as the sweetener and after a couple test batches, I created this recipe which has a nice light and fluffy crumb, but is still super moist. And I love the fact that with this cake, Liv will be getting a ton of nutrients, especially given how nutrient-dense almond flour is!
Ingredients Needed for this Healthy Smash Cake
Moms (or dads), I have a feeling you’re going to love me because this cake only has seven simple ingredients (excluding the frosting + toppings)! And most of these ingredients you probably already have in your pantry:
almond flour – I chose almond flour for this recipe because it has a natural sweetness and gives the cake a light and fluffy crumb that makes it easier for your baby to smash and eat. I have a feeling that all-purpose flour will work, but I have not tested this recipe with different flours so I’m not sure how it will turn out. I highly recommend using almond flour for the best results.
banana – perfectly ripe mashed bananas are a key ingredient as they replace the oil and sugar in this recipe. Make sure your bananas are ripe (fully yellow with a few black spots is perfect). Unripe bananas will not work well for this recipe. I haven’t tested this with any other fruit puree so I’m not sure how it will work if you use applesauce or another fruit puree. If you try it, please let me know in the comments.
eggs – the eggs help the cake rise and give it the fluffiness. If you have an egg allergy or want to avoid eggs, readers have used flax seed eggs in place of the eggs with good results.
vanilla extract
cinnamon – cinnamon is totally optional, but I like the subtle sweetness it adds to the cake.
baking powder
salt – if you’re worried about the salt in your babies diet, you can leave this out.
icing + toppings – see all of my ideas below.
The Easiest Smash Cake… Made in a Blender
And the best part? There’s no creaming of butter or sugar and no need to break out the mixer for this recipe! You simply blend everything together in your blender. If you don’t have a blender, you can use a food processor or an immersion blender. You can also mix the ingredients together by hand, but you’ll want to make sure your banana is super mashed/pureed and well blended with the almond flour mixture. You could measure the mashed banana, blend it up in your blender and then mix the batter together by hand. For this recipe you really want the banana incorporated throughout rather than little pockets of banana within the cake.
What Size Should a Smash Cake Be?
I personally think 4-inch in diameter is the perfect size for a smash cake. If you decide to make it a large cake (for instance, 6 inches) you’ll likely need to adjust the recipe or the layers will be really thin. I used a set of 3 (4-inch) springform pans, which make it super easy to pop the layers out of the pan.
Icing Ideas for a Healthy Smash Cake
There are so many fun ways to frost and decorate this cake. Here’s a couple that I recommend:
Coconut whipped cream – You can make your own or if you’re okay with a little sugar you can use store-bought coconut whipped cream (found in the frozen section). You’ll want to let the whipped cream thaw in the fridge and frost the cake right before serving. This is what I used for Olivia’s cake and I will note that using it as a frosting between the layers made the layers quite slippery so I’m not sure I would do that in the future. I think yogurt would hold better!
No sugar whipped cream – If you want a no sugar option you can buy unsweetened heavy cream, whip it with a mixer and use this as a frosting. Here’s an easy recipe.
Yogurt – Babies tend to love yogurt and it makes a great frosting option for this smash cake. You can use any flavor you like or even blend fresh berries with plain yogurt if you want a colorful frosting.
Traditional frosting – This will add sugar to the cake, but it’s an easy option! I really like the Simple Mills vanilla frosting. It’s thick so you may need to soften it up a bit before icing the cake.
Topping Ideas for a Healthy Smash Cake
For the photos you see here I did pastel star sprinkles and a 1 candle. For Olivia’s actual birthday I’m planning to top the cake with fresh raspberries as they’re her favorite and I have a feeling they will entice her to dig into the cake. I’m also going to top the cake with a little sign I ordered from Etsy that says “Olivia is One.”
A Healthy Smash Cake that Adults Will Like Too!
This no sugar added smash cake actually tastes really good. I would totally make it for myself and love it! If baby decides not to smash the cake, feel free to cut slices and enjoy!
If you make this healthy smash cake for your little one please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below! Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and other EBF readers who are thinking about making the recipe!
This healthy smash cake is made with almond flour and bananas. It’s the perfect option if you’re looking for a small, no sugar added cake for your little ones first birthday.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fine blanched almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 cup mashed banana (make sure your bananas are nice and ripe)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Frosting
coconut whipped topping (homemade or store-bought) OR plain full-fat yogurt OR frosting of choice
Toppings
fresh berries OR sprinkles
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray 3 (4-inch springform pans) with cooking spray. Set aside.
Add banana, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and salt into a high-powered blender or food processor. Process until mixture is smooth and well combined.
Add almond flour and pulse until mixture is just combined, scraping down the sides of the blender/processor if needed.
Divide batter evenly between the 3 springform pans and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are golden in color and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Remove cakes from the oven, let cool for 10-20 minutes before carefully removing from the pans.
Let layers cool completely before stacking and icing with frosting of choice. I’ve tested plain full-fat yogurt as well as coconut whipped topping. For toppings, I like the idea of naturally-colored sprinkles or fresh berries. Liv loves raspberries so that’s probably what I’ll put on her smash cake.
Hi there’s
I’m looking at making this healthy cake for my little girls first birthday cake smash, and was wondering if this could be made ahead of time and frozen?
Obviously, take out to thaw ahead of the smash photos 🙂
Frosting will be done just before smash 🙂
Thanks!
Yvonne
Hey Yvonne, I haven’t tried freezing this cake, but I would imagine it would freeze just fine! Let me know if you end up trying it and how it turns out.
I read below one of the comments about putting it in the fridge, so that works for me!!
Although I only only have one big cake tin so hopefully doubling the ingredients works!
Thanks!!
Thank you for this healthy delicious recipe! I tried it a couple of days ago as a trial run before my baby’s first birthday next week and all three of us loved it. My question is about the texture. My cake came out to be on the denser side, so not as moist and fluffy as I imagined a smash cake would be like. Is that expected or did I do something wrong? My only concern is whether my son could have this as a “smash” cake and be able to eat it with his fingers. I followed the instructions just as you mentioned, but doubled the recipe and baked it for the same amount of time in three shallow 6 inch pans. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for your response. I guess the only thing I did differently was mashing the banana with a fork and mixing the mixture manually rather than blending in a food processor. I put the cake in the fridge overnight though, so maybe that’s why it was a bit dense. Can I leave it outside if I prepare it ahead of time? Thank you!
Hey Mitra – The fridge will definitely harden it up a bit. I put the first one I made for the photos in the fridge and it definitely got a little dense.
Followed the recipe but had only one ripe banana so added some apple sauce. Topped with plain Greek yogurt and raspberries and baby girl LOVED it! We cut into it and had little slices, pretty good for no added sugar! I used springform 4” pans and could only get two thin layers. Next time I would probably double the recipe and try for three layers. Overall, definitely recommend and would make again and even try other purées. Thank you for the recipe!
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Kristen. That’s interesting you only got two layers with this recipe… I was able to get 3 layers with the 4″ pans. And you didn’t change anything about the recipe besides the applesauce? Either way, I’m so glad this smash cake was a hit for your baby girl’s birthday! Thanks for making this recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Made this for my baby’s first birthday this week! I just used yogurt for the “icing” and put lots of chopped blackberries on the top. He loved it! He also loves to share his food because he thinks it’s funny to feed other people so we had a few bites and thought it was delicious too!
We also used flax eggs instead of real eggs. It may have been a little more dense than the original recipe but was still soft and tasty.
Aww yay!! So glad this cake turned out for you. Thanks for making it for your baby’s first birthday. I’m glad her loved it. 🙂 Good to know about the eggs – thanks for sharing and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
So good I made a second cake! I was so excited to find a healthy option for my son’s first birthday and it was even better than I hoped! The adults liked it even more than he did. 😀 Thank you so much!
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear!! So glad this cake was a hit, Kyle. Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Made this cake for a friend’s baby’s 1st birthday smash cake. My bananas weren’t super ripe so I added about 2 Tbsps of coconut sugar and it turned out perfect (though it would have been 100% fine without the added sweetness). I iced with full fat Greek yogurt with a few Tbsps of maple syrup and a drop of vanilla. Will definitely make this again for my baby’s 1st bday in May!
This turned out FANTASTIC!! I’ve baked many muffins/breads, but rarely a cake and nothing tiered! This was also my first time using almond flour – a good excuse to get the bag from Costco I always walk by. This recipe looked dead simple and only contained ingredients that I was happy to use. The almond flour didn’t mix in too easily in the blender and I’m not a fan of scraping down the sides so I dumped it out and mixed this last part in a bowl.
I only had 5 or 6 inch regular pans so I doubled the recipe, split evenly into the three pans, lined the pans on all sides with parchment, and baked for the same amount of time.
For the icing I whipped 2 blocks of cream cheese with 4 T of pure maple syrup and had some leftover. My mother in law who isn’t into ‘healthy’ food enjoyed this cake, and my mother wanted to make another batch into muffins soon after! And more importantly, baby and mom also enjoyed it. Extra maple syrup for dipping added some extra sweetness for fun.
Thank you thank you for the fab recipe. I’ve already shared it with 2 other mom friends and plan to make this a regular recipe.
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear!! I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Dana. Thanks for making it and for coming back to share how you made it – it’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it. 🙂
I’m so glad I didn’t test any other recipes and trusted my gut and made this on my daughters first birthday! I did the same thing another commenter posted (baked for 20 mins in a 13×9 pan and doubled the recipe) and it was SO good! I did add a teaspoon of maple syrup bc I was afraid it wouldn’t be sweet but it was perfect! I used Simple Mills vanilla frosting and used that in between the layers with some wild blueberries I had sautéed with a little coconut oil. I’m so impressed with how well this came out and how simple it was to come together. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Oh yay!! This makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad to hear this cake was a hit for your daughter’s birthday. Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me. 🙂
I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS CAKE. I did start to make it today and wanted to know if I could make it a few days in advance and then assemble it the day of? Thanks so much for the amazing recipe.
I loved the simplicity of this recipe and healthy ingredients! I made it for my baby’s 1st birthday and he loved it! I adjusted it a bit by adding shredded carrots as well as boiled apples (about 1/4 cup or less of each) for added sweetness and nutrients. I also used (2) 6 inch pans without having to adjust the recipe or cook time. I ended up doing it twice so the cake was 4 thin layers. I didn’t use very ripe bananas the 1st round and it was very bland and made all the difference. The cake was moist and very dense… kind of like banana bread. It keeps its shape while baking and doesn’t really rise much. Not an issue at all just wanted to help others who might want to know. Thank you for posting this. It was a success and so much fun to make… and eat!
Hey Alicia – I’m glad this cake was a hit!! Question for you – did you change anything about the recipe besides adding the apples? It should have risen in the oven and shouldn’t have been dense but more light and fluffy. Either way, I’m glad your babe loved it. 🙂
This recipe was excellent. I doubled it like a previous reviewer and made 12 “cupcakes” for my one year old’s birthday party. They are incredibly moist and pleasantly banana flavored with a nice light crumb. For anyone doubling the recipe I used three medium bananas that were overly ripe. I topped them with a homemade sugar free buttercream, but I gave one plain to my baby for breakfast and she loved it.Thanks so much for the recipe…it’s a keeper!
Hey Nadia – I haven’t made this recipe into cupcakes, but someone else did and said it worked well for her. She said she doubled the recipe to make a dozen cupcakes and that she had to bake them for a few extra minutes. I’d just keep an eye on them and once a toothpick or knife is inserted and comes out clean they should be done. Let me know if you try it!!
I made this cake for my daughters 1st birthday and it was SO GOOD!! I subbed 3/4 cup all purpose flour for almond flour and it worked out perfectly!! For the icing, I used vanilla bean Greek yogurt mixed with cream cheese and it tasted great! Frosted it an hour before smash time and kept it in the fridge! Highly recommend this recipe!! Delicious!!
Hi Christie – to clarify, did you only use 3/4 cup of AP flour, or did you also use 3/4 cup of almond flour. I’m just wondering if I should use a 1-1 ratio when substituting almond flour for AP flour. Thanks!
Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review and sharing that all-purpose flour worked, Christie. It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it!
LOVE this recipe! Made this for my daughter’s first birthday, and did not realize that I needed to double the recipe for the size cake I wanted to make until I realized I was out of bananas. I subbed yogurt for the bananas in the second layer and it actually came out fluffier than the banana layer! (That might be because I used too much banana). But I love how adaptable this recipe is—you can use any fruit puree, or yogurt you would like and the cake comes out delicious. We definitely helped my baby finish this cake in no time.
I am not a baker or cook but any stretch of the imagination but when my little one was going to turn 1 I know I had to get my act together. I enjoyed making this cake twice- because I needed to make sure I didn’t mess it up. Surely, the first time I misread the banana quantity (triple the quantity) but it still came out delicious!!! I made it with yogurt as the icing and it looked like a rustic style cake which was nice. The baby and the whole family loved devouring it! Thank you Brittany for this healthy and yummy recipe!
Ahh yay, I’m so glad this cake turned out for you, Rosa!! I so appreciate you trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. 🙂
This recipe looks amazing and easy enough for a non experienced baker like myself:) I’m looking forward to making this for my daughters first birthday. do you have any tips for baking this in a 6×2 in round pan?
Question – I’m planning to make this for my son’s first birthday and yogurt sounds like a super easy option. My question is does it sit on top of the cake or does it sink into it and make it moist and soggy if not eaten immediately? Could I add yogurt and let it sit in the fridge overnight?
I think it might soak into the cake if you iced it with yogurt and let it sit in the fridge overnight. With this cake, I think it’s best to ice it just before serving. An hour or two is okay, but overnight isn’t ideal.
I made these into a dozen cupcakes by doubling the recipe. They turned out beautifully! I did have to bake for a few extra minutes. I sprinkled some chocolate chips on top of half of them as per my 7 year old son’s request.
I am amazed that there is absolutely no added sugar! They are perfectly sweet!
That’s awesome to hear they turned out well as cupcakes!! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to share that. It’s super helpful for other readers. 🙂
I just made this cake today for my son’s first birthday. While I’m no great baker by any means, I cannot believe how badly I messed up this recipe. It was so dense, didn’t rise at all, and you could still see the swirls at the top where I spread the mixture into the cake pan. I was very disappointed in how it looked, but my son gobbled it up and loved the taste. So, that’s all the matters — right?! Thank you for providing a healthy option for me to serve my baby for his big day! I’m going to try making it again to hopefully get it right for the next cake occasion!
Oh no!! Did you change anything about the recipe, Katie? It sounds like maybe the baking powder was left out if it didn’t rise? Either way, I’m glad your son enjoyed this cake!
This was the perfect recipe for my baby girl’s 1st birthday smash cake! It’s super moist and sweet without any added sugar and it tastes like banana bread. She loved it!
Thank you Brittany for sharing this with me early so I had it in time for her birthday! 🙂
I have actually made this cake twice already! Once because my dad ate one of pieces thinking it was a “muffin” and gave it 5 stars lol…and again for my sons first birthday. Very easy to make, moist, and I love that there is no sugar added. This cake tastes amazing! Definitely will be making again just for us to eat. I made a vanilla butter/cream cheese frosting. Great recipe!
Ahh yay!! This makes me so happy to hear, Dayna! I’m so glad this cake was a hit for both the adults and your son. Thanks so much for making this recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
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Any ideas why my layers would come out so thin? They are maybe half an inch thick, if that. 🙁 Thanks!
Hey Rita – What size pans did you use?
How many cupcakes would this recipe yield?
If you follow the recipe as-is I think it would make 6 cupcakes so you could double it to make 12!
Hi there’s
I’m looking at making this healthy cake for my little girls first birthday cake smash, and was wondering if this could be made ahead of time and frozen?
Obviously, take out to thaw ahead of the smash photos 🙂
Frosting will be done just before smash 🙂
Thanks!
Yvonne
Hey Yvonne, I haven’t tried freezing this cake, but I would imagine it would freeze just fine! Let me know if you end up trying it and how it turns out.
I read below one of the comments about putting it in the fridge, so that works for me!!
Although I only only have one big cake tin so hopefully doubling the ingredients works!
Thanks!!
Doubling the recipe should work!! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Thank you for this healthy delicious recipe! I tried it a couple of days ago as a trial run before my baby’s first birthday next week and all three of us loved it. My question is about the texture. My cake came out to be on the denser side, so not as moist and fluffy as I imagined a smash cake would be like. Is that expected or did I do something wrong? My only concern is whether my son could have this as a “smash” cake and be able to eat it with his fingers. I followed the instructions just as you mentioned, but doubled the recipe and baked it for the same amount of time in three shallow 6 inch pans. Thanks in advance!
This cake shouldn’t be as dense, but more light and fluffy. That’s why I went with almond flour. Did you change anything about the recipe at all?
Thanks for your response. I guess the only thing I did differently was mashing the banana with a fork and mixing the mixture manually rather than blending in a food processor. I put the cake in the fridge overnight though, so maybe that’s why it was a bit dense. Can I leave it outside if I prepare it ahead of time? Thank you!
Hey Mitra – The fridge will definitely harden it up a bit. I put the first one I made for the photos in the fridge and it definitely got a little dense.
Followed the recipe but had only one ripe banana so added some apple sauce. Topped with plain Greek yogurt and raspberries and baby girl LOVED it! We cut into it and had little slices, pretty good for no added sugar! I used springform 4” pans and could only get two thin layers. Next time I would probably double the recipe and try for three layers. Overall, definitely recommend and would make again and even try other purées. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Kristen. That’s interesting you only got two layers with this recipe… I was able to get 3 layers with the 4″ pans. And you didn’t change anything about the recipe besides the applesauce? Either way, I’m so glad this smash cake was a hit for your baby girl’s birthday! Thanks for making this recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Made this for my baby’s first birthday this week! I just used yogurt for the “icing” and put lots of chopped blackberries on the top. He loved it! He also loves to share his food because he thinks it’s funny to feed other people so we had a few bites and thought it was delicious too!
We also used flax eggs instead of real eggs. It may have been a little more dense than the original recipe but was still soft and tasty.
★★★★★
Aww yay!! So glad this cake turned out for you. Thanks for making it for your baby’s first birthday. I’m glad her loved it. 🙂 Good to know about the eggs – thanks for sharing and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
So good I made a second cake! I was so excited to find a healthy option for my son’s first birthday and it was even better than I hoped! The adults liked it even more than he did. 😀 Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear!! So glad this cake was a hit, Kyle. Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Made this cake for a friend’s baby’s 1st birthday smash cake. My bananas weren’t super ripe so I added about 2 Tbsps of coconut sugar and it turned out perfect (though it would have been 100% fine without the added sweetness). I iced with full fat Greek yogurt with a few Tbsps of maple syrup and a drop of vanilla. Will definitely make this again for my baby’s 1st bday in May!
★★★★★
Woo!! So glad this cake was a hit. Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a review, Lauren. I appreciate it. 🙂
This turned out FANTASTIC!! I’ve baked many muffins/breads, but rarely a cake and nothing tiered! This was also my first time using almond flour – a good excuse to get the bag from Costco I always walk by. This recipe looked dead simple and only contained ingredients that I was happy to use. The almond flour didn’t mix in too easily in the blender and I’m not a fan of scraping down the sides so I dumped it out and mixed this last part in a bowl.
I only had 5 or 6 inch regular pans so I doubled the recipe, split evenly into the three pans, lined the pans on all sides with parchment, and baked for the same amount of time.
For the icing I whipped 2 blocks of cream cheese with 4 T of pure maple syrup and had some leftover. My mother in law who isn’t into ‘healthy’ food enjoyed this cake, and my mother wanted to make another batch into muffins soon after! And more importantly, baby and mom also enjoyed it. Extra maple syrup for dipping added some extra sweetness for fun.
Thank you thank you for the fab recipe. I’ve already shared it with 2 other mom friends and plan to make this a regular recipe.
★★★★★
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear!! I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Dana. Thanks for making it and for coming back to share how you made it – it’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it. 🙂
I’m so glad I didn’t test any other recipes and trusted my gut and made this on my daughters first birthday! I did the same thing another commenter posted (baked for 20 mins in a 13×9 pan and doubled the recipe) and it was SO good! I did add a teaspoon of maple syrup bc I was afraid it wouldn’t be sweet but it was perfect! I used Simple Mills vanilla frosting and used that in between the layers with some wild blueberries I had sautéed with a little coconut oil. I’m so impressed with how well this came out and how simple it was to come together. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Oh yay!! This makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad to hear this cake was a hit for your daughter’s birthday. Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me. 🙂
I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS CAKE. I did start to make it today and wanted to know if I could make it a few days in advance and then assemble it the day of? Thanks so much for the amazing recipe.
★★★★★
That should be fine! It should last a few days in the fridge once cooked. Let me know how it turns out for you!!
I loved the simplicity of this recipe and healthy ingredients! I made it for my baby’s 1st birthday and he loved it! I adjusted it a bit by adding shredded carrots as well as boiled apples (about 1/4 cup or less of each) for added sweetness and nutrients. I also used (2) 6 inch pans without having to adjust the recipe or cook time. I ended up doing it twice so the cake was 4 thin layers. I didn’t use very ripe bananas the 1st round and it was very bland and made all the difference. The cake was moist and very dense… kind of like banana bread. It keeps its shape while baking and doesn’t really rise much. Not an issue at all just wanted to help others who might want to know. Thank you for posting this. It was a success and so much fun to make… and eat!
★★★★★
Hey Alicia – I’m glad this cake was a hit!! Question for you – did you change anything about the recipe besides adding the apples? It should have risen in the oven and shouldn’t have been dense but more light and fluffy. Either way, I’m glad your babe loved it. 🙂
This recipe was excellent. I doubled it like a previous reviewer and made 12 “cupcakes” for my one year old’s birthday party. They are incredibly moist and pleasantly banana flavored with a nice light crumb. For anyone doubling the recipe I used three medium bananas that were overly ripe. I topped them with a homemade sugar free buttercream, but I gave one plain to my baby for breakfast and she loved it.Thanks so much for the recipe…it’s a keeper!
★★★★★
Ahh yay!! So glad this recipe turned out for you as muffins!! Thanks for coming back to share… it’s super helpful for other readers. 🙂
Can I use this recipe and make cupcakes instead?
How would you adjust baking baking time?
Hey Nadia – I haven’t made this recipe into cupcakes, but someone else did and said it worked well for her. She said she doubled the recipe to make a dozen cupcakes and that she had to bake them for a few extra minutes. I’d just keep an eye on them and once a toothpick or knife is inserted and comes out clean they should be done. Let me know if you try it!!
I made this cake for my daughters 1st birthday and it was SO GOOD!! I subbed 3/4 cup all purpose flour for almond flour and it worked out perfectly!! For the icing, I used vanilla bean Greek yogurt mixed with cream cheese and it tasted great! Frosted it an hour before smash time and kept it in the fridge! Highly recommend this recipe!! Delicious!!
★★★★★
Hi Christie – to clarify, did you only use 3/4 cup of AP flour, or did you also use 3/4 cup of almond flour. I’m just wondering if I should use a 1-1 ratio when substituting almond flour for AP flour. Thanks!
Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review and sharing that all-purpose flour worked, Christie. It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it!
LOVE this recipe! Made this for my daughter’s first birthday, and did not realize that I needed to double the recipe for the size cake I wanted to make until I realized I was out of bananas. I subbed yogurt for the bananas in the second layer and it actually came out fluffier than the banana layer! (That might be because I used too much banana). But I love how adaptable this recipe is—you can use any fruit puree, or yogurt you would like and the cake comes out delicious. We definitely helped my baby finish this cake in no time.
★★★★★
I’m so glad this cake was a hit, Jessica!! Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I am not a baker or cook but any stretch of the imagination but when my little one was going to turn 1 I know I had to get my act together. I enjoyed making this cake twice- because I needed to make sure I didn’t mess it up. Surely, the first time I misread the banana quantity (triple the quantity) but it still came out delicious!!! I made it with yogurt as the icing and it looked like a rustic style cake which was nice. The baby and the whole family loved devouring it! Thank you Brittany for this healthy and yummy recipe!
★★★★★
Ahh yay, I’m so glad this cake turned out for you, Rosa!! I so appreciate you trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. 🙂
Can this cake be made into a sheet cake and then cut with a round cutter? Might be a silly question but I’m not an experienced baker.
I haven’t tried that with this recipe, but I think it should work just fine. Let me know if you try it!
This recipe looks amazing and easy enough for a non experienced baker like myself:) I’m looking forward to making this for my daughters first birthday. do you have any tips for baking this in a 6×2 in round pan?
★★★★★
You’ll have to let me know how it turns out for you! Are you just doing one layer or multiple layers?
Question – I’m planning to make this for my son’s first birthday and yogurt sounds like a super easy option. My question is does it sit on top of the cake or does it sink into it and make it moist and soggy if not eaten immediately? Could I add yogurt and let it sit in the fridge overnight?
★★★★★
I think it might soak into the cake if you iced it with yogurt and let it sit in the fridge overnight. With this cake, I think it’s best to ice it just before serving. An hour or two is okay, but overnight isn’t ideal.
I made these into a dozen cupcakes by doubling the recipe. They turned out beautifully! I did have to bake for a few extra minutes. I sprinkled some chocolate chips on top of half of them as per my 7 year old son’s request.
I am amazed that there is absolutely no added sugar! They are perfectly sweet!
★★★★★
That’s awesome to hear they turned out well as cupcakes!! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to share that. It’s super helpful for other readers. 🙂
I just made this cake today for my son’s first birthday. While I’m no great baker by any means, I cannot believe how badly I messed up this recipe. It was so dense, didn’t rise at all, and you could still see the swirls at the top where I spread the mixture into the cake pan. I was very disappointed in how it looked, but my son gobbled it up and loved the taste. So, that’s all the matters — right?! Thank you for providing a healthy option for me to serve my baby for his big day! I’m going to try making it again to hopefully get it right for the next cake occasion!
★★★
Oh no!! Did you change anything about the recipe, Katie? It sounds like maybe the baking powder was left out if it didn’t rise? Either way, I’m glad your son enjoyed this cake!
This was the perfect recipe for my baby girl’s 1st birthday smash cake! It’s super moist and sweet without any added sugar and it tastes like banana bread. She loved it!
Thank you Brittany for sharing this with me early so I had it in time for her birthday! 🙂
★★★★★
Yay!! So glad it was a hit, Kristin!! Thank so much for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it. 🙂
Do you think this would work well as cupcakes?
Hey Shari – I haven’t tried it, but I bet it would! You might just need to alter the cook time.
I have actually made this cake twice already! Once because my dad ate one of pieces thinking it was a “muffin” and gave it 5 stars lol…and again for my sons first birthday. Very easy to make, moist, and I love that there is no sugar added. This cake tastes amazing! Definitely will be making again just for us to eat. I made a vanilla butter/cream cheese frosting. Great recipe!
★★★★★
Ahh yay!! This makes me so happy to hear, Dayna! I’m so glad this cake was a hit for both the adults and your son. Thanks so much for making this recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂