Healthy Smash Cake
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Published Jul 11, 2023, Updated Aug 13, 2023
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This healthy smash cake is perfect for baby’s first birthday. It’s made with almond flour, banana and has no added sugar.
Before I get into this easy smash cake recipe, 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 Olivia yesterday and yet a whole year has gone by. Before having children I remember hearing parents say that “kids grow up way too fast” and oh my goodness, now I can totally relate. Cue the tears!
I knew I wanted to make Olivia a homemade cake for her first birthday and I wanted it to be on the healthier side without any added sugar. If you’ve landed on this recipe, you’re probably in the same boat… so welcome, I have the perfect recipe for you!
Table of Contents
- Healthy Smash Cake Recipe
- Ingredients Needed
- Step By Step Instructions
- Substitutions & Notes
- Tips For Success
- Smash Cake FAQ’s
- Healthy Frosting Ideas
- Topping Ideas for Baby’s Cake
- How to Make This Cake Ahead of Time
- How to Store
- Smash Cake Photo Session
- What Parents Are Saying
- More Baby Recipes and Resources
- More Kid-Friendly Recipes
- Healthy Smash Cake (For Baby’s First Birthday) Recipe
Healthy Smash Cake Recipe
When I was looking for a smash cake recipe almost all of them had some sort of sugar and/or looked too heavy and dense (aka less smashable). Or they were sugar-free, but the sugar was substituted with artificial sweeteners, which I didn’t want to use for this cake.
I know some people will say, “it’s their birthday, let them have sugar,” but as a health coach I see value in waiting for babies to be a bit older before introducing added sugar. (The American Dietary Guidelines actually recommend waiting until baby is at least 2 years old before giving added sugar.)
With the no added sugar criteria in mind, I started testing small cake recipes using fruit as the sweetener and more nutrient-rich flours like oat and almond flour. After a few tests, I created this recipe with mashed banana and almond flour. The cake is perfectly moist with a light and fluffy crumb and a subtle sweetness that babies will love!
Ingredients Needed
Moms (or dads), I have a feeling you’re going to love me because this smash cake recipe only has seven simple ingredients (excluding the frosting + toppings)! And you probably already have most of the ingredients 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 recommend using blanched almond flour because the skins have been removed so you’re left with a fine-textured, light colored flour that works perfectly for cake.
- 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!
- eggs – the eggs help the cake rise and give it the fluffiness.
- vanilla extract – a nice flavor enhancer.
- cinnamon – this is totally optional, but I like the subtle sweetness cinnamon adds to the cake.
- baking powder – to help the cake rise.
- salt – if you’re worried about the salt in your baby’s diet, you can leave this out.
- icing + toppings – see all of my ideas below.
Step By Step Instructions
Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and spray three 4-inch springform pans with cooking spray. You can also line them with parchment paper if you prefer not to use cooking spray. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients: Whisk eggs in a medium mixing bowl bowl. Add mashed banana and vanilla and stir until combined.
Add dry ingredients: Add almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir until just combined.
Bake: Divide batter evenly between the springform pans and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool: Remove cakes from the oven, let cool for 10-20 minutes in the pans before carefully removing from the pans to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Decorate: Let layers cool completely before stacking and decorating. See my frosting and topping ideas below.
Substitutions & Notes
- Flour: I have tested this recipe with all purpose flour and oat flour and neither turned out well. They both resulted in a denser cake that wasn’t very smashable, so I highly recommend using almond flour for the best results.
- Bananas: I haven’t tested this cake with any other fruit puree so I’m not sure how it will work. Some have used unsweetened applesauce instead of the bananas and said it turned out well. If you try it, please let me know in the comments.
- Eggs: 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.
- Different size pan: You can make this cake using 6-inch cake pans, you’ll just need to double the recipe to get three 6-inch layers. It’ll also likely require more bake time!
- Cupcakes: I haven’t tried it, but some readers have made 12 cupcakes by doubling this recipe. You might just need to bake them for a few extra minutes.
Tips For Success
- Store at room temp: I don’t recommend storing the cake layers in the fridge as they will get dense in the cold.
- Frost right before serving: For the best results, I recommend frosting your cake right before serving unless you’re using traditional frosting.
- Let cool completely: Make sure you let the cake layers cool completely before frosting and decorating. If they are still warm the frosting could melt off causing a big mess before baby has even gotten to it yet!
- Use overripe bananas: Since the only sweetness in this recipe is coming from bananas you want to use overripe bananas (with brown spots on them), as they’ll be naturally sweeter.
Smash Cake FAQ’s
A smash cake is a small cake made to celebrate a baby’s first birthday. It’s called a smash cake because the cake is placed in front of the baby and they are encouraged to dive in, using their hands to enjoy the cake. The cake typically gets smashed as baby enjoys eating it. It’s meant to be messy and fun and it’s the cutest thing to watch! It makes for a great photo session.
Smash cakes are traditionally for a baby’s first birthday, but you can definitely make this cake for your kiddo (or yourself) at any age!
A 4-inch cake is the perfect size for a smash cake. I used a set of 3 (4-inch) springform pans. These pans made it super easy to pop out the layers and the small cake is perfect for baby to smash. I haven’t tried making this into a larger cake, but others have made this cake using 6-inch cake pans. You just need to double the recipe for 3 6-inch layers.
Most people choose to serve a small smash cake to baby and have another cake to serve to guests. That said, some babies don’t touch their smash cake or only eat a small part of it and the leftovers can totally be eaten by family (or guests who don’t mind eating a cake that’s been touched by the baby).
The main difference is the size! Smash cakes are usually smaller than regular cakes so babies can smash and eat them easier. And many smash cake recipes (like this one) are healthier and lower in sugar than traditional cakes. If you’re looking for more of a regular cake recipe you could try this healthy birthday cake or strawberry cake. I also have a few cupcake options on the blog: almond flour cupcakes, healthy vanilla cupcakes and healthy chocolate cupcakes.
It tastes like a lightly sweetened banana bread with a hint of warm cinnamon! The only sweetness comes from the bananas, but it still has amazing flavor that both kids and adults will love. I ate a bunch of this cake during the testing process and after Olivia’s birthday. It’s so yummy!
Several people have commented that they’ve made this recipe into cupcakes or baked it as a 9×13 sheet cake. For the 9×13 pan, double the recipe and bake for about 20 minutes. For cupcakes, double the recipe and bake a few extra minutes.
Healthy Frosting Ideas
There are so many options when it comes to frosting your baby’s cake. It really just depends if you want to keep the frosting sugar-free and if you need the frosting to be dairy-free. Typically I just use whopped cream or full fat Greek yogurt as a frosting when I make this cake, but I’ve got lots of ideas for you:
- Coconut whipped cream – You can make your own with a can of coconut cream or 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. I did this for Olivia’s cake, but it made the layers slippery so I’m not sure I would do that in the future.
- No sugar whipped cream – simply whip unsweetened heavy cream in 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. I recommend using a thick Greek yogurt as regular yogurt will likely be too thin. You You can use any flavor you like or even blend fresh berries with plain Greek yogurt if you want a colorful frosting. You can also aadd a little maple syrup and/or vanilla to sweeten it up. Just mix 1-2 cups of plain Greek yogurt with 2 Tablespoons maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. I recommending icing the cake right before serving.
- Buttercream – if you want to opt for real deal frosting, I recommend using my recipe for easy vanilla buttercream.
- Store-bought 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 will need to soften it up a bit before icing the cake. I usually pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.
- Other frosting ideas – my healthy cream cheese frosting, healthy chocolate frosting and peanut butter yogurt frosting are all great frosting options. They are all lightly sweetened.
Topping Ideas for Baby’s Cake
In the photos you see here I kept it simple with a candle and fresh berries for the toppings, which looked so cute. Here are some other fun ideas on how you could decorate this smash cake:
- Fresh berries: Most babies, including mine, tend to love fresh berries, so that’s what I topped this cake with. I did a combo of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, but feel free to use any combo of berries/fruit you like.
- Sprinkles: Add a fun and colorful touch to your smash cake by topping it with sprinkles. I love the Supernatural sprinkles as they are vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and free from artificial dyes.
- Jam swirls: Swirl some fruit jam into the frosting for a fruit twist. You can use store-bought or make this strawberry chia jam.
- Date caramel: Drizzle my date caramel sauce on top of this cake! It’s naturally sweetened with medjool dates and would look so pretty drizzled on top.
- Candle/sign: You may not want to light a candle for baby, but you can still use one to decorate. I love this gold one candle, but any candle will look great! For some of the photos I also used this first birthday cake topper and for Olivia’s birthday I got this little sign I ordered from Etsy that says “Olivia is One.”
How to Make This Cake Ahead of Time
If you’re making this for a birthday party, you’ll probably want to make it ahead of time so you’re not making a cake as guests arrive. I recommend making this smash cake one day in advance. If you do this, bake the cake and let the layers cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature. I don’t recommend storing the cake layers in the fridge as they will get too cold and dense!
If you’re using a regular frosting, you should be fine to frost the cake ahead of time too. If you’re using yogurt or a whipped topping I recommend frosting the cake right before the party/serving.
How to Store
In the fridge: Cover the entire smash cake with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and store at room temp for 1 day or in the fridge for 3-4 days.
In the freezer: You can freeze the cake layers in freezer bags for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, let the cake thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then let the cake come to room temperature, before frosting and serving.
Smash Cake Photo Session
If you’re considering a 1st birthday smash cake photoshoot, I can’t recommend it enough. I made this cake for my son’s smash cake photo session and the photos turned out to sooo cute. I want to print and hang all of them!
Photos by Lindsey Martin Photography
What Parents Are Saying
“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!” – Dayna
“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! 🙂” – Kristin
“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!” – Kyle
More Baby Recipes and Resources
- 6 Baby Food Combinations (Stage 2)
- Carrot Baby Food
- Oatmeal For Babies
- Baby Pancakes
- Baby (+ Toddler) French Toast
- Applesauce
- Peach Puree
- Poop Chocolates
- Oatmeal Fingers
- Baby Yogurt Melts
- How to Start Baby-Led Weaning + First Foods
More Kid-Friendly Recipes
- Zucchini Pizza Bites
- Homemade Samoas Cookies
- SunButter Cookies
- No Bake Energy Balls
- Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
- Protein Packed Healthy Mac and Cheese
- Greek Yogurt Popsicles
- Frozen Yogurt Bark with Berries
- Banana Blender Muffins
Be sure to check out all of the kid-friendly recipes and full collection of dessert recipes on EBF!
Healthy Smash Cake (For Baby’s First Birthday)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fine blanched almond flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill
- ½ cup ripe mashed banana, (about 1 ½ bananas)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ 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) mini springform pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add mashed banana and vanilla. Stir until combined.
- Add almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir until just combined.
- 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.
Video
Notes
- 6 inch pans: I haven’t tried this, but some others have made this cake in three 6 inch pans by doubling the recipe and cooking it for the same amount of time.
- 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.
- Greek 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 Greek yogurt if you want a colorful frosting. Regular yogurt will likely be too thin so I recommend using a thick Greek yogurt if you want to use yogurt as your frosting. You can add a little maple syrup and/or vanilla to sweeten it up. To make it, just mix 1-2 cups of plain Greek yogurt with 2 Tablespoons maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Ice the cake with the yogurt right before serving.
- Traditional frosting – This will add sugar to the cake, but it’s an easy option! I really like this easy vanilla buttercream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a fantastic, clean and easy recipe! Perfect for a busy and multitasking new mom! This recipe took all the stress away from planning my little one’s first birthday. I baked the cake the day before my baby’s first birthday party, froze it and thawed it the day of, but you could easily just refrigerate it. It stayed soft and moist, the ideal texture I was hoping for. We also substituted flax eggs in place of egg due to a dairy allergy and had no issues. I decided to use coconut cream for the frosting – I just whipped it up and topped with organic raspberries and kiwi. Thank you Eating Bird Food for another fabulous, no hassle, recipe!
Ahh, this makes me so happy to hear, Kristina!! Thank you SO much for making this recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It seriously means the world to me. <3 Happy first birthday to your babe!!
I can’t wait to try this recipe for my husband and me. I’ve missed having cake since I’ve started eating without refined sugar. I had no idea there is coconut whipped cream I’ll be picking some up today.
Let me know how it turns out for you, Mary-Lou!!
Hi, How did you make it flax eggs? Did you need to bake it longer? I felt like it didnt rise at all. First time baking with Flax seeds as my son has an egg allergy.
Hi Marianna – I haven’t tested this recipe with flax eggs, but it will most likely cause the cake to not rise as much if at all.
Where can I find the proportions of the ingredients that we need to use for this recipe? I looked up and down the page a few times but I couldn’t find it!
It is in the recipe card. At the top of the page select “Jump to recipe” or scroll down to the recipe card (just above this comment section).
The PERFECT stash cake for yummy little boy’s 1st birthday! I doubled the recipe (but substituted applesauce instead of doubling the banana because… poor planning ha!) and baked it in a 9×13 pan for 20 min at 350° – then I used a large biscuit cutter to cut out three circle layers. W used a greek yogurt frosting and the entire cake was a HUGE hit! Thank you so much for this great recipe that I was not only excited to give my little one but that he loved too!
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Shauna!! I’m so glad this cake was a hit. Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate your review! 🙂
How did it work with the apple sauce?? That’s a great idea
My little girl is 8 months old. I can’t wait to try this cake for her first birthday. Thank you for this recipe.
Btw, I absolutely love your recipes. I have tried countless recipes and have loved them all. I’ve got my whole family making your baked oatmeal!
Aww that makes me so happy to hear, Amber!! <3
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. 🙂
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.
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. 🙂
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!
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. 🙂
would baking soda work instead of powder?
I would recommend sticking to the exact recipe for best results.
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.
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?
Could this be made in just one or two layers of 4 or 6 inch round pan instead of 3 layers?
Hi Reagan – I haven’t tried making this into a single layer cake. Other have made this cake using 6-inch cake pans, but still as a 3 layer cake so they doubled the recipe and it required more bake time! So to answer your question, no, I haven’t tested either of the ways you have asked, but you might be able to do just 2 6inch cake pans for a double layer cake. Let me know if you give this a try and how it turns out for you!
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!
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. 🙂
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 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!!
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!
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!
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!!
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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’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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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!
can you use regular flour with this? just because my son has allergies and I want to make his smashcake for his birthday Sunday
Hey Amanda, I don’t recommend using regular AP flour for this recipe as the cake will likely turn out quite dense. I do have this healthy vanilla cake that you can use all-purpose flour with if you want to make that instead.
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!
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!
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.
Thank you for this great recipe! I have the same question–If I want to make it a day ahead (to ease day-of party tasks), should the layers just be left out room temp?
Hey Amy – I would probably leave them out at room temp. Storing it in the fridge will make the cake more dense. Let me know how it turns out for you!
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. 🙂
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!
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?
4 inch pans. Did 3 of them. Could an overripe or not ripe enough banana cause it?
Mmmm, that’s so strange! I used 3 four inch pans and had no issues. Did you change anything about the recipe? It sounds like you didn’t have enough batter or it didn’t rise.
Hi there! I’m SUPER excited to try this for my baby’s 1st bday. Can I use another type of flour? I was hoping for coconut… or just whole wheat?
Hey Simone – I haven’t tested this recipe with a different flour, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. The almond flour is what makes it light and fluffy versus dense. I definitely don’t recommend using coconut flour as it soaks up way more liquid than other flours. I have a feeling all-purpose flour would work, but again I haven’t tested it. Let me know what you end up trying and how it turns out!
Hi there, love the look of the recipe! One thing, almond flour isn’t too easy to find in the UK (at short notice as I want to make tonight, hehe!), it mostly just comes up with ground almonds when I look online (unless I buy from a health shop which are closed currently due to the pandemic). Are ground almonds the same thing do you know? Thank you
Ground blanched almonds are the same! If the almonds aren’t blanched, the skin is left on and it’s considered almond meal, which is more coarse. Almond meal will certainly work but the cake might not be as light and fluffy.
Made this cake for my baby girl and she absolutely loved it (mama loved it too)! Seriously love how good it tastes AND it’s healthy!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad this cake was a hit! Thanks for making it for your little one’s birthday. I so appreciate it. <3
Hi, do I need to put frosting between the layers before stacking them?
You don’t have to!
I used all purpose flour as opposed to the almond flour. The cake layers didn’t rise at all and I was left with extremely dense layers that hardly browned at all. I know all purpose flour has gluten in it, so that may have been the reason? It seems like there are other comments too where the cake turned out dense. Baby thinks it tastes good though, even if she can barely bite it!
Hey Eliza – AP flour is definitely going to result in a more dense cake. Almond flour results in a more light and fluffy cake, which is why I went with that as my flour choice. I’m glad your baby still enjoyed it!
Do you recommend serving same day as baking? If I bake it 1 day early, how do you suggest storage? Thanks!
I’d recommend serving the same day as baking, but if you want to bake it 1 day early I would wrap the layers separately with plastic wrap and store the layers and store in the fridge or at room temperature. If it’s only a day, room temp should be fine and the cake should stay fresh. Storing it in the fridge will make it more dense.
Hey! Looks great! I want to make this but I have x3 6 inch tins. Would you just double the recipe?
Thank you!
I haven’t tried it, but I would think doubling the recipe would be best! Let me know how the cake turns out for you if you try it!
Hi Brittany! I’m so excited to make this for my son’s first birthday. Thank you for creating a healthy option! My cake pans are 8 inches (8×1.3in). Do you have advice for how to adjust the recipe and cook time? I have no preference on 1 vs multiple layers given I am a VERY inexperienced baker.
Hey Elle – I would probably double the recipe for 8 or 6 inch pans otherwise your layers will be super thin. Let me know how the cake turns out for you if you try it!!
Sorry for the second question – I also have 6 inch cake pans I could use. So curious how to adjust the recipe and cooking time for 6 inch pans. Thank you!!
Aside from baking the cake in a 4″ souffle dish instead of a metal pan, I followed the recipe exactly even using the same brand of almond flour. I’m not sure if something went wrong or I just don’t care for the cake, but I wasn’t thrilled with the results. I wish the recipe had weights listed for the flour and banana to make it more exact. (I used the scoop and sweep method for the flour and an uber-ripe banana.) The cake was very dense. I frosted it with homemade whipped cream with a tiny bit of agave syrup and topped it with blueberries. The baby ate the frosting and fruit but only took one bite of the cake. I tried some but didn’t care for the taste or texture. It looked very nice but felt like a waste of pricey almond flour.
So sorry to hear that this cake wasn’t a hit, Bree. Did you put the cake in the fridge at all? That will result in the cake being more dense.
I love this recipe, I tried it the other day and it came out great tasting. It was however a bit pale, perhaps I should leave it in a bit longer or bake at higher temp?
My stepdaughter tried it and approved, so did baby who will turn 1 in 2 months.
Hey Elvira – Did the middle of the cake seem undercooked to you? It might have needed a few more minutes in the oven. Either way, I’m glad this cake was a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Followed the instructions for the batter exactly, but baked in an 8×8 pan and cut out four 4 inch circles. I love that the cake is healthy and quite tasty, but it didn’t rise so it was rather dense and not very smashable. The kiddo seemed to enjoy it with some help and made a lovely mess of the frosting anyways!
Oh no! Sorry it didn’t rise, Natalie. Did you change anything about the recipe or happen to put the cake in the fridge? So glad your kiddo enjoyed it none the less! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
My daughter loved it! I used the same 4 inch pans by Wilton. Turned out to be perfect little smash cake for her first birthday. Thanks for a healthy baby friendly recipe.
So glad this recipe was a hit, Alicia! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Amazing! Made this for my sons first birthday. His dad wanted a full sugar cake but he actually liked this one too. My son LOVED it and I felt great about giving him something delicious (and healthier). Thank you for laying out the instructions so clearly.
Yay!! I’m so glad this smash cake was a hit, Megan. Thanks for making it and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it.
For those of us who have no clue how to bake, how would I adjust the recipe if I have a 6″ pan … and how long would I bake it?
Hey Kim – I haven’t made this in a 6″ pan, but others have doubled the recipe if using 2-3 six inch pans. Let me know if you end up trying this recipe and how it turns out for you!
Perfect healthy smash cake! We made this for our son’s first birthday and it turned out great. He couldn’t get enough of it! We used 6 inch pans, doubled the recipe, and cooked for around 21 minutes and it was great. We frosted with greek yogurt and not only did our son love it but it also made for great pictures. Highly recommend. Thanks for the great recipe Brittany!
Yay!! So glad it turned out for you. Thanks for making my recipe for your son’s first birthday and for coming back to leave a comment. I so appreciate it, Elle.
Love this!! Made it this week. We used a loaf pan and decorated our own slices. So fun and I feel like I can eat the rest for breakfast since it’s so healthy!
Oh yay!! So glad you loved this recipe, Claire. Thanks for making it and for the review. I so appreciate it!
Turned out like banana bread. No way a baby could smash through it.
Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out for you, Sarah. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Excited to try this! Realized I don’t have a round baking pan, so going to do cupcakes and stack them on top of each other for a mini smash cake:)
How long would you bake cup cakes for?
Hey Stephanie – I haven’t tried making this recipe as cupcakes, so I’m not sure. You’d probably have to double the recipe if you want 12, but I’d start with 12-15 minutes and check them to see if they need more time of not. Let me know how they turn out!!
Hi Britany,
i’m looking for a recipe for my daughter’s first birthday and found yours here on ebf.
My question concerns the frosting. I want to make the frosting with greek yoghurt you’ve suggested. How can i do this? Just greek yoghurt? But is this thick enough like a frosting should be?
thanks for your response.
My question concerns the frosting. I want to make the frosting with greek yoghurt you’ve suggested. How can i do this? Just greek yoghurt? But is this thick enough like a frosting should be?
thanks for your response.
I think Greek yogurt is thick enough but I would put the yogurt on right before serving. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out.
Does anyone know if this freezes well? I plan on making this for smash cake pictures this weekend but just found out I will have to have a minor surgery also had his weekS
Hey Taylor – Sorry to hear about your surgery! I hope everything goes well. I haven’t tried freezing this cake and haven’t heard of anyone freezing it, but I would imagine it would freeze just fine. I would probably just freeze the layers separately and then once defrosted frost the cake. The cake might turn out to be more dense from freezing, but I would imagine it’ll still taste the same. Keep me posted if you end up trying it!
It served its purpose, and overall it was better than store bought, but it was quite dense. I used Greek yogurt between the layers, and once refrigerated, the yogurt soaked into the cake and made it too dense to smash. My little one did ok with it, but I’d put the cake together immediately before serving.
Sorry it didn’t turn out the best for you. The smash cake will definitely become more dense once stored in the fridge so that’s probably what happened.
I love that this recipe has only 7 easy ingredients! I was wondering though, if I don’t feel the need to have 2 tiers with frosting in the middle, could I just do the 2x version of the recipe in one 5″ wide (3″ tall) round baking pan and just frost the outside?
Hey Anne- that should work. I haven’t tried it, but I would imagine it will turn out fine. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Tried it, just needed a lot more time in the oven (I lost track, but at least double the time) and it worked out great! Thanks so much!
Interesting! Did you make a bigger cake or change anything about the recipe? Either way, I’m glad it turned out for you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Ann! Thanks for the note about the oven time.
Would you recommend making this the night before and putting it in the fridge or do you think this could be left out overnight, unrefrigerated? Trying to figure out the best option that doesn’t involve waking up at 5 am to make this haha thanks!
You can, but the cake will become more dense in the fridge overnight. You can also make it the night before and leave it out on the counter overnight. Let me know how it turns out for you!
How dense is this cake once it’s made fresh? Is it comparable to a normal cake? Or more like a banana bread?
The almond flour makes this cake less dense than cakes made with white flour.
I made the cake as a try out and it’s too dense to ‘smash’.
Sorry to hear that. Did you change anything about the recipe or did you put the cake in the fridge before serving?
Haven’t made this yet, but plan to. I just want to clarify that for the recipe that’s 1x, you only use 1 pan and not the 3, correct?
The full recipe calls for 3 4-inch springfoam pans!
I know a lot of people have commented about this so maybe there is no answer, but if you are looking to make the cake the day before is there anything you can do so it doesn’t become to dense?
I would leave it on the countertop and cover it vs the fridge and frost it right before serving!
Made this for my baby’s first birthday, turned out great. I used whipped cream instead of frosting, both between the layers and all over the outside of the cake, and then added berries instead of sprinkles. The texture is more like banana bread than cake, but my kid was happy to dig in.
So glad this smash caked was a success, Judy! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
About to buy ingredients but my store only sells ground almonds, not almond flour. Could this be used instead?
That is probably more similar to almond meal vs almond flour, so I’m not sure if that would change the consistency of this smash cake. Let me know if you try it and how the cake turns out!
Hi- wondering about making this cake for my baby’s 1st birthday but we will be outside at a park. It will be warm but shaded as I have rented a shelter (Florida in Nov). What frosting could I use that would hold up and cover the cake?
I have read all your options but nothing mentions what could hold up for a few hours outside.
Thanks
Hey Danielle – I don’t think straight up yogurt or coconut whip frosting would hold up the best in warm weather outside for long. I have a healthy chocolate, cream cheese and yogurt frosting all coming soon, but if you’re interested in any of those I’d be happy to share the recipes with you to try out. 🙂
I wish I would have read the reviews before I tried this – it’s absolutely unsmashable. I just made it today for my LO’s 1st Birthday party tomorrow and was super disappointed that it came out texturally somewhere between a bad pancake and a semi-hard biscuit texture. I’m planning to shred it up in an attempt to make a trifle dessert dish for her to “smash”. Just trying to make the best of a smash cake fail 🤷🏻♀️.
Hey Brittani – So sorry to hear this cake didn’t turn out for you. Did you change anything about the recipe? And did you chill the cake before trying to serve it or would you say the texture seemed off right out of the oven?
Made this tonight for my son’s first birthday and he gave it an enthusiastic hulk smash before eating it! Just the right texture and consistency and great flavor. Made it in a muffin pan instead of cake pan and still turned out well. Even my husband loved it and we’ll be making it for his birthday party soon!
Woo!! This makes me so happy to hear, Jaclyn! I’m so glad this smash cake was a success. Thanks so much for the review and star rating. I really appreciate it!
I just tried with Ground Almond and the taste is good and it’s soft enough for my baby. However, it didn’t bind that well as the cake broke when I removed it from the pan.
I will still give it to my son but I’ve now ordered Almond Flour to try again. No big deal.
Question: do you put butter in the pan so it’s not sticky or is that not necessary in your opinion?
Oh no! It was probably the fact that you used ground almonds vs almond flour. You didn’t change anything else about the recipe did you? I sprayed the pans with cooking spray prior to adding the batter to the pans.
Hello,
Instead of almond four. Can I substitute with potatoes flour? I wanted to be safe for my nephew allergies. Thanks
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure if it would change the texture of the recipe or not. Let me know if you decide to try it though.
I made this for my son’s first birthday and he absolutely loved it! I agree with some of the comments that this cake is dense compared to a traditional cake recipe. I used Brittany’s suggestion to leave covered on the counter vs. the fridge overnight and that proved to be a helpful tip. This was a perfect little cake for anyone who desires a no added sugar option.
So glad this cake was a hit for your son’s first bday!! Thanks for making my recipe and for the review. I so appreciate it, Amanda.
I made this for my son’s first birthday!
I feel like they didn’t rise the way they were supposed to. My bananas were not very ripe. So I added a little bit of applesauce.
Going to try it again this weekend with more ripe bananas!
Oh no! Did you add the baking powder or change anything about the recipe?
Followed this recipe to a T and the cake didn’t rise at all, tasted dry and like something was missing… Even had some left over and put in my mini waffle maker and it just stuck to the iron. Big womp. I re-did using regular flour, added overnight oats and some milk, and it was so much better.
So sorry to hear that this cake didn’t turn out for you! So you didn’t change this recipe at all? Not sure why it wouldn’t rise.
Hi There
I am keen to make the cake but i am confused about the frosting – how can i make a frosting from yogurt? That will not melt immediately as I take it out of the fridge?
Thanks
Hey Anca – If using yogurt, I would frost it right before serving.
And how do I make yogurt frosting? 🙈
The suggestion I included in the blog post is to just frost it with plain Greek yogurt!
Could I used oat flour instead of almond flour?
Thanks
Hi Nikki. I haven’t tested this recipe with oat flour, but I’m planning to soon!
Hi
Did you try this cake using oat flour?
I haven’t tested it yet, but it’s on my list to try soon. 🙂
This turned out great! My daughter stuck her whole face into the cake and kept going back for more! The adults even loved the taste. I was so happy to find a cake with minimal ingredients and super easy to make!
Yay!! So glad this smash cake was a “smash,” Isadora! Thanks for the review 🙂
Hi! Do you think pumpkin would work in place of the banana? My son’s first birthday is in October, and will be pumpkin themed. This recipe looks great!
Totally, but it won’t have the sweetness that the bananas add just as an FYI. Let me know if you end up trying it and how it turns out. 🙂
Love this recipe (we used pumpkin instead of banana due to allergy) and so does my LO! Only thing I had an issue with was that I didn’t realize I bought ground almonds instead of almond flour.. I doubled the recipe and used a 6″ cake pan. Because of the ground almonds, the cake didn’t cook all the way through in 20 mins and the bottom broke when I tried to remove the pan after cooling for like an hour lol. We tried the cooked edges and my lo kept going back for more! I’m going to get the CORRECT flour next time and try again before her 1yr photos <3
Oh no!! So sorry it didn’t turn out for you, but good to know in case anybody else asks in the future. Let me know how round two turns out!!
Hi Brittany,
Do these make muffins???
I haven’t tried these as muffins, but other people have and they were able to make 6 muffins with the full recipe.
I just made this for my daughter’s first birthday and she absolutely LOVED it! And I loved knowing it was healthy! I totally recommend this recipe.
Woo! So glad to hear, Becca! Thanks for making this smash cake and coming back to leave a review and star rating. It means so much to me!
Hi Brittany! So excited to use this recipe for my son’s first birthday! I was wondering if I need to alter the amount of baking powder and/or times & temp for living at a higher altitude? I live just over 5,000’ elevation & because of this I have yet to figure out how to properly adjust for baking. If I could pull this recipe off, it would mean so much. Thanks for any helpful tips!
Hey Britney – I’m not too sure! Here’s a good guide for high-elevation baking. Let me know if you try this recipe and how it turns out!
Can you use regular flour instead of almond flour?
I wouldn’t! I’ve tested it and it turned out quite hard. I’m thinking it’s because this is a low-sugar cake and that affects the dense-ness. I need to test a version with AP flour!
What kinds of sprinkles do you use?
The ones in the photos were just from Betty Crocker, but I typically use Supernatural spinkles.
I’m having trouble with the yogurt frosting! I just made a practice cake for my little ones upcoming birthday but I’m having trouble getting the Greek yogurt frosting to be thick enough. It’s looking a bit more like a “naked cake”. Would it make sense to do multiple layers of the yogurt sort of like doing a crumb layer? Or would going in the fridge make it too dry? I tried looking up recipes on how to make yogurt frosting but it usually seems to involve whipping it with some thing sugary. Interested in any advice 🙂
Hey Cat! I think doing layers would work! I actually recently tested a Greek yogurt frosting with cream cheese and maple syrup. Not sure if you’d be interested, but I can send you a preview of the recipe to try? Let me know!
This is a great idea – can you please share the icing recipe with the cream cheese?
Recipe coming soon to the blog, but here’s sneak peek. 🙂
8oz block of full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature (Make sure the cream cheese is at room temp, otherwise it’ll turn lumpy and not as smooth after beating it.)
¼ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer or stand mixer and beat on medium speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. You can also use a high powered blender. You’ll need to use your tamper.
2. Use frosting on desired recipe and enjoy!
Let me know if you end up trying it and how it turns out!!
I’m gonna give this icing a go for my son’s smash cake. Just wondering, can I prep the icing the day before, and then frost it the day of? Or do I need to prep the icing right when I’m ready to frost it?
I think you can prep the icing the day before!
Made the smash cake with this icing for my son’s first birthday last weekend and it turned out great! I couldn’t find 4 inch pans so I doubled the recipe and used 3 6 inch pans. The size turned out great for photos! I also doubled the cream cheese icing recipe and added a bit of blue spirulina for a natural blue tint. Thank you for the healthy & simple smash cake recipe!
Yay!! So happy to hear this smash cake was a success, Malika! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Can I use all purpose flour instead?
Unfortunately not. I’ve tested it and it doesn’t turn out with all-purpose flour since this cake doesn’t have any added sugar outside of the bananas. The version I tested turned out super hard and wasn’t edible, so wouldn’t recommend it.
Can you suggest how I might expand the recipe to feed everyone at my daughter’s birthday party?
Hey Shala – Some people have doubled the recipe to make 12 cupcakes so that could always be an option for you 🙂
Hello. Just wondering how I should adjust the recipe for 3 5x2inch pans. I see in other comments people have doubled the recipe for 6inch, but haven’t seen any comments regarding 5inch. Thoughts? 🙂
I would assume you’d still probably need to double it! Let me know how it turns out if you make it. 🙂
I ended up doing 1.5x the recipe and they are a good size. I think I could have doubled it as well for thicker layers.
Thanks for letting me know, Becky!!
I am so excited to try this for my little one’s first birthday! I was dreaming up a rainbow cake, have you ever tried any natural food color with this recipe? Like from: https://suncorefoods.com ?
I haven’t! You’ll have to let me know if you try it and how it turns out. 🙂
This cake is perfect for a baby’s first smash cake! I made no changes to the recipe and it turned out perfect. My baby actually ate this cake as opposed to the traditional cake we used for photos a few days before his birthday. My 4 year old also loved it and went back for a second piece! It isn’t crumbly like a traditional cake, which I liked. I think it’s similar to a consistency of banana bread as others have said which was perfect. I would definitely make this again as a “dessert” for my kids!
Yay!! So glad to hear this smash cake was a hit, Leah! Thanks so much for the review + star rating. It means so much to me!
Hi would coconut flour work? Wondering if this is why the batter was more like a biscuit base. Why would this be?
Hey Morgan – I wouldn’t use coconut flour for this recipe as the cake will turn out quite dense and coconut flour can’t be subbed 1:1 with other flours.
I don’t know what happened as mine went flat after taking it from the oven. it looks like a flat cookie.
I did use gluten free flour instead of almond.
What do i do to help this next bake?
Hey Vanessa – So sorry to hear that! It was likely because of the flour swap as this recipe is meant to be made with almond flour. I would try it with almond flour next time!
a bit hard and not spongy as i would like it to be
Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out for you, Luka. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Just curious – is half a cup of banana approximately one banana? Or two? Just confused how I go about measuring this. Thanks!
You’ll probably need 2 bananas to get 1/2 cup, but I would definitely measure the mashed banana to make sure you have 1/2 cup, not more or less.
Hi! Can you make and keep this cake overnight?!
Thanks!
Yes! You can totally do that. I would recommend baking the cake layers and storing them in a sealed container at room temp, then decorate the morning of. I wouldn’t store the cake in the fridge as it will get dense!
Hi! Just wondering if you could make it in a 9″ round and just cut out smaller rounds once cooked? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it, but I bet it could! Let me know if you try it and how the recipe turns out!
Can I freeze this cake and defrost it on the day of my he bday party (or stick it in the fridge night before)
I haven’t tried freezing it so I’m not 100% sure about that! But you could totally make the cake layers the night before and store them at room temp (covered) and then decorate the morning of!
This recipe is very quick and easy! My son liked it but I found it really just tasted like a banana loaf. So I made the “health birthday cake” for his actual birthday and everyone liked it!
I made this recipe exactly how you recommended and frosted with Greek yogurt between layers and on top, like a naked cake kind of. I sprinkled raspberries and blueberries on top (those are her favorite so I knew she would dig in). It was a hit! So delish! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Ah yay!! So happy to hear this smash cake was a success, Megan. Thanks for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Brilliant cake!! Such an easy cake to make!! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
So happy to hear this smash cake was a hit. Thanks for the review!
This recipe was SO easy to make up and bake! I made it ahead of my baby boy’s first birthday to test it out. Both he and his two and a half year old brother LOVED it! Delicious, simple, yet savory. The cake texture was perfect. I baked it for 18 minutes and it was moist and held up great when frosted. I will definitely be making several batches for his big day. Thanks for much for sharing this recipe!
Ah yay!! Thrilled to hear this smash cake was a hit, Reena. Thanks for the review. It means so much to me!
Didn’t work for me, my tip is slowly add flour, my mix was too dry
So sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you, Lucy. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Really the easiest cake to make, especially being the first cake I ever baked.Made this just yesterday for my son’s 18 month birthday. Doubled the quantity to feed the whole family. Turned out moist and sooo Yumm!! The family loved it and my son had me asking for more. Thanks Brittany
I’m so happy this recipe was a hit with the whole family!! Thanks so much for making it and for the review, Chez. I so appreciate it. And happy 18 months to your little guy!
Soooo good! My son loved it! I served it in addition to regular cupcakes for our guests. I subbed some of the almond flour for oat flour (simply because I ran out of almond flour!). I also added a bit of maple syrup + cream cheese to the Greek yogurt frosting.
THANK YOU! Loved this recipe!!!
Woo!! Happy to hear this smash cake was a success, Pam. Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
Can I substitute the almond flour with havermout flour?
Hi, Julieta. I am not familiar with havermout flour. We’ve tested some other flours and almond flour works the best, but if you try it, let me know how it turns out!
I don’t know what happened; I followed the recipe exactly (other than using All Purpose Flour instead), and it came out like bread dough. Very tough
Hi Katherine! I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out. Using all purpose flour was definitely the issue though. This recipe specifically calls for almond flour because I tested various versions with different flours (including all purpose) and they didn’t turn out.
Hi,
Just wondering what the temperature and baking time would be for a conventional oven (not fan forced).
Thanks!
Laura
Hi, Laura. This recipe was tested in a conventional oven so 350ºF for 20 minutes is recommended!
Didn’t have mini pans, just made a one layer in a 7ish inch baking dish, coated with plain Greek yogurt and topped with blueberries and raspberries. Wish I could upload a picture, it was quick and easy to make, looked so pretty and my baby enjoyed eating it! Wouldn’t smash it, but loved the taste lol Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad this cake was a hit with your little one, Sass! Thank you for making it and leaving a review, it means so much to me.
Can the bananas be frozen beforehand?
Hi, Naomi. I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m not sure. Frozen bananas tend to lose moisture as they defrost, so it might affect the recipe. If you try it, let me know how it turns out for you!
Tested this out before my child’s first birthday. Made half recipe using previously frozen, very ripe banana as mini muffins (12) and baked for 10 minutes. Gave to 7 month old sans “frosting” and she enjoyed them. Tasted like mild banana bread, which I love, so will make for her birthday with a yogurt, pb, date paste frosting.
Woo! Glad this was a hit for your little, Clare. I’m glad to hear using previously frozen bananas worked out for you – thank you for sharing!
this cake was wonderful! my son and DIL wanted a sugar free cake for my grandson and this fit the bill. it was so tasty and moist. other mamas asked for the recipe.
I whipped up some whipping cream with a drop of vanilla and put smashed berries in between the layers. baby boy loved it all.
as others suggested, I doubled the ingredients and made three 6″ rounds.
thanks for a great recipe!!
Yay! So glad this recipe was a hit with your grandson as well as his parents, Jodi. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, it means so much to me.
The cake was a hit with my baby! The flavor was good, not super sweet but definitely sweet enough for a baby who has never had sugar. We iced it with the cream cheese frosting which he also loved. I did think the cake was a little dense, which is why I knocked off one star. A lighter cake would have been a bit easier for baby to dig into.
Yay! I’m glad to hear your baby enjoyed the smash cake! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it.
Such a big hit for my baby boy… loved the cake with sugar free frosting! Adults lined it too… would highly recommend. Also, so easy to make.
Woo! So happy to hear this smash cake was a hit, Katie. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review and star rating, I appreciate it so much 🙂
Would it work with plain flour?
Hey Holly – I don’t recommend swapping the almond flour for all-purpose flour. I’ve tested it before and the cakes turned out quite dense. Let me know if you end up trying this recipe and what you think!
Made this for my grandson last year but have twin granddaughters turning one next month. Could I use this recipe for cupcakes? If so, how many do you think it would make and what temp for how long?
Thanks
Hi, Dale! I haven’t tried it yet but another commenter mentioned they doubled the recipe to make 12 cupcakes. I hope that helps!
How early ahead can this be made? 1-2 days? If it can be, how should it be stored?
Hi, Alicia! You can make the smash cake up to one day in advance. If you do this, bake the cake, let the layers cool completely on a wire rack, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble and frost the cake right before the party/serving. Storing the cake layers in the fridge will make them cold and dense!
Hello, just made this cake step by step and even after 20 minutes the cake seems so soft, if I take it own of the pan it looks like it’ll fall apart it’s so mushy
Hi, Alecia. It’s hard to know what could have gone wrong. Did you use almond flour?
Hi there, I had the same issue too. I am baking it right now and after 20mins, it still seems soft. Planning to leave it in for another 10mins *fingers crossed*
Hi, Jonna. Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Did the extra time help? Did you change anything about the recipe?
hi, my son loved the cake for his birthday! Curious how these made as muffins would be when frozen? In the recipe you mentioned not putting the cake in the fridge as it would make it dense. Would freezing and thawing have the same effect?
Hi, L. I don’t recommend freezing for the same reason. Here are all my muffin recipes you could try!
Can you make you freeze this cake?
Hi Renee, I wouldn’t recommend freezing this cake because it will make it dense!
Hello, I want to make this cake for my daughter. If I use the no sugar whipped cream (using heavy cream without sugar) do you know if I can frost the cake ahead of time? Or should I frost right before serving?
Hi Lina – I would recommend frosting right before serving! However, you can make the cake up to a day in advance and store in an airtight container to save some time. I hope this helps!
Hi, very interested on making this recipe for my daughter, she will be 1 in July, question though, do you think would be okay to substitute almond flower for coconut flowers?? I didn’t have much luck with baking with almond before.
Thanks
Hi Alice, I wouldn’t use coconut flour for this recipe as the cake will turn out quite dense and coconut flour can’t be subbed 1:1 with other flours.
Hey, how about regular wheat flower?
Is it okay to substitute??
Hi Alice – I have not tested this recipe with wheat flour so I’m not sure how it will turn out. I highly recommend using almond flour for the best results. If you do try it with wheat flour, please let me know how it turns out!
Not a bad recipe but not really smashable… too dense for smash cake. I would not do this for a 1st birthday but it would make tasty muffins. Minus the frosting.
Oh no! Did you change anything about the recipe?
I tried making this today for my son’s smash cake and it didn’t rise. Followed the recipe, didn’t change any ingredients or baking temp/time and the cakes stayed flat in the pan. I don’t understand what happened.
Hi Brittany! This cake actually doesn’t rise a ton, but it should have risen a bit. Do you happen to know if your baking powder is new/fresh? That’s the only thing I can think of that could affect the rise if you followed the recipe exactly.
I made this for my daughter’s first birthday this weekend and it was a huge hit! I doubled the recipe and used 6 inch pans (as suggested). We used blackberries mixed with Greek yogurt for purple icing. Baby loved it so much and a couple of family members had some as well! It didn’t upset my baby’s tummy since it’s all foods she eats regularly. She had a ball smashing it. It was also really easy to make, which was a relief as I was getting everything else for her party ready at the same time.
My only call out is to make sure and level the batter when you pour it in the pan because it bakes exactly as you pour it. I had one layer I needed to trim down to make it flat. Definitely a user error on my part!
Thanks for another great one, EBF! I’ll be making this one again for a muffin snack. Yum!
I made this for my daughter’s first birthday this weekend and it was a huge hit! I doubled the recipe and used 6 inch pans (as suggested). We used blackberries mixed with Greek yogurt for purple icing. Baby loved it so much and a couple of family members had some as well! It didn’t upset my baby’s tummy since it’s all foods she eats regularly. She had a ball smashing it. It was also really easy to make, which was a relief as I was getting everything else for her party ready at the same time.
My only call out is to make sure and level the batter when you pour it in the pan because it bakes exactly as you pour it. I had one layer I needed to trim down to make it flat. Definitely a user error on my part!
Thanks for another great one, EBF! I’ll be making this one again for a muffin snack. Yum!
Woo!! This makes me so happy to hear, Emily. I’m so glad this cake was a hit for your daughter’s first birthday. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment sharing the changes you made. I so appreciate it!
Hi! I am making this cake on Saturday for my baby girl’s bday- very excited! I am going to be using 5-inch pans and making 2 layers of cake. Should I stick to the recipe amounts and bake it for the same amount of time?
Hey Heather – I haven’t tested this with 5-inch pans, but I’d imagine that the amount of batter would be fine for 2 layers. It might need a few less minutes to bake, but I’d just keep an eye on it towards the end. Let me know how it turns out and happy early birthday to your baby girl!!
Hi, I’m going to give your cake a try this weekend.
You mentioned we have to make sure the banana is super mashed – did you use water to help? I noticed that all the ingredients you put in the blender are dry except the 2 eggs and vanilla extract (which is miniscule). I find that my blender doesn’t blend well when there isn’t much liquid in it😕
Hey Kim – Nope, so I typically just add all the ingredients to my blender, pour into my cake pans and bake! I had made a note that for people who might not have a blender or food processor you can mix the ingredients by hand, but you’ll want to make sure your banana is super mashed/pureed and well blended with the almond flour mixture. For this recipe you really want the banana incorporated throughout rather than little pockets of banana within the cake. Hopefully that makes sense! Let me know how this recipe turns out once you try it!!
I didn’t succeed 😩 I used twice the amount in recipe for 6″ pan and even cooked it a bit longer. Mixed by hands. The inside didn’t turn out as fluffy as yours, but moist😒 like a raw slice. The top was brown. I did the knife check and it showed that it was cooked.
Hey Kim – So sorry to hear that this didn’t turn out for you! So did you not use a blender to combine all the ingredients? That could have been the issue… possibly the batter didn’t get blended well enough?
I used the blender for half of the process, but like I said my blender doesn’t seem to blend well if not much liquid. So I got the batter out and mixed by hands 😩
Hello! Could you let me know the measurement amount for the coconut cream option frosting? I did buy the can version, but it was not previously frozen. It is the Nature Forest small canned brand. Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth – The exact measurement is going to vary based on how heavy or thin you want the frosting, but you’d probably need 1-2 cups of whipped coconut cream to cover the cake, so I don’t think the small can will be enough. Let me know how the cake turns out for you and what you end up trying!
How do you make the coconut whipped cream frosting? I wanted to make it myself without sugar but not sure how to do it.
Hey Jennifer – You can just take a can of coconut cream, place it in a bowl and whip it with a hand mixer! It should whip up nicely.
surprisingly easy and good cake without the sugar. I only cooked mine 18 minutes, and ended up removing a layer because it was so tall! it was hard for baby to smash but with a little help he enjoyed tearing in to it. I iced with a blend of cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. again, no sugar so it tasted a little funny to me but he loved it!
Hi Heather – I am so happy that this recipe was a hit. Thank you for your review + star rating, I so appreciate it!
Made this for my daughters smash cake for her birthday party and it was a success! (I enjoyed some as well) I doubled the recipe and used (2) 6 inch pans because that all I have. It worked well, just had to bake for a little longer. I added a tablespoon of 100% maple syrup for a little sweetness. I used whipping cream as frosting and blended in a small amount of powdered sugar since just the whipping cream tasted a little too bland. I used all natural dye sprinkles all over! It was so cute and she actually ate some of it. (I’ve baked sugarless stuff for her before and she won’t eat it, even though I throughly enjoy it.) Even though I used a little sugar, I still feel better about how little it was compared to others as well as the other healthy ingredients. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing, Stephanie and happy birthday to your daughter! I am so happy this cake was a success and that you all enjoyed it. Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I tried this for my daughters first bday and she LOVED it! Have you tried putting them in muffin tins? If so, what was the timing and temperature? I want to make muffins for some on the go treats 🙂
Hi Brittany – I am so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit! I have not personally tested this recipe as cupcakes, but another follower did and they doubled the recipe. I would recommend baking it at the same temp, but for less time (probably 12-15 min), but I would keep a close eye on them because the timing will be different for sure. If you give them a try as cupcakes, I would love to hear how they work out for you!
Hi there!
I am very excited to make this for my sons first birthday. His party is an hour away, and I will not have time to make it the morning of. So, I was going to make it the day before and then make my own coconut whipped cream frosting really quickly at the venue.
Does the coconut whipped cream frosting need to be chilled after spread on the cake? How long can I keep the cake disassembled before it goes bad? Thank you so so much 😊
Hi Tiffany – 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, but 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! I can’t wait to hear how this cake turns out for you and how everyone enjoys it!
I was super excited about this recipe for my son’s first birthday. Like the author, we feed him just about everything – except sugar.
I followed the recipe and even watched the video to compare textures, viscosity, etc.
Unfortunately, our cake did not rise and has cooled in a dense, unpleasant tasting brick. Personally, I can’t recommend this recipe
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that this cake didn’t turn out for you. Did you change anything about the recipe?
I was also super excited about this cake to make for my son’s 3rd birthday but the cakes did not rise for me either
Shoot!! I’m so sorry to hear that this cake didn’t rise for you. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Hi, can you make this batter ahead of time? How long is it good for in the fridge or the freezer? How long is the cake good once baked in the fridge or freezer?
Thank you!
Hi Carolyn – You can make the smash cake up to one day in advance. If you do this, bake the cake, let the layers cool completely on a wire rack, place in an airtight container and store at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble and frost the cake right before the party/serving. Storing the cake layers in the fridge or freezer will make them cold and dense! Hope this helps
DO NOT use whole wheat flour, I have two 1 inch thick bricks instead of a fluffy cake :/
Everything else I followed to a T.
It was so dry I had to add milk, still didn’t do anything.
Will have to try this with almond flour… but hesitate since it didn’t seem to rise for others…
Hi Lia – I am sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had hoped. I made a note in the blog post about how I do not recommend using whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour as the cake turns out more dense vs using almond flour. Let me know if you end up trying it with almond flour and what you think of it!
We love this healthy smash cake!! I made it for my daughters first birthday last year and I’m making again this year for her second! Even my step mom requested this for her birthday because she’s sugar free and she loves it so much! Used green yogurt for the topping and it was *chefs kiss* perfection.👌🏻
Ah yay! I am so honored that this recipe is so highly requested and is such a big hit, Maddie. Thank you so much for your review & star rating, I appreciate it so much!
Hi, we have wheat allergies, as well as nut allergies (almond, coconut, etc). Do you know if oat flour would work? That’s literally the only flour he can have.
Thanks!
Hi Melissa – I have not tested this recipe with oat flour and am not sure how it would work out. I highly suggest the almond flour because it has a natural sweetness and gives the cake the light and fluffy texture. If you give it a try with oat flour, I’d love to know how it works out for you.
I’m curious to know how oat flour would work as well… I’m assuming baking soda would need to be added to help fluff out as cake texture?? I make oat flour banana pancakes (1 banana, 1 egg, 1/4 cup oat flour and they seem pretty dense for cake)
Yes, adding baking soda might be necessary, but as I mentioned, I have not tested this recipe with oat flour and am afraid it could turn out dense and maybe not smashable. If you give this recipe a try with the oat flour, I’d love to know how it works out for you.
I made this smash cake for my son’s first birthday and he absolutely loved it! So easy to make and just the right size for him. Thank you for sharing!
WOO! I am incredibly excited to hear that this cake was such a hit, Charis! Happy birthday to your son! Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me.
I made this smash cake for my son’s birthday and it was perfect! Just the right size and easy to make. Thank you for sharing!
Hi There! If I wanted to make this into cupcakes (ideally 12-24), do you have a recommendation on how I would adjust the recipe? I’m thinking I could double it and could make this many cupcakes? Would so appreciate your counsel!
Hi Sam – I have not personally tested this recipe as cupcakes, but another follower did and they doubled the recipe. I would recommend baking it at the same temp, but for less time (probably 12-15 min), but I would keep a close eye on them because the timing will be different for sure. If you give them a try as cupcakes, I would love to hear how they work out for you!
This cake was really easy to make and held a good form. I used a Pyrex bowl and baked at 375° for ~25 minutes and it came out great.
Yay! So glad this cake was a hit, Hannah. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
May I know if vanilla extract is okay for 1-year-old babies as it contains alcohol?
Thank you.
Hi Carrie – Yes, vanilla extract is a safe flavoring for babies as long as you just use a small amount and the recipe involves heating or cooking in some way. Which this one does. If you are still concerned, you can ask your pediatrician. Also, I would recommend using store-bought over homemade vanilla extract, as homemade tends to have more alcohol in it. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Do you think I could substitute oat flour?
Hi Elizabeth – I would not recommend subbing for all oat flour, it will make the cake too dense and I don’t think it would smash as well. If you’re looking for a recipe with oat flour, check out my healthy birthday cake recipe.
Hi can’t wait to try this. Can i ask as I’m a bit not used to cups as a measurement how many bananas do you roughly need?
Hi Rachel – It depends the size of your banana, but 1 medium ripe banana should work for this recipe. Enjoy!
I made this cake what a mess, the mixture was so dry it crumbled out the tins into an even bigger mess. I used coconut flour instead of almond not sure if that was the issue.
Hi Jo – The reason these cakes came out dry is due to the coconut flour. I would never recommend subbing coconut flour in this recipe and especially not 1:1. It absorbs a lot more liquid which will result in needing to change the measurements of the liquid measurements. I am sorry this recipe did not turn out, but I would recommend checking the blog post for notes before making any ingredient changes, some recipes need to be made as is or they will not turn out correctly.
This cake is foolproof and amazing but only as written. You can’t give a poor rating if you drastically change the recipe. As Brittany said, coconut flour is not one that you can use in place of another flour called for in a recipe.
This came out so thick and didn’t rise in oven.. is there a secret to getting it to rise? ! I tried making twice ! It tastes good but j Pilsner use for the babies pictures.
Hi Jen – Did you change anything about the recipe or happen to put the cake in the fridge?
Incredible cake! Such an easy recipe, and my daughter loved it! She enjoyed it today for her first birthday party.
I’ve been searching everywhere for a healthy smash cake recipe that doesn’t use banana due to an allergy. Any idea what could be used to replace the banana?
Hi Abbey – I haven’t tested it, but a few followers have used applesauce as a replacement and said it worked out for them. Let me know if you give it a try and how it turns out. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe and tips!! I only have one 4″ cake pan, can i pour them all in one cake pan and bake for 20 mins? Do i have to adjust the baking time? Thank you!!
What size pan are you thinking of using? I haven’t tried baking this in just one pan because typically a smash cake is layered. You could use 6″ pans but you would need to double the recipe. Hope this helps!
Hi there,
If I want to use regular flour how would I substitute that? Is it 1:1 ?
I’m doing a trail run this week before my littles first birthday 😊
Hi Megan – As I mentioned in the notes above, I have tested this recipe with regular AP flour and the recipe did not turn out. I would recommend sticking to the recipe as is for best results. Best of luck on your run and I can’t wait to hear how this cake turns out for you!
Followed the recipe as stated, it turned out pretty flat. Definitely wouldn’t make again.
So sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out for you, Amanda. I haven’t ever had them turn out flat. Did they seem over baked? Were all of your ingredients fresh?
Super easy to make but it came out very dense, not fluffy at all like described. I followed the cake recipe as written, using a very ripe banana, fine blanched almond flour and including salt so the baking powder would have something to react with. My batter looked significantly wetter than what is shown in the blender here and did not rise much at all. I wonder if it would help to separate the egg, whip the egg whites separately, and fold them in?
I did purchase 4″ springform pans specifically for this cake and used unsweetened whipped cream with a little vanilla extract for the frosting, then topped with fresh strawberries. It did make a cute, attractive cake but we had to help my 12m old break into it because it was so dense. The sweetness was very mild, but if the cake had been fluffy it would have made a great first cake for baby.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, Kari. I am not sure why this cake turned out more dense, this has not happened to me before – I am sorry that happened for you. I’m glad it tasted great though!
This looks like a good recipe to try but Ijust had to comment on the awesome picture of your son,he is so adorable.
Aw thank you so much! ❤️
My son loved the cake (I made cupcakes) more than my caramel icing made with dates and a drop of maple syrup…and I thought the two combined was great, so did my husband, but my son loved the cupcake alone! Really amazing recipe!
Aww this is seriously the best, Nox and the caramel icing sounds AMAZING! I am so glad you all enjoyed the cupcakes and they turned out great for you! Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
I love so many of your recipes and can’t wait to try this for my son’s first birthday next week! How many days will this keep for? Should it be kept in the fridge? Can I make the cake ahead of time and freeze it (and frost the cake after thawing it)?
Sorry for the delayed response! I missed your comment. I wouldn’t store it in the fridge before serving as it’ll make this cake denser. You should be fine to make it 1-2 days in advance and store it at room temp. It can also be frozen unfrosted! Definitely come back and let me know if you ended up making this cake and what you thought of it.
I made this yesterday for my son’s 1st birthday and he loved it! made a mess and took his time to enjoy it. it was simple to make and I loved that it wasn’t loaded with sugar!
Ahh this is the best, Ashley. I am so glad you made this recipe for your sons first birthday and he loved it. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
What frosting was used in the picture of the cake?
Hey Kara, I used my vanilla buttercream frosting for the photos. Thanks!
Could you use King Arthur’s cake mix instead of almond flour?
Hi Jessica – I don’t know how that would turn out. You might just want to use the cake mix as it will already have all the necessary ingredients for the cake batter.
Hi,
Can we use all purpose flour?
Hi Amber – I do not recommend subbing the flour in this recipe.
Curious if you think 4″ non-spring form pans (like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HDTYJU2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) would work well? Hoping to make this week! Thanks!
I do think these will work okay, but to be on the safe side I think I would line the bottom with parchment paper.
Thank you! They’re delicious and so fun to make!
❤️❤️
Is there anyway to make this cake without eggs? Thank you!
I haven’t tested it but other readers have used flaxseed eggs with good results! You could also try an egg replacer.
Am I missing something? Where do I find the amount needed of each ingredient??? I really want to make this specific recipe for my son’s first birthday in a few weeks. I’ve searched and searched and I want to make THIS one. Please help. ☹️ I’m sure it’s right here but I have gone all the way through the entire webpage multiple times and I don’t see any measurements for anything, just listed ingredients.
Hi Stephanie – Scroll up to the recipe card (from here) or at the top of the page select “jump to recipe” and all of the ingredients will be there. Hope you enjoy!
This cake is delicious! I made it with the yoghurt ‘icing’ and my son loved it. I wouldn’t say it’s a very good smash cake though as it doesn’t come apart that easily. The almond flour makes it quite dense. This didn’t matter though. My son still had fun and it’s super yummy! Thanks for a great recipe.
this was sooo good I even want to make it for myself when I crave banana bread! followed the recipe for my baby’s 1st birthday today, it was enough for two 4″ circles. for frosting I whipped a chilled can of coconut cream with 2 tb maple syrup and about a cup of crushed up freeze dried raspberries to color the cream pink. my baby LOVED it, and I felt so much better making it as healthy as I could. for the future when I crave it for myself I’d definitely add chocolate chips.
WOO! This is seriously the best, Katie. This cake is perfect for anyone! I am so glad everyone is loving this recipe and it was the perfect cake for your little one. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me.
Hey, I tried a test run of this recipe, followed the recipe exact but the cakes didn’t rise… I’m not sure where I may have gone wrong. Any advice before I try a second attempt?
Thanks so much xx
Hi Jasmin – Did you change anything about the recipe? These won’t rise a ton, but they also shouldn’t be to dense. What pans are you baking them in? How was the consistency of the batter/finished cake?
I am practicing this recipe today to make this for my son’s smash cake photo shoot and also his first birthday party. It is my first time doing this recipe and I followed the directions and doubled the recipe based on the notes for the 6 inch pan because that’s what I have. I just wanted to point out that if you switch to 2X, make sure you measure your mashed banana out. When you toggle between 1X and 2X it still says 1 1/2 half banana on both although the measurements are 1/2 cup and 1 cup. I made the mistake of not measuring my banana and my first batch came out a little more dry. I’m glad I practiced 😂 once we top it with Cool Whip and eat it, I will update my review. It does smell great and it’s very easy to make!
Aw thank you so much, Rhe! I hope this works out great for you and your son loves it. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Can you use regular flour instead of almond flour?
Hi Ashlee – I don’t recommend it – I recommend sticking to the recipe for best results. So sorry!
Hi! Making this for my daughter’s 1st birthday party tomorrow. Do you refrigerate if making the night before? Thanks!!
Hi Paula – I don’t recommend putting this in the fridge, it should be fine out on the counter, in an air tight container overnight. Happy birthday to your little one! Hope it turns out great for you!
because of the amount of bananas it barely had any rise to it. it’s dense and rubbery
Hi BR- I don’t think it is the amount of bananas that caused it to be dense. I might be over baked. Did you change anything about the recipe?
I agree. I followed the recipes and it’s a tiny cake because it did not rise. Super bummed.
Hi Rebecca – So sorry to hear this. If you didn’t change anything about the recipe, were all of your ingredients fresh?
This was much nicer than I thought it was going to be, and so easy to make. I think it’ll be on rotation for mini muffins for my little one’s lunch snacks, as well as her smash cake. Mum and dad approved too. Tastes a little like a healthy banana bread.
Ah this sounds amazing, Holly. I am so glad this cake turned out great for you, Holly. Love the idea of using this recipe for mini muffins! Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I just made this for my one year old’s smash cake. I used an 8in springform and just cut three circles out for the layers which I put blueberry chia jam in between and then some fresh whipped cream with powdered freeze dried blueberries folded in around the outside. My baby demolished the cake and absolutely loved it. It really is more like banana bread (as described in the post) than cake but for having no added sugar it’s quite tasty and I had no reservations letting my baby eat as much as she wanted. I will definitely make this again and serve it to my little one!
Excellent! This makes me so happy to hear, Laura. I am so glad that is cake turned out great for you and your little one loved it. Thank you for your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
My family LOVES this recipe! We made the cake for our son’s 1st birthday and have made it many times since then. We make it for just about any occasion where we want a healthier cake to share together! Have you ever tweaked the recipe to make the cake layers chocolate (not the frosting – just the cake)? Assume would just add in cacao, but not sure if we’d need to add sweetener as well. Appreciate your thoughts!
Hi Jessica – I am SO glad you and your family are loving this cake. I haven’t tried making this chocolate, but it is definitely on my list of recipes to test. I will let you know as soon as I have a method for making this chocolate. Thanks for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Do you have a substitute suggestion for eggs? Our almost 1-year old is allergic to eggs.
Hi Sarah – I haven’t tested it, but others have used flax eggs and said the cake has turned out great for them. Let me know if you give it a try and how it turns out for you!
I made this for my son’s first birthday and it turned out great! I made 1.5x the recipe and used three 6” pans that I baked for 12-15 minutes. I baked it the night before and stored the layers at room temperature wrapped in plastic. The morning of the party, I frosted them with coconut whipped cream mixed with a bit of Greek yogurt then kept it in the fridge until about an hour before serving it to my son.
The texture was just as I’d expect from a cake made with almond flour and bananas. Measure your almond flour by spooning into the measuring cups and whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together separately before adding to the wet ingredients and don’t overmix. My son has been doing BLW since 6 months and had no issues eating this cake…he loved it! I had a few bites and the flavor was great, like banana bread. I used super ripe bananas so it had sweetness and good amount of banana flavor. So happy I was able to make him a cake without added sugars. Thank you for the recipe!
WOO! This makes me SO happy, Natalie. I am so glad this recipe turned out amazing for you. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I truly appreciate it!
I was wondering if you mash 1x is that only for 1 4inch pan OR 1 cake with 3 4inch pans
Hi Emily – I am not quite sure what you are asking here. This recipe (if you follow as written) makes 3 4in cakes what you will stack. Hope that helps.
Hi Brittany,
I want to bake this cake for my son’s 1st bday cake smash which will be at the beach. Since the beach is 1.5 hrs drive away, any suggestions on how I could store the yoghurt frosting during the travel.
Hi Bhamini – I would recommend storing it in a cooler on the way and then frosting when you arrive. Hope that helps and the cake is a hit!
This was perfect! I didn’t have pans in the right size so I made them a little bigger and cut them into smaller circles, but I love that it was healthy and not full of sugar for my one year old. I used greek yogurt as frosting and it was fine overnight.
YUM! I am happy to hear that this cake is a hit, Molly. Thank you SO much for sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!
Can I use what flour instead of almond flour?
Hi Regina – I don’t recommend swapping the flour in this recipe, for best results, I would recommend sticking to the recipe as is!
I used rice flour because almond flour is like $30 for a small bag where I live! no way I’m able to pay that.
It worked perfectly 🙂
Oh wow! That’s sooo pricey for almond flour! So glad the riced flour worked!
I love the taste! I used the recipe for my niece’s 1st birthday photoshoot. I don’t have banana so I used unsweetened applesauce and my SIL wanted it pink and since my niece loves strawberries, I added pureed fresh strawberries and some pink gel color. Turned out great! Oh btw, I used 2pcs of 6″ pans. I doubled the recipe. I wonder it didnt rise well. I dont know if applesauce and strawberry puree is the reason behind? For the doubled recipe, I baked an inch for each 6″ pans. I wanna know why… But overall, a guiltless dessert indeed for the adults.😍
Hi Rej – I am so glad this recipe turned out great and everyone loved it! This cake won’t rise a ton, but it shouldn’t have been too dense either. Thanks so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
can i use regular organic flour instead?
Hi Teddi – I don’t recommend subbing flour in this recipe. So sorry!
I followed the instructions almost two a T, only doubling it to fit my 6 inch pan, and it just tasted bland. My bananas were sweet my other ingredients fresh. I wish it was sweeter. Otherwise I like the healthy component. We did a strawberry (fresh cut up and mixed with a hand mixer) cream cheese and yogurt (only a tad) frosting. Also not so sweet but paired well with my daughter’s cake.
Thanks so much for the feedback. This cake really isn’t meant to be sweet which is why they’re no added sweetener. If you’re looking for a sweeter option I would have recommended my healthy birthday cake recipe.
Can you do cupcakes instead of a cake with this recipe?
Sure! For cupcakes, double the recipe and bake a few extra minutes. Enjoy!
Do you have to use springform pans? Why can’t you use regular cake pans?
It is easier to remove the cakes from the spring form pans, but if you would prefer regular cake pans, those should work too! Let me know how they turn out for you.
Absolutely perfect for my baby’s one year old birthday cake!
Made with peanut butter and Greek yogurt frosting… such a hit!
YUM! I am so glad you loved this cake and it turned out great for you, Brittney. Thanks so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
What if you have a Tree nut allergy and can’t use the almond flour ?
Hi Robin – It is possible to make this recipe with regular or oat flour, but please know it WILL change the texture of the cake and make it less smashable. Almond flour is the best flour I have found for this cake.
Hi. Can I skip baking soda and vanilla. if so what can I put instead of them. thank u
Hi Ree – I don’t recommend skipping either for best results.
Is it ok to use whole wheat or just regular flour? our little guy is sensitive to almonds. Thanks!
Hi Amanda – Unfortunately I have tested this cake with both regular and oat flour and the cake turns out more dense and not very smashable. So sorry.
Is there something else that could be substituted for the bananas?
Hi Chelsea – I have had followers try it with applesauce and they said it works well. Let me know if you give it a try!