Celebrate your baby’s first birthday with this easy, healthy, and naturally sweet sugar-free smash cake — made with simple ingredients.
There’s something magical about your baby’s first birthday — and if you’re anything like me, you want to make it sweet, but still wholesome. When planning Callie’s first birthday, I was on a mission to create a cake she could dive into with joy — without introducing refined sugar just yet.
This naturally sweet smash cake is soft, simple, and made with just a few pantry staples. It’s sweetened entirely with ripe bananas.
You will love Healthy Baby Smash Cake because:
- Made with no added sugar, sweetened naturally with bananas
- A soft and fluffy cake that is perfect for tiny hands to smash and explore
- Made with simple wholesome ingredients you can feel good about
- Easy to make in just one bowl
Healthy Baby Smash Cake is made with:
- Almond Flour
- Bananas
- Eggs
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Baking Soda
How to make a Healthy Baby Smash Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Lightly grease or line three 5-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Mash bananas in a large bowl until smooth.
- Add eggs, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
- Mix in almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir just until smooth — don’t overmix!
- Divide the batter evenly between three 5-inch pans.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before stacking or frosting.
Frosting Ideas for Smash Cake:
For a soft, baby-friendly “frosting,” I love using:
- Whipped heavy cream
- Whipped cream cheese or Greek yogurt
- Coconut cream (chilled + whipped)
- You can even tint the frosting naturally using pureed fruit like strawberries or blueberries
- You can also top cake with fresh berries for decoration
Recipe Tips:
- Make sure to use overripe bananas. The super spotty, brown ones are best because they’re naturally sweeter and make all the difference in this no-added-sugar recipe. The riper, the better!
- A quick tip I swear by: line the bottom of your cake pans with parchment paper as well as greasing the pans. It makes removing the cakes so much easier.
- For Callie’s smash cake, we kept it simple and sweet by whipping up some 35% heavy cream with an electric mixer — no sugar added — and used that as the frosting. We layered it between the cakes and spread it on the top and sides.
- You can just frost the top if you prefer or add fruit on top of the frosting. Want to switch it up? You could add a touch of icing sugar to the cream, use whipped coconut cream, or even go for a Greek yogurt or cream cheese option. All baby-friendly and delicious.
Taste and Texture:
This cake is fluffy with a banana bread taste.
Smash Cake Moment:
Set up a cute little smash station with a drop cloth, bring out the camera, and let the baby-led mess begin. This cake is soft and easy to grab, making it perfect for curious little hands (and adorable cake-face photos).
Serve and Store:
Store smash cake covered in the fridge for up to three days. This cake can also be frozen.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
Healthy Baby Smash Cake (No Added Sugar)
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3 overripe bananas
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Mash bananas in a large bowl until smooth
- Add eggs and vanilla extract, whisking until well combined
- Stir in flour, cinnamon, and baking soda
- Mix until just smooth
- Divde the batter evenly into three pans
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
- Let cool before frosting
