Baby’s 1st Smash Cake

How to make a smash cake for your baby’s first birthday party. This cake is super moist, easy to make, and will definitely ‘smash’ easily! Made with almond flour and naturally sweetened with mashed banana. This smash cake is perfect for your baby’s first birthday celebration!

Earlier this year a friend’s baby turned one. Tasked with what to give as a gift, I thought what better to give than a baked good from myself. As a first-time mom she’s waiting to introduce added sugar and wanted a smash cake for his birthday that he could literally smash. So off I went to experiment with smashed bananas and almond flour to make Lolo’s perfect smash cake.

First 1,000 days

The most recent dietary guidelines for the first time addressed infants. From birth until two years of age the motto is that ‘every bite counts’. Yes, this smash cake was made for a celebration, however, it’s interesting as adults how we impose our food preferences on babies when really, they don’t know what they don’t know. Meaning, we can love sweets and desserts, however, they’ve not yet tasted certain foods further showing the importance of the baby’s first 1,000 days.

The first 1,000 days of life not only contributes to long-term health but is also shown to influence taste preferences and food choices. Recommendations from birth to two years of life are to avoid foods and beverages with added sugar. The energy from these foods could displace energy from nutrient-dense foods increasing the risk for nutrient deficiencies. Here’s the thing, parents are doing their best and don’t need any added stress. However, with the food options available for infants it is hard to find products without added sugar. My advice, use as little added sugar when and where you can.

Back to the celebration of your baby’s first birthday because that’s a lot to celebrate!! This smash cake is banana bread your baby can ‘smash’ into so that you can take pictures and have memories that’ll last a lifetime! Enjoy!

Ingredients: Smash Cake

• Almond Flour – This is a cake your baby can smash. Almond flour is used as it’ll crumble easily. With other baked goods almond flour is not a 1:1 switch. However, we want the cake to crumble easily, so almond flour works well here. Oat flour could work possibly too.
• Banana – naturally sweetens the cake. The longer the banana ripens the sweeter it tastes. No green bananas for this recipe or just a yellow banana. The riper the bananas the better! (see pictures below).
• Eggs – are used in this recipe to help the cake rise and provide airiness to the cake. A vegan option with a flaxseed ‘egg’ will not work.
• Baking Powder – helps the case rise. To ensure the baking powder is fresh, add a spoonful into a bowl. Next add a few drops of either lemon juice or vinegar. If the baking powder starts to fizz immediately, the baking soda is fresh. However, if it doesn’t fizz, it has lost its leavening powers and needs to be replaced.
• Vanilla and Cinnamon – go hand and hand with the banana flavor. Remember this is banana bread in a cake form.
• Salt – just a smidge here, however, if you’re watching sodium or concerned for this also for your baby, leave it out.
• Icing – In the pictures I used a Cream Cheese Frosting. For my friend’s baby I used Plain Full-Fat Greek Yogurt. However, if you’re using Greek yogurt, ‘frost’ the cake right before smashing as it doesn’t hold its shape well (in this Miami heat it was messy). Another option is whipped cream, simply omit any added sugar.

How To Make a Smash Cake

1. Preheat: The oven to 350°F and spray three 4-inch springform pans with cooking spray. Alternatively you could line the pans with parchment paper. Set aside for later.
2. Mix wet ingredients. First, mash your bananas. Next whisk your eggs. Then add the mashed bananas and vanilla to the bowl of whisked eggs. Stir until combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Add the almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt (if using) to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
4. Bake: divide the cake batter evenly between the pans and bake for 20 minutes or just until the tops of the cakes start to brown and/or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. Cool: remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 10-20 minutes in the pans before carefully removing them from the pans to cool completely on a wire rack. Remember, they can easily crumble/smash, so be careful!
6. Decorate: after the cake has cooled completely, adding your favorite frosting and decorations. Serve on a cake stand and watch your little one ENJOY!

No-Added Sugar Snacks

• Date Caramel
• Almond Butter Energy Bites
• Instant Pot Applesauce
• Cinnamon Skillet Apples

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