I’m here to re-share one of the most requested recipes of all time. Back when Sidney turned one I made him the perfect smash cake that was easy to make and SO fun to watch him enjoy. I shared a photo of the cake on Instagram and got tons of requests for the recipe — here we are 4 years (and 2 more kiddos) later and I thought I’d remind you all about this incredible recipe!
This smash cake recipe is truly the best dessert for a one-year-old birthday. It comes together in one bowl, takes 30 minutes to make, and uses super simple, wholesome ingredients that you can feel good about giving your kiddo. Plus, it tastes amazing and is the perfect base for adding tons of different types of frostings and decorations.
I’ve included all of the tips, tricks, and FAQs you could possibly think of, PLUS decoration & gift ideas, so be sure to read through the whole post before getting started! Watching your little one explore the smash cake and taste it for the first time is such a fun, special moment, and I hope you love it as much as they do.
What is a smash cake?
A smash cake is the perfect treat for celebrating your baby’s first birthday. It’s essentially a small cake that’s low in sugar and made with wholesome, baby-friendly ingredients that your one-year-old can enjoy by “smashing” with his or her hands (and face, of course!) Yes, it will end up everywhere, and yes, it’s the cutest thing in the entire world.
The only smash cake recipe you’ll ever need
Whether you’re celebrating your own baby turning one or are sharing a special treat with a niece, nephew or friend’s kiddo, this is truly the best smash cake you’ll ever make that’s baby and adult-approved! It just so happens to be:
- Gluten free
- Naturally sweetened with fruit (AKA this is a no sugar added recipe!)
- Dairy free
- Absolutely delicious
Everything you’ll need to make a healthy smash cake
This smash cake recipe is made with super simple ingredients, is low in sugar, and happens to be dairy free and gluten free. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Banana: this smash cake is naturally sweetened with ripe, mashed bananas! Because it’s fruit-sweetened, this smash cake is a no sugar added recipe! The ripe bananas give it the perfect flavor that your kiddo will love.
- Eggs: you’ll need two eggs in this cake to help it bake up properly. See notes on flax eggs below!
- Peanut butter: the cake gets a lovely texture and delicious flavor from natural, creamy peanut butter. You can also use almond butter, cashew butter or tahini if you prefer.
- Flours: we’re keeping this smash cake gluten free by using fine blanched almond flour and oat flour. Learn how to make your own oat flour right at home with this tutorial!
- Baking staples: you’ll also need vanilla extract (learn how to make your own here!), baking soda and cinnamon.
How to make a vegan smash cake
I think flax eggs should be okay to use in this smash cake recipe, but please note that I have not tested it to be certain. I might recommend using 2 flax eggs total. Learn how to make flax eggs with this tutorial! You’ll then want to be sure to use a dairy free frosting (ideas below!)
Recommended substitutions in this smash cake recipe
I highly recommend making the smash cake as written so that it bakes up properly but feel free to use almond butter, cashew butter, or tahini in place of the peanut butter. If you don’t have any oat flour, remember that you can learn how to make your own at home using rolled oats and this tutorial!
What does this healthy smash cake taste like?
This easy, healthy smash cake recipe tastes like a delicious banana bread cake infused with peanut butter flavor! It’s not overly sweet because it’s only sweetened with bananas, but it still has an amazing flavor that both kids and adults will enjoy — especially at a first birthday party. The frosting you choose will determine the flavor as well. All of my kids LOVED the cake!
What sized pans should I use for a smash cake?
I like to use three, 4-inch round cake pans to create the perfect mini cake that has lovely layers. The layers also give your kiddo the opportunity to really smash the cake, which he or she will love!
Of course, you can also use 6-inch round cake pans, but I find 4-inch cake pans to be the best option for this smash cake.
The best smash cake in 5 simple steps
- Prep your pans. Line your 4-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and be sure to spray the paper and sides with nonstick cooking spray. This is very important!
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk together all of your wet ingredients in a large bowl until they’re nice and smooth.
- Add the dry. In the same bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is well combined.
- Divide & bake. Divide the batter between your three cake pans and bake them up until a tester comes out clean.
- Cool & frost. Let the cakes cool completely before adding your favorite frosting and decorations. Then serve on a little cake stand and watch your kiddo enjoy!
Fun & easy frosting ideas
The options are truly endless in terms of what you can use as a frosting for a smash cake. Here are some of my fav healthy frosting options:
- Simple Mills Vanilla Frosting or Miss Jones Vanilla Frosting for organic, gluten free & vegan options. I love these because not only do they taste delicious but they are easy to buy when you are in a pinch and/or don’t feel like making your own frosting.
- Babies love yogurt, so you can easily top the layers and full cake with their favorite vanilla yogurt! I love siggis brand and both of my boys do, too.
Your kiddo likely won’t be eating much of the cake, so if you don’t mind it feel free to try a more traditional frosting or topping from these recipes. I recommend cutting the frosting recipe in half for these as you won’t need as much or want it as thick.
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting
- Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Regular or Vegan Buttercream Frosting
- 2-Ingredient Paleo Chocolate Frosting
Toppings & decoration ideas
For some fun topping ideas:
- you can do dye free sprinkles
- fresh berries on top of the cake
- a big candle
- this homemade Vegan Salted Peanut Butter Caramel takes just 5 minutes to make and is naturally sweetened with maple syrup! It’s gorgeous when drizzled on top of the frosted cake
Tips for frosting the smash cake
Make sure your cake layers are completely cooled, then I recommend doing a crumb coating so that the frosting lays nicely on the entire cake. To do so you’ll simply frost the layers as you normally would, coat the outside of the cake with a very thin layer of frosting, and then place the cake in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before you finish frosting. This is so that the crumbs stick to this layer of frosting and not your main layer.
Don’t forget the first birthday decorations
- Wooden name topper
- First birthday onesie or t-shirt
- First birthday banner or this face birthday banner is adorable
- Animal birthday decorations
One-year-old gift ideas
- Sensory name puzzle so cute! they’ll spend hours playing with this
- Mini monster truck set recently got this and it’s great for bringing in the car
- Usbourne Big Book of Colors my kiddos learned so much from this book!
- Super soft stuffed animal my kids sleep with this every night!
- Dump truck duo my boys LOVE this!
- Classic ride in Little Tikes car my boys use their car every day (they also fight over it- ha!)
Check out all of my baby & toddler products + gift ideas HERE!
How to store & freeze a smash cake
- To store: cover the whole frosted smash cake and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- To freeze: feel free to freeze this smash cake either frosted or unfrosted for up to 2 months! When you’re ready to serve it, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then let the cake come to room temperature before serving.
Make this smash cake ahead of time
Feel free to save time by baking the individual cake layers, letting them cool completely, and then placing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store the cake layers in the for up to 3-5 days until you’re ready to frost and serve the healthy smash cake.
More kid-friendly recipes to try
- Sidney’s 4-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- Homemade Crispy Baked Fish Sticks (kid & toddler-friendly!)
- Blender Banana Spinach Muffins (kid-friendly!)
- Fluffy Yogurt Pancakes (high protein, gluten free)
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups
- The Best Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets
- Zucchini Mac and Cheese
Pair this smash cake with one of my kid-friendly dinner ideas!
I hope you and your kiddo love this healthy smash cake! If you make it be sure to leave a comment to let me know how he or she liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Baby's First Healthy Smash Cake
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 2 overripe medium bananas, mashed
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup (128g) natural creamy peanut butter* (only peanuts & salt as ingredients)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup (112g) packed super fine blanched almond flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- ¼ cup (23g) oat flour (do not pack)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- For the frosting:
- See blog post for recommendations
- For topping (optional):
- Dye free sprinkles
- Fresh berries
- A big candle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of three 4-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Spray parchment paper and the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. YOU SHOULD USE PARCHMENT PAPER or the cake is likely to stick. Please do not forget!
- In a large bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, eggs, peanut butter and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients: almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and cinnamon together. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- Divide batter evenly between pans and spread out with a spatula to smooth the tops. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. If you use 6-inch pans, it will likely take closer to 20 minutes for the cakes to bake. If you use any other pans, you need to watch carefully as changing pan sizes will change the baking times.
- Allow cakes to cool completely before removing them from the pan; this is essential. Cakes can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the fridge if you’d like.
- To frost the cake: make sure your cake layers are completely cooled, then I recommend doing a crumb coating so that the frosting lays nicely on the entire cake. To do so you'll simply frost the layers as you normally would, coat the outside of the cake with a very thin layer of frosting, and then place the cake in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before you finish frosting. This is so that the crumbs stick to this layer of frosting and not your main layer.
Recipe Notes
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on July 19, 2022, and republished on May 21st, 2024.
this might be a silly? can this be made in a bunt pan.
thank you. pat
Hi! I haven’t tested that and I’m not sure if it would affect the texture of the cake. Sorry!
Haven’t made this yet, but can’t wait to! What are your thoughts on making this as cupcakes? Would it yield the same results as a cake?
Hi! I haven’t tested it as cupcakes yet so I’m not 100% sure on the pan size and baking time — let me know if you try it!
I made this smash cake for my daughter’s 1st bday today. She absolutely loved this cake. I even ate some of the crumbs and my other daughter ate it too. It’s not so sweet so it’s perfect for little ones to devour it if wanted to. I gave it a four out five stars because there is a bit of cake crumbs that come apart when icing the cake so be gentle when you’re frosting.
So glad you both loved it! And thanks for the note about the crumbs; if you’d like, you can do a “crumb coat” (a thin layer of frosting before adding all the frosting) so that the crumbs don’t get into all the frosting 🙂
Hi! Getting ready to make this. Wondering if I could use all oat flour instead of the almond flour? Thanks!
Hello! I haven’t tested that and I don’t think the texture would be the same, sorry to say.
I made this cake for my son’s first birthday yesterday and it turned out perfect! I used 6 inch pans and baked for 18 minutes and the cake was just right. I loved that it was made with nourishing ingredients and refined sugar free. I’ll be using this recipe for all of my kids first birthdays!
Nice!! SO happy you loved it. And happy birthday to him 🥳
Hello, May I know in the picture with frosting did you do? Thank you in advance!
I made this for my daughter’s first birthday and it was a hit! Even the adults thought it was delicious!
So happy you all loved it!! And happy bday to her 🥳
Hello! My babe has a bunch of allergies – one being almonds. Is there another flour (aside from wheat or coconut) that would work in place of the almond flour? Thanks!
Hi Melissa – I haven’t tested this recipe with any other flours except the almond and oat flour. I do not think that substituting the almond flour for anything else would work because the texture wouldn’t be the same, so sorry.
Melissa – did you end up making this cake with an alternative flour please? If so, which did you use please?
Many thanks for reading.
This cake was PERFECT for my sons 1st birthday! Made your cinnamon cream cheese frosting, and my son chowed down! Super soft and easy to eat! Thank you for making easy, family friendly recipes that taste AMAZING! (Chefs kiss to you Monique)
AHH this is SO great to hear, Grace! SO glad this recipe was a hit. Appreciate you being here ❤️
I made this in preparation for my son’s first birthday. I opted against using it for his birthday party because the first layer was too dense despite using 3 bananas. I added another half banana before baking the second layer and it was better. For transparency, I used a mix of whole wheat and white flour instead of almond flour so that may have impacted the consistency. If you’re using wheat flour, I’d recommend to add at least 1 more banana and maybe some apple sauce for a less dense cake.
Thank you for sharing, Sarah. I definitely think it was the flour mixture that caused it to be so dense. I really recommend using almond flour, it creates the best texture for this cake.
Could you substitute the almond and oat flour with sunflower seed flour and/of coconut flour instead please?
Msny thanks for reading x
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how the texture will turn out!
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I’m wondering if you any suggestions for substitutions for the oat flour? I’d love to make this one but we have an oat allergy. Thank you!
Hi! Can I use (1) 8 inch pan? or do I have to use (2) 6 inch pans?
You can use 6-inch round cake pans, but I find 4-inch cake pans to be the best option for this smash cake. Enjoy!
This was so easy to make and my daughter loved it! She ate it for several days after her party and I didn’t feel bad giving it to her since it didn’t have added sugar! I did whipping cream and vanilla as the frosting and it was so cute. Thank you for this recipe!
Amazing! Happy birthday to her ❤️ So glad she enjoyed this cake.
This birthday cake recipe is not only great for your baby’s 1st BD it is also great for your 53rd BD! Made this yesterday for my BD. Followed recipe as is using 2 – 8 inch pans. Topped it off with the butter cream frosting. Skipped the sprinkles. Absolutely best BD cake ever!
Aw Happy Birthday! So glad you loved this cake ❤️🙂
I have bob red mills super fine almond flour but not blanched, will this work the same for this cake? Birthday boy coming up this week!
The batter and cake may just have a slightly grittier texture due to the skins being on the almonds in the flour, but that should work just fine!
The texture is perfect and love that it’s healthy !! Feels like it needs salt or more cinnamon… mine did not have more than a bland taste. Thoughts??? Also would love to see more dessert recipes on here only using banana as sweetener. Thank you. We loved this for my daughters bday
Hi Heather – Not sure why it was a bit more on the bland side, were your bananas ripe enough? I have lots of desserts / breads / muffin recipes using banana, just search “banana” in the search bar!
Hi
Can i freeze it pls as i plan to do it a week before
I just made this cake for my baby’s first birthday and it was a hit! Dead simple to make (baking is not me forte) and everyone thought it was delicious. 10/10 recommend!
Hi, I just wanted to know if you had a suggestion for a different flour to use other than OAT? My daughter has an intolerance to oats so I need a substitution!
Hi Rahma – Unfortunately I do not think substituting the oat flour would work, I believe it would change the texture of the cake. so sorry.
Thank you for sharing the recipe really liked this.
Of course! Glad you are enjoying this recipe 🙂
Can I use 1:1 Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour instead of the two types of flour?
what does doing a crumb coating mean?
Hi! It is a very this layer of icing used to “glue” the crumbs down and seal in cakes moisture. Hope this helps!
Hello, do you think this would work with flax eggs since we have an egg allergy? I understand it might possibly be a little more dense.
Can I use 2 6inch pans instead?
Sure, but I find 4-inch cake pans to be the best option for this smash cake. Let me know how it turns out!
Cake is heavy like a bread rather than light and fluffy as the picture shows. Still healthy and tasty but disappointing texture. Followed the recipe completely. Concerned that when the baby grabs a handful they will get the entire firm layer.
Oh no – I am so sorry to hear that. Did the cake seem a bit over baked? What was the batter like prior to baking?
what is the radius of the cake pan?
I used three 4-inch round cake pans!
I’m new to baking and looking forward to try to bake this recipe for my daughter’s first birthday. But I wonder weather I can skip the peanut butter or change it to regular butter?
Hi Caroline – Is she nut free? If not, you can use cashew or almond butter instead of peanut butter. Hope this turns out great for you!
No she is not. I just don’t want a peanut cake. I’m also wondering if I can add cocoa powder in this recipe? Banana and chocolate seems more interesting than peanut. I’m also thinking of making it in 6 inch pans. Is it better to make 3 layers or 2 layers with 6 inch pans?
I would not recommend skipping the nut butter (but you can use whatever type you want). I also haven’t tried adding cocoa powder to it, but you would need to adjust the wet ingredients if you were to do this. I also highly recommend the 4in pans, but if you use the 6 in you’ll most likely only have enough batter for 2 layers.
I just made this cake for my daughter’s first birthday and was quite disappointed in how it turned out. I was excited to make as it looked beautiful and lived that it was made with clean ingredients. It came out so flat and more like banana bread than cake consistency. We’re still going to use it as her smash cake as I’m not going to make another cake at this point. Not sure what went wrong.
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you, Christine. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Can I add cocoa powder to this recipe?
Can I use silicone pans ?
Sure! I haven’t tried using silicone pans for this recipe, so I am not sure how you would need to adjust baking time. Let me know how this recipe turns out for you.
Hi, I’m planning on doing this cake for my son’s first birthday next week as it sounds great without a ton of sugar, however, how much grams is in the cup as cups can be different size 😅 Thanks!
Hi there! I am working on hopefully getting metric measurements onto my site, but in the meantime, I would recommend using an online converter for best results. Hope that helps and this cake turns out great for you!
I made this for my son’s 1st birthday and did a smashcake shoot! He loved it and got some really fun photos. I wish I could the photos here 🤣.
Thank you,
Lionel.
Aw this is seriously the best, Lionel. Glad this cake turned out great for you and your little one loved it too!
Not a great flavor with the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
Hi Melissa – The baking soda shouldn’t have changed the flavor of this cake. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Hi there! I’m excited to try this for my daughter’s first birthday. However, I’m looking for the frosting recipe and not able to locate it. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!
I give lots of options above in the blog post “fun & easy ideas for frosting”. Hope that helps!
Made this smash cake for my baby girl’s first birthday today, and it came out PERFECT. So easy, and the perfect amount of sweet. Baby girl loved it, and her 3-year-old brother, mom and dad enjoyed a slice as well! Wish I would have had this recipe for her brother! I used two 6” spring foam pans because it was all I had, but the sub worked fine for me thankfully!
Aww happy birthday to her! I’m so glad you all loved it!
What if I don’t have oat flour? Can I double the almond flour measurement?
I recommend sticking to the recipe for best results.
Not sure what happened. Tasted terrible and was gummy. Had to toss!
Oh no – so sorry to hear this. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Great! Instead of oat flour I used normal whole wheat flour. I added 3 bananas instead of 2. Also, made it in a normal cake pan and then used a biscuit cutter to cut 3 little layers. Stacked with cream cheese frosting in between and on outside!
Aww this is so great to hear! Glad this cake turned out great for you, Em!
This came out terribly. Ended up throwing it out unfortunately.
Sorry to hear that! I’d love to help troubleshoot if I can. Was it the texture? Taste? The cake is meant for babies, so it will not be sweet like a regular cake.
My baby is allergic to oats.what is a good replacement for that?
Hi! I haven’t tested this recipe with a different flour so I’m not sure how the texture will turn out when replacing the oat flour. Sorry!
Made this for my daughter’s first birthday and it turned out perfectly! Thank you :)❤️
Love that! So glad you found this one!
Didn’t rise well
Sorry to hear that! Did you follow the recipe exactly and was your baking soda fresh? Because this cake uses gluten free flour it will be a bit more dense than cakes with regular flour, but should rise well.
Just made this again for my second baby’s cake smash and it was a huge hit. My older daughter loved it just as much as my baby and the no sugar meant I didn’t feel bad that they ate most of the cake for lunch.
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
I haven’t made this yet – made a ton of your other recipes – but could I make the cake and freeze for a few days?
Yep! See the full blog post for storing and freezing instructions.
I used 2 x 8 inch pans and multiplied the recipe by 1.5, cooking time was 22 mins and it turned out perfect! For the frosting I added a bit of maple syrup and vanillla to Greek yoghurt and oiled it on thick and topped with berries. Delicious!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
I made this recipe exactly and it didn’t rise at all like the beautiful photos in this blog post. The flavor was good, though, and my baby seemed to like it.
Hi! The cake won’t rise as much as those made with non-gluten free flour, but it should still bake up properly. I would double check to make sure your baking soda is fresh!
Loved these for my daughter’s first birthday! It made 12 cupcakes, baked them for 14 minutes and they were perfect. We did half with yogurt icing and half with the peanut butter icing!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
I read through the comments and like a few other people, I had issues with the cake being a little dense. I followed the recipe exactly. My baking soda was fresh. One person seemed to suggest that adding more banana would lighten the cake. Do you think that’s true? Since the recipe calls for 2 bananas and bananas vary in size maybe more banana could lighten the cake? Or maybe using all almond flour instead of almond and oat flour? Or using more baking soda? Any other ideas?
Hi Kelly! The cake is meant to be denser than those made with all purpose flour, just due to the nature of baking with almond flour and oat flour. However, you could try using 3/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and seeing if that helps the cake rise a bit more.
I was just wondering if there’s anything else I can use that’s not peanutbutter, almond butter or anything nut related. My baby’s first birthday is coming up and I wanna make her a smash cake however I have a severe tree nut and peanut allergy and can’t even be around this stuff.
Hi! You could try sunflower seed butter.
Can i use organic pastry flour instead of almond flour? We don’t mind gluten cakes
Hi! I haven’t tested this using alternative flours so I’m not sure how the texture will turn out.
Im sure the cake is great I wouldn’t know because i basically had to guess how to do this cake. Probably the worst UX I’ve seen. Why are all the steps and ingredients at the bottom of the page?
All I had to go off at the top was “add flour until you have a balance”?????? Only to later find the ingredients and steps at the footer of the page. Hopefully desktop view is better but reading this on mobile was terrible.
Hi! The majority of food blogging sites have the recipe at the bottom, which is why we have a “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page. I hope that helps!
I made this cake for my son’s 1st birthday and it turned out perfect – he absolutely LOVED it!!! It was super easy, and quick, to make! I highly recommend! thank you!!
Hi
I want to use this recipie but not sure on quantity to make in grams? Could you possibly share measurements? This cake looks lovely!
Hi! We’re slowly working on adding metric measurements to our baking recipes, but are doing this manually. Thanks for your patience as we work through each recipe!
I am so excited to make this cake for my baby’s first birthday! I was just wondering, do you know how many grams 2 medium sized bananas works out to be? I just want to make sure I use the right amount- I’m not sure if my bananas are considered ‘medium sized’ or if they’re on the small side.
Hi! It should be about 1 cup mashed banana, and I believe that’s around 225g.
Can I make this cake ahead of time and freeze it?
Yep! See the full post for freezing instructions.
Where can I find the frosting? Please send/ post the link to it
Thank you
Hi! I’ve linked a bunch of different frostings within the blog post 🙂
I replaced the oat flour with additional almond flour,. It took about 40 minutes in my oven to fully cook. It turned out pretty good and still moist. Overall I am happy with it. Glad I did a trial run to know what to expect! Will use the cinnamon cream cheese frosting I think.
I’m glad it still turned out! Love that cinnamon cream cheese frosting 🙂
Would this recipe work as cupcakes as well?!
I think so! You likely won’t fill out a whole cupcake/muffin tin and I would recommend checking them around 10-12 minutes or so.
Thank you! I’ll be trying it this week so I’ll try and remember to let you know how they turn out! Thank you for the great recipe to begin with!
I am so excited to use this recipe for my daughters first birthday! Do you think I could use ramekins to bake the layers? Thank you!
I haven’t tried baking the batter in ramekins so I’m not 100% sure on sizing – let me know if you give it a try!
This came out great for my son’s first birthday. I subbed the oat flour with all purpose, upped the baking soda to 1 tsp and added 1/4 tsp of baking powder. It ended up making 2 layers in 4 inch pans and 2 muffins. We did a simple cream cheese frosting using cream cheese, powdered freeze dried blueberries, cinnamon, soy milk and a little maple syrup.
I did end up using 3 bananas because mine were on the smaller side. I just used a scale to make sure I had around 200g preferably just over.
I will likely make again as muffins just to enjoy.
Perfect! So glad it was a hit!
Can you just use all almond flour?
It will likely be too dense with just almond flour!
I love that!!! About to do one for my little one.
Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda?
I wouldn’t recommend it as the texture will change!
I made this cake as written for my daughter’s first birthday and it was a hit. She ate it for several days after too. I made three layers but only planned to use two to allow myself a margin for error and it worked perfectly. I froze the third round for later. It a a more dense cake (think somewhere between regular cake and a dense banana bread with a solid peanut butter flavor), but baked up beautifully and was easy to handle. We frosted with vanilla coconut yogurt and added some sprinkles. Perfection! It was such a win to find a good no sugar or salt added recipe. I would honestly consider using this as a breakfast bread recipe too.
Amazing! So glad you found this one!
Hi I made this and it was so flat. I used 6 inch pans. What could I have done wrong? Can you make this with plain flour also?
So strange! Did you follow the recipe exactly? And was your baking soda fresh? I can’t recommend a substitute for the flours in this recipe.
I’ve made this twice now and although it tastes great
Good recipe but I followed it to the T and the banana cakes take a really long time to bake. Mine got some reason dropped in the middle. Usually it’s when you put too much baking powder. Which I did not.
Cakes made with gluten-free flours like this one do tend to take a bit longer to bake! I’d recommend double checking your oven temp as well.
I absolutely loved this recipe, Super easy to make and it does taste a lot like a moist banana cake. I followed the instructions for the cake to a T and I had an amazing birthday cake for my baby’s 1st birthday celebration. She loved it and I did too. It does not need any sugar, I was surprised how delicious it ended up with the right amount of sweetness for a baby and an adult. However, I couldn’t find the icing option she suggested here in Canada so I just blended heavy wiping cream until I got a wiped cream consistency and sweetened it with maple syrup and Vanilla extract ( 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 tbs of maple syrup and 1/2 tsp of vanilla). Thanks for this amazing healthy alternative!
Amazing! So glad you found this one and that your baby loved it!
Do you soften the peanut butter at all? Our natural one must be kept in the fridge. Should I let it get to room temp?
I would let it come to room temp! My natural peanut butter gets stored at room temp 🙂
what can I use instead of Peanut butter? I don’t know if my baby is allergic to peanuts or not and I don’t want to find out at her party!
Hmm you could try sunflower seed butter!
Hello! Could I make a 3 layer cake using 6 inch pans?
How would the ratios differ? I’m planning this for my daughter’s 1st. I’m SO EXCITED
Thanks
Megan
Hi! I’m afraid there won’t be enough batter to fill 3 6-inch cake pans, so I’d recommend getting 4-inch pans!
Haven’t tried the cake yet, but just took it out of the oven and it smell amazing! I actually misread the recipe and used baking powder instead of baking soda. Have you made the recipe with baking powder? Does that make a huge difference?
How did it turn out? I’ve only made the recipe as is so I’m not sure how different the texture will be!
Can’t thank you enough for this recipe. I went for half the ingredients as I wanted a smaller cake and the texture still turned out perfectly moist. We didn’t give the cake a taste as it was smashed before anyone could get their hands on it.
Thankyou for having the measurements in ‘g’ – it was so useful.
I made the frosting with your coconut cream recipe but I had a back up recipe that I read on another blog incase the coconut cream didn’t play game. For anyone that is interested, the other recipe was blending avocado and organic cocoa – and it was the perfect frosting texture! Hope this helps a Mama out there x
Perfect!! So glad it was a hit!
Amazing per usual! Made this and did a full-fat greek yogurt frosting and it was a hit! (I also tasted it and concur it is delicious!)
So happy to hear that!
Hi! This cake looks so good. I’m planning to bake one for my baby’s birthday. How many cake can you get if using 6 inch pan? Thank you!
Hi! You should still get 3, they’ll just be a bit thinner!
This is not an easy cake to make!! So beware. Mine was a sod. I am not a good baker but gosh even I have never failed at making a cake so badly. Can’t comment on taste, so 3/5
So sorry to hear that! Can you let me know what went wrong?
Wonderful recipe! I made this in a 7”x5.5” pan to test it for my baby’s first birthday. It had a delightful crumb, much like a wheat flour cake! At worst, it was slightly bland. I’m going to make this again soon with a little salt and possibly a touch of maple syrup! But this recipe is solid as-is. Thank you so much!
Perfect! Yes, feel free to add some flavor boosters if you’d like – I kept mine more “plain” for my kiddos when they were 1.
The cake just wasn’t good. No one in my house wanted to eat it. Won’t stop me from making any of your other recipes though!
Sorry to hear that! This one is really meant for baby to smash and taste, etc. as it’s not as sweet as a traditional dessert others might enjoy.
My daughter has a tree nut allergy. If I’m using regular wheat (or whole wheat) flour instead of almond flour, do you think the recipe will still turn out? Would you suggest the same amount of flour vs almond flour for the recipe? Thanks!
Hi! Unfortunately, I can’t recommend swapping the flours here because the texture will be much different (almond flour is a lot more absorbent than regular wheat flour).
We baked this several times, it works great with tahini too instead of peanut butter. Mixed in some dates and sometimes added pure cocoa powder or grind lemon/orange…
Not only for babies, everyone loves it.
Thank you for the recipe! ❤️
Perfect!!
super bummed I waited till the night before my sons 1st birthday to try this. I followed the recipe exact, other than using a 6 inch pan and cooked for 20 minutes. it came out so dry, im scared it’s going to be a choking hazard. the flavor is fun and as an adult its a fun snack, but I think im going to whip up my orange olive oil cake right now then just give him a slice. thanks anyways
Sorry to hear that this turned out dry! Did the batter seem overly thick or dry before baking?
This recipe is great! I made a double batch with 6 small bananas, and it made two 4″ layers in glass pyrex and 12 cupcakes. Our son absolutely loved it. The texture was soft and it was delicious. A recipe we’ll turn to again and again!
Perfect! So glad it was a hit 🙂
Warning! If you make this with sun butter it will come out green! Still tastes great though and easy to make 🙂
This is true! Such an odd chemical reaction haha. Glad it still tasted great!
My baby has an oat sensitivity- is there a good substitute for the oat flour?
Hi! I haven’t tested a substitute, so I can’t recommend a good swap for it. Sorry!
If I use stainless steel pans do I need to bake it longer?
It should be the same baking time!
Easy, quick and quite nice. My 1yr old son literally loved smashing into it and eating it. I iced it with a Greek yoghurt flavoured with strawberry coulis and lots of berries
So happy to hear that!
I haven’t make this cake yet, but I’m excited to for my son’s first birthday. I do have the ambitious kitchen, but I can’t find the recipe in the book.
I hope you love it! This one is not in my cookbook, it’s just on this site 🙂
I always love all your recipes!! Your healthy chocolate chip banana bread is my family’s favorite!! Excited to make this one for my baby’s 1st bday coming up. Can I use regular pure vanilla extract or need to find alcohol free? I wasn’t sure since it will be baked and the alcohol free ones are quite pricey or imitations. Her bday is October 7th so hoping to make it October 6th!
So happy to hear that! I always use regular vanilla extract, but feel free to consult with your pediatrician if you have any concerns!
Have you ever added pumpkin to this recipe? My LO’s bday is in October, so I’m trying to think of how to add a pumpkin flavor without throwing off the recipe (I know pumpkin is a very wet ingredient). Any suggestions would be so appreciated! PS. Love all your recipes! My baby has a dairy allergy, so you’ve been such a great resource! Xx
I haven’t tested it so I can’t be sure about all of the other ingredient measurements I would change! You could try swapping it in for some of the banana, but it won’t be as sweet. I’m glad you’re loving the recipes here!
Made this for my daughter’s smash cake photos. It turned out amazing! The texture is like a lighter banana bread, and the flavor is a light peanut butter banana! Truly amazing 👏🏻
So happy to hear that! Happy birthday to her!
What would be the conversion if you just used regular flour in the recipe?
I haven’t tested this recipe with regular flour so I can’t recommend a conversion – sorry!
Do you have a modification for regular cake size pans? I don’t want to buy smaller ones. Thank you!
Hi! You can use 2 8-inch cake pans as well.
Can you use AP flour if you are not trying to make the cake GF?
I wouldn’t recommend it as the texture will come out much differently!
Can we use all oat flour?
I’ve only tested this recipe as written so I’m not sure how the texture and flavor will change!
Loved this, came together easy enough and baby loved it. I’ve used it on 2 first birthdays and plan to use it on my last baby’s first as well 🙂
So happy to hear that!
I love this cake and more importantly, the babies do! I have made this for bdays 1-3 for my toddler and it has been a hit every time. For the 1st bday, I have done a plain yogurt frosting that works great. So easy and feels special to make their cake from scratch!!
Amazing! I’m so glad!
This cake is disgusting. Thank you for wasting my time
Sorry to hear that! It is for babies, so it’s not meant to be very sweet like a regular cake. Were your bananas SUPER ripe? That’s what will give the cake its natural sweetness.
I made this cake 2 years ago for my daughter’s first birthday and it was easy and delicious. We got great photos. I’m about to make it again for my son’s first birthday. Love the wholesome ingredients.
So happy to hear that!