I’m here to bring you one of the most requested recipes of all time. Back when Sidney turned one I made him the most 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 2 years later (you know ya girl’s been busy) and I have it for you!
This smash cake recipe is truly the best dessert for a one-year-old birthday. It comes together in one bowl and just 30 minutes 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 FAQ’s you could possibly think of, so be sure to read through the whole post before getting started! Watching your kiddo 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 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! Though 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. I love Wild Friends peanut butter, and you can use the code ‘AMBITIOUS15’ for 15% off!
- 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. Both my kiddos 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
Check out all of my baby & toddler products + gift ideas here!
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 both 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!)
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!
Baby's First Healthy Smash Cake
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 2 overripe medium bananas, mashed
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter* (only peanuts & salt as ingredients)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup packed super fine blanched almond flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- 1/4 cup oat flour (do not pack)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 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
55 comments
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.
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.
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.