Vegan Healthy Smash Cake
Healthy Smash Cake! Naturally sweetened, healthy vegan smash cake. Made with flax, bananas, applesauce, and a sugar-free coconut frosting.
How cute is this smash cake? Perfect for a first birthday party or anytime you are looking for a healthy cake without any added sugar.
I first created this cake for my son’s first birthday then again for my daughter’s. Fellow parents, I know you know how monumental this occasion feels. It’s hard to explain the mix of emotions that happen when you realize that your baby has been your baby for 365 rotations of the earth.
So, we celebrated with this healthy smash cake. Cake is absolutely needed to not only celebrate a first birthday but just as importantly, the milestone as parents. The first year is rough. Motherhood has been complicated, messy and filled with self-doubt. More importantly, though, it’s been the most joyous, peaceful and gratifying path I’ve ever walked.
All of the cliche’s are true; it really is the most incredible kind of of love. Let’s eat cake!
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We hosted a big party in celebration this weekend at a local park. Our friends and parents showed up to eat, play and watch this guy eat this smash cake.
Why make a Sugar-Free Smash Cake?
This healthy smash cake is perfect for those of you who want the experience of doing a smash cake without having one that’s loaded with sugar, butter and artificial colors. This smash cake is also free of eggs or dairy for parents who are vegan or have kids with allergies.
I went back and forth for a trying to decide if I was going to make a healthy smash cake or just a regular one and ultimately decided to do a healthy one.
Why? Well, for starters, my 1-year old doesn’t know any different. I’m sure he would have loved a ‘regular’ cake but since he’s none the wiser, I didn’t feel like I needed to introduce sugar to him here.
I’m not anti-sugar and now that my kids are older, they enjoy dessert regularly. But as a Registered Dietitian who specializes in pediatrics, I often counsel parents to delay added sugar introduction for as long as possible. Until your babe knows better, there’s no reason to introduce added desserts and sweet treats. This is harder with second kids, but if it’s your first– wait as long as you can.
Healthy Smash Cake vs Regular Smash Cake Differences
Let me preface this by saying that removing sugar from baked goods alters the texture and flavor. This vegan smash cake is great and perfect for a 1st birthday smash, but it is dense and not sweet- even with using the banana and applesauce.
If you’ve had a banana cake, it’s similar in texture. Your baby will still be able to smash and eat it, but it’s not airy cake like you’d get from a traditional cake.
So don’t expect fluffy white cake from the grocery store, because it’s not that.
Ingredients for Baby’s First Birthday Cake
For the cake:
- Dry ingredients like flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt
- Pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon with a pinch of ground ginger and nutmeg)
- 1 very ripe banana
- Unsweetened Applesauce
- Milk of choice
- Flax seed
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- Coconut cream (this works better for whipping than coconut milk)
- cream of tarter
- Unsweetened coconut, for garnish (optional)
Substitution Ideas
You can use any dairy-free milk for this, though I’m partial to oat milk as I like it in baking. I used. White whole wheat flour is my preference here for this recipe as the cake it pretty dense, 100% whole wheat would make it even denser. For a lighter cake, I recommend using an all-purpose flour.
I’d recommend using a gluten-free flour blend like a 1:1 blend for a gluten-free cake. I haven’t tried it with other gluten-free flour like oat flour or almond flour and therefore can’t guarantee success.
The ripe banana and applesauce lend are natural sweeteners without added sugar. However, if you want it a bit sweeter, then you can add in a few tablespoons of maple syrup. You can omit that if you’d like.
You can decorate this one however you’d like. I prefer to frost this with my coconut whipped cream frosting and it’s gorgeous with a pile fresh berries, especially raspberries and strawberries on top. You can add in dye-free sprinkles too if you want a more traditional cake look.
This smash cake recipe is vegan as written. Other frosting options include a cream cheese frosting, mascarpone cheese (straight from the tub) or thick greek yogurt (straight from the tub).
Healthy Smash Cake Recipe Instructions
Whisk together the dry ingredients
Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together: flour, baking soda/powder, pie spice and salt.
Puree the wet ingredients together
In a blender, puree the banana, applesauce, milk, flax seed, maple syrup and teaspoon vanilla extract. You can combine by hand, but I find that a blender makes the banana creamier and easier to mix into the cake.
Combine the wet and dry
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix the mixture.
Make the cake
Lightly spray and flour two 4-inch mini cake pans (or two 6-inch cake pans or an 8-inch cake pan, or cupcakes.) Divide batter and cook for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove and set on a cooling wire rack for 10 minutes; then remove from the pan and cool completely.
Make the frostingu003cbr/u003e
Open the can of coconut cream and spoon the hardened white cream into the base of a stand mixer or a bowl fitted with a hand mixer. Discard the water at the bottom, or use in another recipe. (Adding too much of the water will make a thinner frosting and won’t turn out the same.) Fold the cream of tarter into the bowl and beat until fluffy and able to hold stiff peaks; this may take ~8 minutes. Place in the fridge until ready to frost.
Assemble the cake u003cbr/u003e
If you want 4 cake layers, then divide the cake layers in half. Add a dollop of the frosting to the top of the cakes, spread out in an even layer, then add the other cake on top. Spread the rest of the coconut whip on top to the rest of the cake and frost. Then, gently adhere shredded coconut to the top/sides as decorations, if desired.
As you can tell by these photos, my son loved this healthy smash cake! It took him a moment to figure out that he could eat it, but then the fun began.
I hope you love this vegan cake as much as he did. Free of refined sugars and made with whole grains, perfect for your little one’s first birthday!
If you try this, make sure to come back to rate it and leave a comment. Seeing you make my recipes makes my day and your feedback helps other readers.
Vegan Healthy Smash Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup flour, I used an white whole wheat
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and pinch ground ginger/nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 very ripe banana
- 1/3 cup apple sauce, I used an unsweetened
- 1/3 cup milk, I used oat milk as I like it for baking; soy would also work great
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons water, combined until lightly gelled
- 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 1 can coconut cream, chilled
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
- shredded, unsweetened coconut, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, baking soda/powder, pie spice and salt.
- In a blender, puree together banana, applesauce, milk, combined flax + water, maple syrup and vanilla. You can combine by hand, but I find that a blender makes the banana creamier and easier to mix into the cake.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
- Lightly spray and flour two 4" cake pans. Divide batter and cook for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove and set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes; then remove from pan and cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- Do not shake the can once you remove from the fridge! Open the can of coconut cream and spoon the hardened white cream into the base of a stand mixer or a bowl fitted with a hand mixer. Discard the water at the bottom, or use in another recipe. (Adding too much of the water will make a thinner frosting and won't turn out the same.)
- Add the cream of tarter to the bowl and beat until fluffy and able to hold stiff peaks; this may take ~8 minutes. Place in the fridge until ready to frost.
Assemble the Cake
- Slice the tops off the cakes to make them flat, then sliced the cakes in half to create 4 layers. You can also just do two layers. Add a dollop of the frosting to the top of the cakes, spread out in an even layer, then add the other cake on top.
- Add the coconut whip to the rest of the cake and frost. Then, gently adhere shredded coconut to the top/sides, if desired. Eat!
Notes
- You can freeze the cake ahead of time after baking. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze, then thaw completely before frosting.
- The frosting can be made a day ahead of time, kept in the fridge.
- These are the 4 inch pans that I used.