How To Make A Smash Cake! Healthy Naked Smash Cake Recipe

How to make a smash cake for your babyโ€™s first birthday party. This super moist and easy to eat healthy naked smash cake is made with whole foods, sneaky veggies and naturally sweetened with banana!

naked smash cake on a wooden platter

I cannot believe our daughter Sage is one year old already! Iโ€™ve been absolutely loving documenting our baby food journey, but as a recipe developer there was one task I couldnโ€™t wait to try out. To create the perfect and also super healthy baby smash cake to serve to Sage at her first birthday party (I promise Iโ€™m not crying).ย 

This past year has taught me so much about motherhood, myself and life and I just canโ€™t believe she has been out of my belly and on this earth for 365 days?! I am so excited to be able to share this special day and cake with so many other parents and not so little babies (tear!) I hope this most delicious and nutritious, super-cute mini stacked smash cake will help to make your day even more special!

Why make your own smash cake?

By making your own smash cake, you know exactly what goes into it! Smash cakes that you can buy in the store tend to be loaded with excess salt, added sugars and artificial food dyes or colouring. All stuff you donโ€™t particularly want to be feeding your little one year old! Making your own DIY version means you can avoid all the nasties and fill your cake with nutritious (yet delicious) good-for-you whole foods that you can feel good about serving your little ones on their special big day!ย 

No sugar added smash cake

This recipe uses simple ingredients, and replaces processed sugar and artificial flavourings with banana and vanilla extract as natural sweeteners. Itโ€™s also loaded with sneaky veggies to make it even better for you! Theyโ€™ll get their healthy fats from the coconut oil and coconut milk, protein from the eggs and almond flour and fiber from the oat flour and carrots. Think banana bread meets carrot cake, with a whipped yogurt cream cheese frosting (also sweetened with banana!) Itโ€™s so good, the adults will want some as well!

Budget friendly

On top of the health benefits, itโ€™s also budget friendly! Smash cakes can get super pricey. Most likely half of it is going to end up on the floor.ย  Or in the dog’s mouth that’s walking by! Making your own will save your wallet.

How to make a smash cake

  • Prep ahead of time – One of the things that might turn you off making your own smash cake is the thought of baking on the day of their party, but you donโ€™t have to! One of the best bits of this recipe is you can prep the cake and the frosting in advance. That way, all you have to do the morning of the party is assemble your cake! #momwin
  • Gluten free option – You can totally make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free oat flour. This gluten free oat flour is great, but you can easily make your own oat flour by grinding up whole rolled oats in a blender or small food processor until you reach a flour consistency. Look for gluten free oats that have not been contaminated if you are looking for a gluten free recipe. If youโ€™re looking for a good almond flour too, this is the one I used.
  • Making your own strained greek yogurt for the frosting – To make strained greek yogurt, place your yogurt in a fine mesh strainer lined with a cheesecloth over a bowl so itโ€™s not touching the bottom. Cover and set in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight to allow the excess liquid to strain out. This creates a super thick cream cheese-like yogurt, perfect for frosting! I strain my yogurt so it doesnโ€™t add too much moisture. No one wants a soggy cake!
  • Fun fact – this smash cake is also dog friendly! – Who knew? As I was creating this recipe I realized how similar dog friendly baked goods are to baby ones. No salt, no sugar – perfect! Feel free to share with your furry kids and freeze for later treats. They wonโ€™t mind baby hands in the cake, Iโ€™m sure! I actually also have a full dog birthday cake recipe here.ย 

Top tips for the perfect DIY smash cake

4-inches in diameter is the perfect size for a smash cake. These are the springform mini cake pans I used, which made it easy to pop the cake out! You could definitely tweak the recipe to make a larger cake if you wanted, but donโ€™t forget your little one will be smushing their hands into it! Other items that came in handy when making this smash cake were these glass mixing bowls, and these natural food dye sprinkles.

Whatโ€™s your favourite cake recipe? Let me know in the comments below!ย 

If you make this recipe, be sure to share a photo on social media and tag me @healthnutnutrition #healthnuteats so that I can see your creations!ย 

If you love this recipe and youโ€™re looking to make other healthier versions of your favourite treats, you are going to love my DIY Healthy Twix Chocolate Bars and Snickers Shortbread Cookie Bars.

Recipe

Healthy Naked Smash Cake

This super moist and easy to eat healthy naked smash cake is made with whole foods, sneaky veggies and naturally sweetened with banana!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Wet

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 medium ripe banana
  • 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp melted coconut oil (can also use avocado oil)
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Dry

  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup grated carrot

For the banana sweetened yogurt cream cheese frosting

  • 1 cup strained plain greek yogurt
  • 1/2 ripe medium banana
  • 1/2 cup plain cream cheese

Toppings

  • Natural food dye sprinkles and/or fresh berries
naked smash cake on a wooden platter
category:
Course Dessert
serves:
Print Recipe Save Recipe Leave a review

Instructions:

To make the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly butter three 4-inch springform mini cake pans.
  • In a large bowl (or stand mixer), mash the banana and whisk in the eggs, coconut oil, coconut milk and vanilla until smooth.
  • In a separate small bowl, add in all the dry ingredients (except for the grated carrot) and stir to combine.
  • Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet a little bit at a time, just until there is no raw flour visible and stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl. Make sure not to over mix, and then fold in the grated carrot.
  • Divide the batter evenly between your prepared cake pans.
  • Transfer the filled cake pans to a large baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Transfer the baked mini cakes to a cooling rack to cool for 5 minutes, or until cool enough to touch. Remove the cake from the spring forms and place it directly on a rack to cool completely before frosting.
  • Once cooled you can add frosting as desired (see directions below). I added mine to the middle layers and on top with sprinkles for a complete naked cake look. You can cover it completely or style it as a semi-naked cake with scraped sides to expose some cake beneath the frosting.
  • The finished cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

To make the frosting

  • In a medium bowl, mash the banana and add in the strained yogurt and cream cheese.
  • Using a hand immersion blender, blend the mixture until whipped and smooth with no visible banana chunks.
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days if preparing ahead of time before baking the cake. You can frost your cake with just strained yogurt if you prefer, but the banana and cream cheese adds a more creamy and naturally sweetened desirable flavour that's not as sour.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe




    25 comments
  1. 5 stars
    I made this recipe for my daughterโ€™s 1st birthday and plan on making it again for for 2nd birthday in a couple days. This recipe is easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious. I believe it will become tradition for our family. I may add more sweetness as the girls get older. It tastes like a yummy muffin. My daughter enjoyed her smash cake very much. We got the cutest 1st year photos ever! Iโ€™ve been a YouTube subscriber for many years! I am not one to comment on social media but felt people needed to know how great this recipe is! Also, regularly make your spinach pancakes for my girls too. Shoutout to Nichole for sharing and creating this stellar recipe. Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    Hi! Iโ€™m making this recipe on Wednesday night for my daughters birthday on Thursday. The party is at 11 am. Do u recommend assembling the cake Wednesday night or Thursday morning? Thank you

  3. Can we just use all oat flour and omit the almond flour? What would be the measurments and would it bake the same time? Anything I need to adjust? Thank you!

  4. Can we use all oat flour and just omit the almond flour? If so, what would be the measurements? Thank you!

  5. Wow! Might make this for my babyโ€™s first! How long do I bake it if I use 2 x 6-inch springform pans instead?

  6. 5 stars
    I decided to give this cake a try when my baby turned one since I had most of the ingredients on hand and I’m glad I did!! My daughter really enjoyed the taste of the cake, particularly with the frosting, and I even served it for breakfast the next day! Hopefully it freezes well with the frosting since we had leftovers. I think it will make an excellent breakfast or snack in the future and I hate to waste it!

    For the strained green yogurt I just put the yogurt in a cheesecloth over a colander in the fridge overnight and it worked perfectly!

    P.S. Since my daughter loved the frosting so much I’ve been using the same 3 ingredients (but without straining the Greek yogurt) as a quick spread on pancakes, muffins, and other baked goods. Of course I always have bananas on hand! Thank you for this recipe! I love your mommy content on YouTube as well!

  7. Hey Nikole,

    I have a ten month old and I canโ€™t wait for his first birthday so I can make him a cake for the occasion. I have been looking for a recipe without added sugar and fillers so that my son can actually eat it and your cake seems absolutely perfect.

    I am a huge fan of your and I never miss a vlog (I have actually seen most of your videos more than once as I go back and replay them after a while) and I cannot believe I forgot about the one for Sageโ€™s first birthday and the cake you made for her, itโ€™s just that at the time my little one was way younger for me to think about the occasion.

    Anyway, just wanted to say Thank you for sharing this recipe and for all your uplifting and interesting content.

    Take care x

    • Hi Stepahnie did you try this with all purpose flour? Did it work? Looking to bake it this weekend for my son’s first birthday.

  8. 5 stars
    This cake was incredible! I made it for my daughter’s smash cake and it turned out
    amazing. Tasted and looked good! Also, it was super easy to make with all wholesome ingredients. Thanks so much Nikole and Healthnut team ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. This is going to be perrrfect! My little babe is turning one at the end of february and I,ll definitly try your recipe!! Thanks for sharing! Quick question; your version seems to have carrots in it…? how much should I add

  10. 5 stars
    I made a regular sugary smash cake & this healthy smash cake for 2 separate birthday events. My baby hardly touched his sugary cake, but devoured this one! I highly recommend giving this a try.

  11. Hello! This sounds incredible but our little guy cannot have eggs… do you know of an alternative we can use? Thank you so much in advance!! P.S. his 1year is on Dec 15th ๐Ÿ™‚

  12. Hi Nikole! Can I make this cake using regular flour? Wanting to make it for my daughter’s first birthday but not crazy about buying a bunch of flours I don’t already have on hand!

  13. 5 stars
    I love this and am planning on using it for my babeโ€™s first birthday! Can you use 6 inch springform cake pans instead (what I already have in hand)?

  14. First of all, thank you for being you because you are an incredibly talented and inspiring woman! Secondly, I’m literally drooling at the thought of making this recipe! Carrot cake and banana bread to two of my favourite things to bake (other than peanut cookies) so there is no doubt that these will be anything short of delicious! If I was going to make this in a larger pan, how would it effect the baking time? Such as a 8 or 9 inch pan!

    Thank you in advance ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. First of all, thank you for being you because you are an incredibly inspiring and talented woman! Secondly, Iโ€™m literally drooling at the thought of making this recipe! Carrot cake and banana bread are two of my favourite things to bake so there is no doubt that this will be anything but delicious! If I was going to make this in a larger pan would it change the baking time? I was thinking like a 9in or 8in pan!

    Thank you in advance ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. First of all, thank you for being you because you are inspiring and talented in many ways! Secondly, Iโ€™m literally drooling at the thought of making this recipe! Carrot cake and banana bread are 2 of favourite things to bake so Iโ€™m looking forward to see what they taste like combined, no doubt it will be anything short of incredible! If I were to make this in one or two larger pans would it effect the baking time?

    Thank you in advance ๐Ÿ™‚