20 Healthy Smash Cake Recipes for a First Birthday (2024)

Make your little one’s first birthday extra special with a cake to smash! Here are 20 Healthy Smash Cake Recipes made only with natural ingredients!

We’ve all seen those adorable photographs of babies eating, with their faces and hands completely smeared and messy. While that sight can give any cleanliness freak a mini heart attack, you can’t deny that it’s an adorable sight!

That cuteness is exactly the reason behind the smash cake trend. A smash cake is just a cake, baked specially for babies to smash and play with. This is a trend usually seen for first birthdays, and make for adorable birthday photos.

To keep with the purpose of smashing, smash cakes are usually soft, and use creamier ingredients like buttercream frosting. They’re also smaller than regular cakes, to minimize wastage. There is generally a larger cake or cupcakes or another dessert for guests to eat – the smash cake is for the birthday boy or girl alone!

Since smash cakes are made for the first birthday or beyond, Moms wonder if it’s okay to use sugar in it. After all, sugar is not advised for babies under one, so it should be okay after that. While that is true, it’s still better to avoid sugar as far as you can. The American Heart Association recommends no added sugars before 2 years of age. When children get used to added sugar in their food, they’re more likely to crave sweets and this can turn them away from healthier foods.

You can of course, make the cake with sugar and let your baby smash it but not eat it. However, you’ll find that most babies take a bite or more from their smash cakes! But you don’t have to go for refined sugar, when there are lots of healthy sweeteners available! Fruit is an excellent option, or you can also go for honey, dates or maple syrup. Here are some healthy smash cake recipes – most of them are made without sugar, and they taste no less sweet!

1. Banana Smash Cake

Every Mom knows that one of the best and easiest ways to sweeten something is with mashed bananas! Fit Mama Real Food takes this principle in this simple smash cake, sweetened with ripe bananas and homemade applesauce.

2. Gluten-Free Oatmeal Applesauce Cake

Oatmeal is a staple at every home with kids, whether it’s a 7 month old or a 7 year old. The Artisan Life helps you make use of your oats in this delicious smash cake that also uses flax seeds. Use organic oats for best results.

3. Strawberry Banana Smash Cake

If strawberries are in season when your little one’s birthday rolls around, then this smash cake from New Ways Nutrition is a great choice! You can freeze strawberries yourself, or blend them to a puree.

4. Dairy Free Blueberry Smash Cake

If you get your hand on some blueberries, this beautiful purple cake from Yummy Toddler Food is a must make! The cake uses oat flour and they offer special tips if you want to make this gluten-free and dairy free.

5. Coconut Raspberry Smash Cake

After strawberries and blueberries, can raspberries be far behind? Healthy Little Foodies comes up with a cake that’s completely sugar free, sweetened only with fruit. Even the jam used in the cake is homemade!

6. Banana Pineapple Smash Cake

The Baker Chick combines banana and pineapple into a delicious, crumbly cake that’s also sweetened with maple syrup. You can substitute the syrup with honey or with homemade date syrup.

7. Angel Food Smash Cake

Angel food cakes are usually very light, making them perfect to smash! Inquiring Chef has a recipe for a yummy angel food cake, that also uses sugar. If you like, you can skip the sugar- you’ll get a cake that’s soft and more like bread.

8. Wholegrain Peaches n Cream Birthday Cake

Give your little one the peaches n cream treatment with this recipe from Super Healthy Kids! This cake uses peaches, banana and vanilla for the cake, and cream frosting. You can, of course skip the frosting.

9. Sugar Free Carrot and Date Cake

Carrots and dates are always a great combination, and this recipe from Things for Boys only reinforces this thought! With coconut, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg, this is a cake that’s packed with flavor.

10. Healthy First Birthday Smash Cake

This cake from Mummy Cooks isn’t just cute, it’s also very healthy! With ripe bananas, stewed apples and lots of fruit for garnish, this is a great healthy choice for everyone!

11. Vanilla Oats Smash Cake

Vanilla is a flavor that most babies like and it also goes well with any frosting. Yummy Toddler Food creates a vanilla cake sweetened with maple syrup and covered with a homemade Greek yogurt frosting.

13. Allergy-Free Baby Smash Cake

One reason many foods are avoided for babies under one is because of the allergy risk. Bake it Paleo brings us an allergy free cake made with simple, wholesome and healthy ingredients.

14. Coconut Flour Smash Cake

You don’t have to make cakes with wheat flour – you can try other options too, like The Urban Poser who’s made a cake with coconut flour! The cake also uses coconut oil instead of butter and sweetens the cake with honey.

15. Chocolate Smash Cake with Avocado Frosting

Just like we use the natural sweetness of fruits to replace refined sugar, we can use the creaminess of avocado to replace cream in frosting. Daily Dose of Greens does this with a delicious avocado chocolate frosting on a chocolate coconut smash cake.

16. Avocado Coconut Flour Smash Cake

Avocado works well not just in frosting, but in the cake itself! Laury Raiken shows us how to use avocado, banana coconut flour and arrowroot starch for a soft and delicious smash cake!

17. Blueberry Apple Smash Cake

Baby Led Feeding gives us a cake that is filled with flavor! Nutrients and antioxidants come from apples and blueberries, while cinnamon,nutmeg and lemon pack in loads of flavor!

18. Smash Cake Cheesecake

The benefits of using a cheesecake as a smash cake are many – especially when it comes to the ease of smearing! Shaw Simple Swaps has an easy cheesecake recipe that uses cream cheese and powdered strawberries, but you can use puree as well.

19. Applesauce Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Applesauce is one of the easiest ways of sweetening any dish, especially cakes! Treats with a Twist uses applesauce along with maple syrup to sweeten this smash cake. The idea of using creamy peanut butter as cake frosting is simply genius!

20. Quick and Healthy Smash Cake

Want an easy to make smash cake recipe? Fit and Awesome has got you covered! With basic pantry ingredients, you can put together a healthy smash cake, sweetened with honey or dates powder.

Here are some tips to serve up your smash cake:

1. If possible, make the cake beforehand, and frost when it’s time to smash.
2. If you’re having a birthday theme, let the main cake be based on the theme, and let the smash cake be simpler
3. Cover the floor with a plastic tablecloth or shower curtain to catch the mess
4. Gather the guests, place the cake on the high chair tray. Place baby in the high chair only at the last minute because the cake will get smashed instantly!
5. Make sure your camera is ready with all the settings – you should be able to start clicking right away
6. Let the baby take her time to look at the cake and smash it the way she likes
7. Avoid frosting with artificial colors – they’re unhealthy and they can also stain clothes and furniture
8. Remove any decorations before offering the cake to baby