Healthy First Birthday Smash Cake- Dairy Free/Sugar Free

When it comes to your babes first birthday most people are looking at the smash cake.. or pictures of it! And yet, no one is looking at the ingredients. It's no secret that I'm pretty particular about my kids diets (here's three foods I think almost all babes should have!), so it should come as no surprise that I opted out of giving both my babes a cake loaded with sugar on their first birthday.

I'm not sure who invented the smash cake idea for a baby's first birthday-  both love and hate it. I love the pictures, the fun mess and the celebration.

However, it seems that sugar is a right of passage for turning one and it truly makes my eye twitch a bit.

When it came to my first baby, everyone simple assumed that i would be doing a smash cake. And I definitely wanted to go that route! But the more I thought about it, the more the sugar filled cupcake as not for me as a mom.

For the past twelve months I had been pretty particular (alright, downright adamant) about what foods my daughter ate (here's an idea of what she used to eat in a day!). After all the reading and research I’ve done, I wanted to give her the best possible start in life. And for me, that meant no sugar.

Now side note time: I am not against anyone who decides to give their babes sugar before or during their first birthday. Food is as much a personal decision as any! .

If you read this blog you know that I am a bit crazy about food. I believe in quality food, choosing real food over all the processed options out there. This means Baby bear doesn’t really get processed food (no cereals or canned baby food), no made up foods (Mams confuse the hell out of me) and no sugar (ie: frosting, cake, donuts).

So the more I thought about it, the more I questioned just why I needed to introduce this substance for her birthday? And after asking all my relatives I was given pretty much the same answer:

“Oh, you’re depriving her”

“One cupcake won’t hurt her, she can have a treat”

“It’s her birthday!”

“Just a little bit”

Huh. So while I mulled over those clearly compelling arguments (yes sarcastic voice!), I was still uneasy about it. However, to not give her cake on her first birthday pretty much made her a social outcast.. at the age of one.

So I came to a compromise about the smash cake.

My daughter did indeed have a cupcake for her birthday. A chocolate one in fact. But plain old white sugar was not an ingredient! Instead,I essentially made her an almond pancake, added  some cacao powder (because the health benefits or real chocolate are epic!) and topped with avocado frosting.

Ingredients In Baby Bear’s Chocolate “Cupcake”

• 2/3 cup Almond meal
• 1/4 cup Oat flour
• 2tbs Unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tbs Raw cocoa
• 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 egg

Healthy Chocolate Frosting

• 1 ripe avocado
• 3 tbs Raw cocoa
• 4 tbs Pure Maple Syrup

This cupcake was definitely a hit with baby bear. She got all of the perks of a cake and I felt great knowing she was eating healthy ingredients.

Buuuutttt I felt that the smash cake could have looked a bit nicer. And so, each year, my quest continues for a healthy first birthday!

Now, with my second babe coming up on one year old I've finally found a recipe I really love.

I first made this healthy cake recipe for my daughters third birthday. It's a banana cake, not overly sweet and I went with a dairy free, cream cheese frosting. To color the frosting I used beet crystals (for the pink) and chlorella powder (for the green). I was pretty proud of myself to tell you the truth!

Note: both of the above ingredients can be purchased at my favorite store well.ca

The perk about the banana cake was that everyone else at the party enjoyed it also!

And now, we're here at a little cubs first birthday and I thought I'd make the banana cake into cupcakes with a bit more of a decadent frosting.

These cupcakes are simple, they taste good and of course my daughter(s) both loved them!

Ingredients In The Baby's First Birthday Smash Cake

• 3 large bananas
• 1/4 cup coconut yogurt
• 1/2 cup coconut water
• 2 eggs
• ¼ egg whites
• 1.5 cups spelt flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 tbs coconut flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbs maple flakes (optional)

Frosting Options

Coconut Whip Frosting (makes a purple color)

• ​​​​​​​Full Fat Coconut Milk, chilled in the fridge overnight
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• ​​​​​​​1 teaspoon beet crystals

Scoop only the hardened coconut cream from the can and drain the water. Place in a high powered blender. Add in the blueberries and beet crystals. Blend until smooth. Pour into a container and place into the freezer for a couple of hours until mostly hard. Remove from freezer and let thaw ten minutes.

Remove from the container and whip with a handheld mixer. Pipe onto the cupcakes

Note: coconut whip melts if left out of the fridge/freezer for too long. It must stay chilled to retain it's shape. Thus, it's normally better if it's made just before you're serving

Cream Cheese Frosting (pink)

• 2/3 cup Lactose free cream cheese (if needed)
• 1 teaspoon Beet crystals or chlorella (amount based on color)
• 2 tablespoons Maple flakes (amount based on sweetness preference)

Use a handheld mixer to whip all ingredients until smooth. Pipe onto the cupcakes.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Handheld Mixer
• Blender
• Muffin Tin

How To Make The Cupcakes

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a powerful blender, combine the first five ingredients. Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients minus the maple flakes.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix until no clumps remain.

Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cups and portion out the batter.
Use a silicone spatula to smooth down the tops.

Sprinkle the top with maple flakes if using.
Bake for twelve minutes, turn the pan and bake for another eight minutes.
Immediately remove the muffins from the tin to cool.

Once full cooled, top with frosting of choice and enjoy!

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Note: I've also made this into a cake but cooking times were longer so keep an eye on it.

Don't forget to pin these healthy first birthday smash cupcakes!

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The focus of a babes first birthday shouldn't be the sugar content or even the smash cake at all. It should be about the celebration, the next step, the letting go (for the mama!) and the enjoyment in all that's to come. Make your baby's first birthday a healthier one and opt for a sugar free smash cake- you'll both me happy!