Made with fresh blueberries, this 1st Birthday Smash Cake recipe is easy, allergy-friendly, and made without added sugar. It has the most delish Blueberry Frosting, and you can bake the cakes a day ahead if needed. So yummy!
Smash Cake Recipe
When my kids were turning 1, I always wanted a cake that was filled with natural sweetness from fruits (or veggies), and that would work as a Smash Cake—or a cake we could slice and share. This blueberry cake, which is just perfect for a first birthday, has so much flavor from bananas and berries that you don’t need any other sweetener.
And the frosting is such a fun bright blue color from freeze-dried berries.
This egg-free birthday cake is a great option for kids with some allergies and it’s also just an easy smash cake to make if you have a kiddo who loves blueberries.
Ingredients You Need
This 1st birthday cake includes whole grain flours, bananas, blueberries, and cinnamon for a flavorful, yet really simple cake. Here’s a look at what you’ll need for the recipe.
- Bananas: You’ll want them to be very ripe with lots of brown spots, which indicate sweetness.
- Whole wheat flour: This flour has nutrition and fiber but also absorbs moisture well so it helps the cake bake through well.
- Oat flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Butter: I prefer to bake with unsalted butter so I can control the level of salt in the cake.
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries are stirred into the batter so they’re evenly distributed throughout the cake.
TIP: This cake is a no-added-sugar so the natural sweetness from the fruit shines through. It’s a perfect first cake for a baby!
Step-by-Step Instructions
This smash cake is very easy to make, even if you aren’t a regular baker. Here’s a look at the steps involved. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full info.
- Start with very ripe bananas. The browner they are, the sweeter they will be! Add to a blender and blend into a puree.
- Add to a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare your 6-inch cake pans by coating with nonstick spray and adding a round of parchment paper. This will ensure that the cakes come out of the pans easily once they are baked.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake and let cool in the pans.
TIP: You may also like my Vanilla Oat Smash Cake.
How to Make Natural Frosting with Blueberries
Here’s a look at the general process for making the blueberry frosting.
- Place the freeze dried fruit into a blender or spice grinder. Blend to make a fine powder.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and the powder to a medium bowl. Beat.
- Spread some of the frosting onto one cake. Top with the second cake and add more frosting on top.
- Frost the sides to finish.
What’s the texture of this cake like?
This cake is moist and fairly sturdy for being made without eggs. It is a little denser than a standard birthday cake due to the banana and whole wheat flour.
How sweet is the cake?
This cake doesn’t have any added sugars, so the sweetness comes from the bananas and blueberries. It’s not very sweet like a traditional cake, but it has a pleasant flavor that both of my daughters enjoyed when they taste-tested it.
TIP: Do not expect this to taste as sweet as a store-bought birthday cake because it’s not!
Eggless Cake Recipe
I regularly get requests for egg-free recipes, so I wanted this cake to be made without eggs but taste as good for those kids who can have eggs, too. It holds together nicely and has a good texture without the inclusion of eggs.
Can I make the frosting a different color?
You can! You can use any kind of freeze-dried fruit. Strawberries to make a pretty pink color. Raspberries may be too tart, but you can certainly try and see what you think.
Make-Ahead Birthday Cake
You can bake the cakes a day ahead of when you plan to serve if that helps you to stay on top of your celebration to-do list. Simply let them cool completely in the pans, then store in the fridge in airtight containers or zip-top gallon bags. (I put the cakes still in the pans right into zip-top bags and stored them that way—so easy!)
1st Birthday Cake for Girls
This is a pretty cake for a birthday girl, especially one who loves fresh berries. You can change up the color by using different freeze-dried fruit if you’d like.
First Birthday Cake for Baby Boys
I love that this cake is so fresh and flavorful for a first birthday. For a girl or a boy!
How to Store
You can make the cakes a day ahead. Let cool and store in the fridge in airtight containers. Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
Plan to frost the cake on the same day as you want to serve it. It can hang out in the fridge for a few hours as needed. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow it to soften up a little, as it will firm up in the fridge.
Best Tips for Success
- Dairy-free: Use melted coconut oil instead of the butter in the cake and plain or vanilla nondairy Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese in the frosting. (If using vanilla nondairy yogurt, omit the vanilla extract.)
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour instead of whole wheat.
- To make this with homemade oat flour: Blend ¾ cup rolled oats in a blender or food processor for about 30 seconds until they resemble a flour. Measure out ½ cup of your oat flour and proceed with the recipe.
- You can also use freeze-dried strawberries instead of blueberries to make a pink-frosted cake.
- To make this as a larger two-layer 8-inch cake, follow the same steps but bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Sweeten frosting to taste, if desired, with 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please rate and comment below!
Blueberry Smash Cake (First Birthday Cake)
Ingredients
Blueberry Cake
- 4 medium bananas (very ripe with lots of brown spots is best for flavor)
- 1¼ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (or plain whole milk yogurt)
- 1 cup blueberries
Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup freeze-dried blueberries
- 12 ounces cream cheese (softened at room temperature; I prefer full fat)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extra
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 6-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line with rounds of parchment paper. Grease again with nonstick spray.
- Add the bananas to a blender. Blend into a puree. Measure out 1 ½ cups.
- Add to a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Stir together gently.
- Divide in half and pour into prepared cake pans. (You’ll use about 1 ½ cup batter in each.)
- Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cake comes out cleanly.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely in the pan.
- Make the Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting. Add the freeze-dried blueberries to a blender or clean spice grinder. Grind into a powder. Measure out ¼ cup of the powder and add to a medium bowl. Add the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract. Beat until very smooth with a handheld electric mixer.
- When ready to frost, place one cake, parchment paper removed, on a cardboard cake round or plate. Top with ⅓ cup of the frosting. Remove the parchment paper from the second cake and place on top of the frosting. Add the rest of the frosting on top and spread over the top and around the sides.
- Sprinkle on additional freeze-dried or fresh blueberries if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Dairy-free: Use melted coconut oil instead of the butter in the cake. For the frosting, use plain or vanilla nondairy Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese and omit the butter. (If using vanilla nondairy yogurt, omit the vanilla extract.)
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour instead of whole wheat.
- You can also use freeze-dried strawberries instead of blueberries to make a pink cake.
- To make this as a larger two-layer 8-inch cake, follow the same steps but bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Sweeten frosting to taste, if desired, with 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey.
- You can make the cakes a day ahead. Let cool and store in the fridge in airtight containers.
Nutrition
This post was first published July 2019.
How can we make this without oat flour? My LO is allergic to oats..
I believe it would work okay to use additional flour instead.
Hi! Thanks for this easy a nd beautiful smash cake. My concern is the blueberries you added as topping being whole. I currently crush them for my baby as they are a choking hazard. I was wondering if I could cook them or steam them and add them to the top of the cake once cooled. Do you think it would work? My baby LOVES blueberries so this would be perfect for her first birthday. Thanks!
Or maybe cut them in half and put the cut side down? That would be easy and pretty!
Good idea! Thank you!
Isn’t it that babies should not have honey
They shouldn’t. (There’s no honey in this recipe.)
Hi Amy!
I see Ge Poni’s concern: Honey is currently listed as a suggestion to help sweeten the frosting. Are you able to edit it to only suggest maple syrup?
I can clarify that, though if baby is 1, the honey concern shouldn’t be an issue since it’s under age 1 where we need to avoid it. I realize it’s on the line though:)
What would be the substitute amount for whole wheat flour if I used white flour?
I haven’t tested it with all purpose flour but I would guess 1 1/3 or 1 1/2 cups.
Hi Amy, thank you for your recipe. I was wondering if I could use strawberries in the cake instead of blueberries, and and same with the frosting. My daughter is a huge strawberry fan, thought she might like this better. Will this make the cake pink? Sweeter? Anything else you suggest?
Freeze-dried strawberries will be great in the frosting (and yes that would be pink). Diced fresh strawberries should work well in the cake—it might be a little moister. I don’t think that the inside of the cake will be pink though, but there will be spots of the berries for some color. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
I made this for my granddaughters first birthday and was a great hit! With covid the party was a zoom one but the adults that were present also really liked it! I changed up the frosting just using fresh whipped cream and fruit!
Hello! I’m planning on using whipped cream as well. Did you blend up with blueberries? Or just use the whipped cream plain?
Hopefully she’ll share, but you could do it plain or with the freeze-dried fruit like I did here!
Can I substitute the wheat flour for coconut flour? Thanks so much!!
No, you can’t substitute coconut flour for whole wheat flour as it absorbs moisture completely differently. If you want to make it gluten-free, I suggest a cup for cup style of gluten free flour like the one from King Arthur Flour.
Hi there! Would we still add the oat flour along with the gluten free flour?
Yes, the gf flour blend would replace the whole wheat flour, but the oat flour should stay the same.
Hi, this might be a silly question. I don’t bake much but can I replace the whole wheat flour with all purpose flour and still use the same amount of flour? It is my son’s first bday this weekend.
Thanks
Hi- You can just all purpose flour instead and it should work the same for you. Happy birthday to your boy!
How long do I bake the cakes if using 5 inch cake pans? Thank you.
I would guess 26-28 minutes. They will be thicker so it should take a few minutes longer. Let me know how it goes!
Hi we loved your cake 🙂 just wondering if it can be frozen and thawed to eat it later?
Sure, that should be fine. I’d wrap tightly in plastic wrap to keep it fresh.
The batter seemed really thick, that I was basically pressing the batter into the pans. Nonetheless, it came out tasting great! I’ve tried the cream cheese frosting, now I’d like to try a yogurt-based frosting. Would using a full fat Greek yogurt work in the frosting recipe?
Hi, I can’t wait to test this recipe! It’s hard to find freeze-dried blueberries overseas. Other suggestions? A simple cream cheese frosting without the blueberries? Or can I use fresh berries, maybe cooking them to release the juice and sweeten them up a bit? Also, if using white flour instead of wheat are the portions the same? Thank you!
I’d do the cream cheese frosting without the berries. It will still be yummy! And yes, you can just sub in white flour and it should work the same. Enjoy!
Hi! My baby’s birthday is coming up and I’m trying to figure out the amount I need for what I’m retiring to do!
I’ve got one 4×3 inch cake pan for his cake. And then for everybody else, I’m using two 9 inch round cake pans. Then I’m going to make twelve cupcakes. What are your thoughts on the amounts I need? Haha
[not sure if my first comment went through or not so disregard this if it did]
Hi! I will get back to you in the morning with some suggestions. I need to work out the math:)
Thank you so much!!!
Also, whenever you get to it, are baking times going to be different for each? I’m baking the two 9 inch at the same time, all the cupcakes at the same time, and then the last batch of just the smash cake by itself. Sorry, this is the first time I’m baking something from scratch so I’m not sure of the rules. Either way, thanks for your recipe! I can’t believe my baby is almost a year already and I’m doing this!!
Okay, this recipe makes 3 cups batter so if you use 1/4 cup per cupcake, you can make 12.
For each 9 inch pan, you need about 2.25 cups, so I would double the recipe (you will have about 6 cups batter) and measure that out, then use the rest to make the 4 inch one. I would use 1.25 cups for the 4 inch one (so you may have a little extra batter).
The 4 inch cake will need a little less baking time. The 9 inch ones will need longer—at least 30 minutes, if not 35. Look at the center of the cake. It should look done and a cake tester inserted into it should come out cleanly. I would line the 9 inch pans with parchment paper (cut out little rounds to fit into the pans) and then spray with nonstick spray to ensure they come out easily. Be gentle when turning them out from the pans. GOOD LUCK!
Oh wait, I just now saw your reply and the answer is already there! You beat me to it; you’re good at this ? thanks so much again!! I’ll probably tag you in my Instagram story when I finish!!!
Hi! My baby’s birthday is coming up and I’m trying to figure out the amount I need for what I’m retiring to do!
I’ve got one 4×3 inch cake pan for his cake. And then for everybody else, I’m using two 9 inch round cake pans. Then I’m going to make twelve cupcakes. What are your thoughts on the amounts I need? Haha
So do we use fresh blueberries in the cake part and freeze dried in the icing?? I am little confused with this.
Yes, you stir 1 cup fresh berries into the batter of the cake. Then you use 1 cup freeze-dried berries to make the frosting purple.