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.
Is it possible to bake this in a 5 inch pan?
Yes, though if you use a smaller pan, the layers will be thicker and the baking time will increase.
Hi! Could this recipe be used for cupcakes instead of 6” cake pans? If so, could you advise on baking time and if any ingredients may not to be adjusted? Thanks so much in advance ☺️
Yes and baking time might be around 18-22 minutes.
Hi! Is the frosting in this picture made from freeze dried strawberries or blueberries because it looks almost purple..? I need the frosting to be all blue! 🙂 just asking , I don’t want to try using freeze dried blueberries and it turns out purple ! Need to make cake this Saturday for Godson:-) thank you!!!!!
It’s blueberries and it is purple.
Hi! If I wanted to make this as a single cake (no layers) in a 9 inch cake pan, could you advise on baking time? And would I use the same quantities as original recipe? Thank you
The recipe makes 3 cups of batter, so you can use it to make one 9 inch cake. It won’t be super thick. I would check the baking time starting at 18 minutes, then add 2 more minutes until the center is set and a cake tester comes out cleanly. I haven’t made this in this size pan, so this is my best guess based on the info I have. Enjoy!
What depth of cake tin would you recommend?
Thanks
The ones I use are 2 inches deep
Hi I only have two 7 inch pans, so that the cake isn’t too flat should increase the ingredient volumes, and by how much would you recommend? Thank you
Hi- I’m sorry, it’s hard to guess on that without retesting it again. You could try 1.5x the recipe.
Hi, can I swap the wholewheat flour for regular white plain flour? Will it impact the recipe. Thanks
Yes, it will impact the recipe. I have tested it the way it’s written and that’s how I know it works well. To make it with all purpose flour, you may need more flour to ensure that it’s not mushy. I hope that helps!
Hi – can’t wait to try this cake! I was thinking of adding fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to the cake. Thoughts on if the added liquid would make a difference
I imagine it would be a small amount so I don’t think it would make a difference.
Thank you! My son loved this cake for his 1st birthday and enjoyed getting super messy too 😆🙌 so it was a hit! I wondered if the leftovers can be frozen to keep for snacks? Thank you x
I don’t have a blender that make powder from freeze dried berries. If I buy powdered feeeze-dry berries, how much do I need to use?
About 1/3-1/2 cup!
Thank you Amy.
I have just iced a test cake so I’ll see how that turns out. Bub didn’t seem to like the cream cheese. So I was hoping to get your thought on making this cake without the blueberries and then whipping up coconut cream for the icing?
Kind regards
Melissa (from Sydney, Australia)
Hi Amy,
Just wondering, can I bake this cake and ice it the day before and store it in a air tight container in the fridge? If I have missed this information on your site already, I apologise in advance. As I’m reading it as just bake the cakes and pop them into separate airtight containers and place in fridge and ice the cakes on the day of the party.
Kind regards
Melissa
Hi- the color of the frosting is best if it’s in a very tightly sealed plastic bag, with as much air removed as possible, if you make it ahead. If you frost the whole thing and store it until the next day, there’s a slight chance it will fade in color a little.
Thank you Amy.
I have just iced a test cake so I’ll see how that turns out. Bub didn’t seem to like the cream cheese. So I was hoping to get your thought on making this cake without the blueberries and then whipping up coconut cream for the icing?
Kind regards
Melissa (from Sydney, Australia)
Could I substitute applesauce instead of banana? (Allergy) Or is there any other substitute for the banana? Thank you!
Usually in baked goods, thick applesauce or roasted mashed sweet potato work as a sub for banana.
Excited to try this recipe!! Would it be possible to use frozen blueberries in the cake instead of fresh? We bought some and ate almost all of them, whoops! But I have a bag of frozen in the freezer. If so, should I thaw them first before putting into dough/batter?
You can use frozen and you don’t need to thaw them first. Enjoy!
I haven’t tried it yet but I 5 starred it anyway! I was wondering if I could just use fresh blueberries in the frosting? Trying to avoid a last minute trip to the store. Bday is tomorrow
You can keep the frosting plain and add fresh berries to the top.