With an easy stir-together method and a naturally sweet flavor, this delicious Sweet Potato baby cake is the perfect cake for a first birthday. It’s easy, flavorful, and delicious for baby…and grown-ups! (It also makes a festive holiday dessert!)
Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and have all of my first birthday cakes developed so I could have made them for all of my babies—but at least I get to share them with you now!
This simple and healthy baby cake is easy to stir together, perfect to make ahead, and sweetened with mashed sweet potato and maple syrup so it’s an ideal first birthday cake.
While I love this cake myself, it is especially great as a first birthday cake. It is super soft, has nice flavor, and is lightly sweetened with maple syrup. It’s such a fun smash cake, especially if you have a baby who loves sweet potato baby food!
We often have this in the fall as a seasonal dessert to share with the whole family. It’s a great kid-friendly Thanksgiving recipe or a fall kids birthday cake recipe.
(You may also like my First Birthday Smash Cake, One-Year-Old Birthday Cake, Blueberry Smash Cake, and Healthy Banana Cake.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make this baby cake, you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go.
- Mashed sweet potato: You can use any type of cooked mashed sweet potato including Crockpot Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato Baby Food, or Sweet Potato Puree. This is easy to make, but you’ll want to plan to make it ahead of baking. You can also use canned unsweetened sweet potato puree.
- Vegetable oil: This helps to keep the cake nice and moist. You can also use melted unsalted butter or avocado oil if you prefer.
- Maple syrup: We use this as the sweetener in this recipe. You can also use honey for kids over age 1 if you prefer.
- Egg: This helps bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract: Adding a bit of vanilla extract helps give the cake a yummy flavor.
- All-purpose flour: This helps the cake stay light and fluffy.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These help ensure the cake rises and bakes through evenly.
- Cinnamon: This adds that classic sweet potato cake flavor.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: This is a simple mix of cream cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla, and is the perfect pairing with sweet potato cake.
Ingredient Substitutions
- You can use pumpkin puree in place of the sweet potato if you prefer.
- If you’d prefer to use whole wheat pastry flour in place of the all-purpose, you can do that.
- Use honey instead of maple syrup for kids over 1 if desired.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 style of gluten-free all purpose flour.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this baby cake. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe, including the amounts and timing.
Step 1. Stir the wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
Step 2. Gently stir in the dry ingredients.
Step 3. Line the cake pans with circles of parchment paper.
Step 4. Divide the batter into the pans and bake!
Step 5. Make the cream cheese frosting.
Step 6. Top one layer with some of the frosting and spread evenly. Add the second layer and frost to the edges.
TIP: Trace the cake pans onto parchment paper, then cut out just inside the lines to make rounds that fit into the pans. This is a foolproof way to line pans to prevent the baby cakes from sticking.
Sweet Potato Smash Cake
If you’re looking for a smash cake for the kids, this sweet potato cake is great since it’s 6 inches and super soft and easy to smash. It also is a nice blend of nutritious ingredients in a really festive form.
It has a lightly sweet flavor, so it’s perfect for babies turning 1. And the cream cheese frosting simply needs to be stirred together and spread on. Nothing fussy there!
Make-Ahead Tips
You can make the baby cakes a day ahead, let cool, and store in airtight containers at room temperature. You can even frost the whole thing and wrap carefully with plastic wrap and store in the fridge up to 24 hours ahead.
It can be hard to wrap it tightly without messing up the frosting, so I usually wait to frost it, but if you have a cake carrier, that could work, too!
How to Store
Store leftover baby cake in the fridge once frosted for up to 3-5 days in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic.
Best Tips for Success
- Top baby cake with sprinkles if desired. These naturally colored ones are pretty!
- If making the sweet potato puree, plan to do that step ahead of time (even up to three days ahead if you store it in an airtight container in the fridge) so the sweet potato is cool when you are ready to make the cake. You can also just do it an hour or two before you plan to bake.
- The baby cake can be made 24 hours before you plan to frost it. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container at room temperature. (It’s also fine to frost it the day before if you can carefully wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the fridge to keep it fresh.)
- Use as a smash cake for a baby or to share with the whole family.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour.
- Egg-free: Increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon, omit the egg, and add 2 tablespoons milk.
- The whole wheat pastry flour will create a slightly denser cake.
- The batter makes 24 mini cupcakes, using about 1 tablespoon batter in each and baking for 12-14 minutes.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this cake if you make it, so please rate and comment below!
Sweet Potato Baby Cake
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Cake
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato puree
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened at room temperature for at least an hour—it should be soft when you poke it with your finger)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two cake pans and line with a round of parchment paper cut to fit the inside of each pan. (Use the pan to trace the pan onto the paper, then cut out just inside the line.) Coat the top of the paper with nonstick spray, too.
- Whisk together the sweet potato, oil, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to just combine.
- Divide the batter among the prepared pans, using about a heaping cup in each. Smooth to spread the batter evenly.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then gently invert onto a wire rack to remove from pans and cool completely.
To make the frosting:
- Add the cream cheese to a medium bowl with maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix together with a whisk until fluffy. (If this is hard to do due to the temperature of your cream cheese, you can use an electric handheld mixer.)
To assemble the cake:
- Place one cake on a cake stand or plate.
- Spread about half of the frosting on top of one cake, add the second cake, then top with the remaining frosting, spreading smooth.
- Add sprinkles if desired.
Video
Notes
- Top with sprinkles if desired. These naturally colored ones are pretty!
- The cake can be made 24 hours before you plan to frost it. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container at room temperature. (It’s also fine to frost it the day before if you can carefully wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the fridge to keep it fresh.)
- Store leftovers in the fridge once frosted for up to 3-5 days in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour.
- Egg-free: Increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon, omit the egg, and add 2 tablespoons milk.
- The whole wheat pastry flour will create a slightly denser cake.
- The batter makes 24 mini cupcakes, using about 1 tablespoon batter in each and baking for 12-14 minutes.
Nutrition
This post was originally published May 2015.
So delicious, taste similar to an old fashioned donut! So yummy it was picky eater approved! Delicious for all ages, will definitely be making this again and again.
I want to try this recipe for my daughter’s first birthday but with a standard size muffin tin for cupcakes. What would the baking time be do you think? Thanks!
I would guess 14-16 minutes. I hope your family enjoys them and happy birthday to her!
Made this smash cake for my 1 year old’s bday this weekend using pure canned pumpkin in place of sweet potato. I’m at high altitude and cake and frosting came out perfect. It is delicious.. my baby didn’t each much and mainly made a mess but I couldn’t stop eating it
I’m so glad to hear that and happiest birthday to all of you!
Hi Kerri! I am at high altitude as well and have already tried another recipe and it didn’t turn out well. Can I ask what altitude your at?
Hi Amy!
I just made this as practice for the real version I need this Saturday for my daughter’s first birthday party. It’s completely cooled but broke apart very easily when transferred from wire rack to a plate. I made it with AP flour and the egg substitute for an egg allergy. Any thoughts on how to get my Saturday version to hold together better? I appreciate that it’s so moist but don’t want it to be a mess before it’s even served. Thanks!
Hi- I’m sorry to hear that that happened. If you have the option to use half whole wheat, that might help. You could also add 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed. (I haven’t had this happen so I am trying to offer ways that might firm up the batter for you.)
I’ve made this cake about 5 times. It is delicious! It is so good; it doesn’t even need icing. I used canned pumpkin every time instead of the sweet potato because it was convenient. As written it makes a just sweet enough cake. You can cut the maple syrup in half without any problems. Then it tastes like pumpkin bread instead of cake, but it is still really good. My baby can’t have wheat, so I tried making it with oat flour. You need to use 1 and 1/3 cup of oat flour instead of 1 cup of regular flour. When made with just oat flour, the texture is less cake like, but it is still really good flavor wise. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
This is the kind of cake I was looking for to make for my soon to be 1 year old’s birthday. I’m not ready to introduce sugar, or at least the taste of sugar. This cake is very moist and flavorful but mild in the sweet department, without the frosting. My baby is also not a fan of sweet foods so I may modify the frosting or use something different. I would make this in mini muffin size for an anytime snack.
I’m so glad and happy almost bday to your family!
Could you make this in a 9X13 pan?
I am sure that would work, though I haven’t tested it that way so I’m not sure if the baking time would be different. Let me know if you try it!
Used this recipe to make 12 cupcakes for my sons 1st birthday. The cupcakes were far more delicious than I anticipated and so perfectly moist. Thank you so much for this recipe!! My one and three year old gobbled them up so fast!
I’m so glad!
I was thinking about making the sweet potato cake with the yogurt frosting from your other cake smash recipe. Do you think they will pair well together?
https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/best-smash-cake-with-yogurt-frosting/
Yes, that would go really nicely together!
Can this frosting be piped? I’m assuming not since it’s basically just cream cheese.
If you mix it, put it in the piping bag and chill it for a bit, I bet it would work pretty well since cream cheese is fairly firm when it’s cold.
Hi Amy,
I love your recipes! Tried this one for my daughter’s first birthday today since she loves sweet potatoes. I made a 9” cake, cooked for close to 40 minutes (cake tester came out clean). I prepped the sweet potatoes using your crockpot sweet potatoes recipe the night before I made the cake. After the cake cooled, I wrapped it in plastic wrap overnight. When I served it the next day, it tasted GREAT! But I noticed some small green spots. Any idea what that is?
Hi- I honestly don’t know, but the only thing I can think of is that there was an unusual reaction with the sweet potato and the baking soda. I’ve not ever had that happen this this and I’m glad it tasted food. I hope you had a great day!
Would this recipe work using two 7” pans springform pans or would the cakes be too thin?
I haven’t tested it that way, but I think it might be okay. They’d be thinner than shown in the post and the baking time might be lower at 14-16 minutes. Let me know if you try it that way!
Made this today for my baby’s first birthday, it was delicious. We all loved it, especially baby. We didn’t have maple syrup so we used half a cup of granulated sugar and still came out super super moist, and just the right amount of sweetness. Will definitely be making again.
I’m so glad and happiest birthday to your whole family!
I’m going to make this for my sons 2nd birthday but only have canola oil, no vegetable oil. Would that work? If not, what can I use instead of vegetable oil? Thank you very much!
Hi- You could use a lightly flavored olive oil or melted and slighted cooled butter if either of those are options you have. Happy birthday to your little one!
Hi Amy, could we substitute the vegetable oil for unsalted butter or coconut oil?
Hi- yes, either would work similarly.
Just made this yesterday. The cake tastes amazing, but it’s still very moist inside. Do you have any suggestions for drying it out just a bit more? I also found it took way longer to cook, think I had it in for 40mins before the top browned and it felt ready. This is definitely a keeper thou, thank you 🙂
Hi- Is it possible that the baking soda wasn’t fresh? That would be the most likely cause of this. You could bake it longer on a lower temperature setting with the top covered in foil if you want to try drying it out a bit more. I’d try 325 or 350 I think.