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Vanilla Smash Cake with Whipped Greek Yogurt Frosting
Celebrate baby's first birthday with a Smash Cake made with healthy and simple ingredients. Get your camera ready!
I still can’t believe I have a one-year-old. Where does time go?! 😭 Well I guess one good thing about him growing up so fast is it led me to create this insane Vanilla Smash Cake recipe for his first birthday. And no, I will not only be making this cake once. It’s now my new favorite vanilla cake recipe with amazing ingredients.
To start, this Vanilla Smash Cake is gluten-free. I know what you’re thinking, but don’t come for me. By using almond flour, it’s still light and fluffy, with an extra richness that helps it stay moist. I also used maple syrup as the only sweetener in the cake and the frosting (yay me!) and played around with natural food dyes for coloring the frosting.
So whether you need a smash cake for a 1st birthday or you just want a healthier alternative to a vanilla cake, you will be shocked at how these simple ingredients transform into a delicious, moist, EASY vanilla cake.
Table of Contents
What is Smash Cake?
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make It
Storing
Tips
Reasons to Love It
Smash Cake Recipe
What is a Smash Cake?
If you had never heard of a smash cake before, you’re probably a first-time parent. Heyyy! A smash cake is basically just a small individual cake you can serve to your baby on their first birthday. They’re meant to eat it with their cute little hands and smash it all up for an adorable sensory experience of baby’s first cake and frosting. Get your cameras ready, it’s about to get messy.
Smash Cake Ingredients and Substitutions
Almond Flour
Almond flour is an amazing gluten-free flour substitute but is also just a great flour for making moist cakes whether you eat gluten or not. The higher fat content keeps the cake nice and moist (which a lot of gluten-free cakes lack) while also having a subtly sweet, nutty flavor.
Eggs
I use 4 large eggs in this recipe. The fresher the better.
Maple Syrup
Instead of granulated sugar, I use pure maple syrup, which adds a warm sweetness and makes the cake extra moist!
Greek Yogurt
I use whole milk, plain Greek yogurt for both the cake and the frosting. Make sure to use Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt so the batter and frosting are the right texture (not too liquidy).
Vanilla Extract or Paste
Because the main flavor of this cake is vanilla, it makes a big difference if you get a high-quality vanilla extract (or paste). Nielsen-Massey’s Vanilla Bean Paste is my go-to for vanilla-flavored desserts like this.
Heavy Whipping Cream
Using heavy cream to make a frosting creates a lighter, fluffier frosting that I like a lot better than ones with a ton of butter, especially for a one-year-old’s birthday cake.
Food Coloring (optional)
Instead of artificial food coloring, you can use blue spirulina or beet powder to color the frosting! It doesn’t add much flavor to the frosting, but adds a beautiful, natural color to your smash cake.
How to Make Smash Cake & Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a circular or square 9×9 inch baking pan.
Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, and vanilla until smooth and no lumps remain. Add the dry ingredients and use a silicone spatula to stir to combine. Be careful not to over-mix!
Step 3
Add the batter to the baking pan and bake for 22-26 minutes or until the center has set. Let cool completely.
Step 4
Use a 4 inch cookie cutter to cut 3 layers. Wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze while you make the icing. You can freeze for up to one month.
Step 5
For the frosting, add the heavy cream, maple syrup (if using), and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until stiff peaks form. Add the Greek yogurt and natural food coloring (if using) and stir to combine. To ensure it stays fresh and fluffy, it’s best to make the frosting fresh, not ahead of time.
Step 6
Frost the cake while the layers are still frozen to make it easier to frost without getting crumbs all over your knife.
Storing Vanilla Smash Cake
Store what’s left of your frosted smash cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I have also been known to store leftover cake on the plate I ate it from and cover it tightly in saran wrap so I can enjoy it the next day.
Tips for Making the Best Smash Cake
- Wait to make the frosting until you’re ready to decorate so it doesn’t sit around and get too loose or warm before frosting.
- I hate frosting a cake and getting crumbs all up in the frosting and all over the knife. That’s why freezing the cake before frosting makes such a huge difference.
- You can decorate your cake any way you like! This Cake Decorating Kit made it so much easier for me. It comes with a piping bag, nozzles, spatulas, scrapers, and a turn table!
- To write Happy Birthday on your kid’s smash cake, these Icing Writing Tubes make it so easy.
- These are the cutest number candles for birthday cakes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Gluten-free: Even if you’re not a gluten-free eater, you’ll still love this cake! Plus, making it gluten-free means all your gluten-free and gluten-eating guests will be able to enjoy the same delicious dessert.
- No artificial food dyes: This is a big one, especially for little kids. Blue spirulina and beet powder don’t add quite as vibrant of colors to the frosting, but I actually like the more natural-looking pop of color in the frosting.
- Natural sweetener: This cake and frosting don’t use granulated or powdered sugar for the sweetener, just pure maple syrup!
- This cake is made with very few simple ingredients and is super easy to make. Just mix everything in one bowl, pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake! The frosting is just as easy and is a lot healthier than many other frosting recipes, without skimping on flavor.
