My baby's first birthday!!! In the anticipation for his first birthday I laughed a bit when I was trying to think of what to do for his first birthday cake because I had been a crazy person this entire year thinking of how to keep my baby as healthy as possible. Only for so long will I be able to completely control what he consumes so I wanted to provide him with the best things possible. Then his birthday came and I was remembering what I did for my nephew Jackson's first birthday.... it was this big chocolate cake with blue icing. I got the cute idea from a client of mine who told me that makes for better pictures to have color. Well.... having my own child and being a crazy first time mom with all of the reading and research I do I wanted to give my baby something healthier... although I don't think my nephew seemed to mind the sugar! I realize this could be slightly over-the-top as I know in a few years he's going to be shoving tons of Halloween candy in his mouth BUT why not keep it healthy when I can for as long as I can!? So for all the other crazy health conscious parents out there here is a baby birthday cake option for you.

This cake actually tastes really good! My baby and I ate the leftovers for a couple days following the party... I ate more than him. It tastes a bit like banana bread but definitely more dense. If your child has not been exposed to eggs, wheat, or dairy yet I recommend trying this cake out prior to his/her birthday in case of any negative reactions. For the "icing" I simply whipped up come heavy whipping cream which spreads very easy so if you are not a cake decorator don't worry. You can decorate this with fruit or anything you like, but I thought it looked pretty and simple just white. One little tip... now I will preface this by saying I was a theatre major and rehearsing is in my nature... but prior to Grant's party (on his actual birth day) I made this cake and we sang him Happy Birthday with his grandparents over dinner. He cried and was confused and then wanted me to hold him... I ended up with more whipped cream all over me! Then when his birthday party came and there were 30 people singing and staring at him AND the cake was put in front of him he wasn't confused. He was kind of like "Oh I've done this before" even though I kind of encouraged the "smashing" of the cake he was more excited to eat it and play which makes for a better party and pictures. The messier the better in my opinion.

Baby's 1st Smash Cake

makes 2 6 inch round cakes

3 large (or 4 small) ripe bananas

3/4 cup applesauce with no sugar added

1 egg; room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Whipped Cream "Icing"

1 cup heavy whipping cream; cold

How To

*Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

*Spray the cake pans with cooking spray, or you can butter and flour it... whatever you find easier

*Peel the bananas and place in a bowl

*Use a fork to smash the bananas until pretty smooth with no large pieces remaining

*Mix in the applesauce, egg, and vanilla using a whisk

*Whisk together until smooth and well combined

*In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon

*Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combined

*Pour the mixture evenly between the two cake pans

*Place in the oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until the middle is set and a toothpick comes out clean

*Allow the cake to cool completely

*Make the whipped cream "icing" by simply placing the cold whipping cream in a bowl and whisk with a hand mixer until you reach soft peaks and the cream is thick enough to spread; you can also do this in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment (here is more info on how to whip cream)

*Once the cake is cooled you can place one of the cakes on a plate and top with a small amount of whipped cream and place the other cake on top of it (the whipped cream works a bit like glue to keep the layers together)

*Then pour the whipped cream over the two layers and use a knife or spatula to evenly spread the whipped cream around... this is VERY easy to do!

*You can decorate it as much as you like! I simply put a large number 1 candle on the top

*I baked and frosted this cake the day before the party and I kept this in the refrigerator until about 5 minutes before we wanted to give it to him

*Take lots of pictures!