I’m not totally anti sugar, but when I think about all the sugar in “normal” cake, I can’t help but think my soon-to-be one year old’s tummy just isn’t ready for all that yet. I also hear the voice of my mother, a dental hygienist by trade, reminding me that the longer I delay introducing sugar, the better for my girls’ oral health!

With each of my girls, I’ve been fortunate to be able to breastfeed past one year, and every one of them has taken their time getting acclimated to the textures and tastes of food. So when they turn one, I take the opportunity to test recipes with natural sugars such as bananas and applesauce. I still want my girls to enjoy the experience of digging into their very own smash cake, but I want to feel good about the ingredients I am serving them!

Eloise turned one not long ago and I tested a new recipe and it was a hit! I found this smash cake recipe, made homemade whipped cream for the frosting, and added strawberries and blueberries to the top. Eloise had a blast testing the frosting and grabbing handfuls of cake.

I was also excited to serve this cake to her because it shares similarities with a traditional Norwegian blotkake. I associate most strongly with my Norwegian ancestry and sharing bits and pieces of Norwegian culture and traditions is a value to me.

I definitely recommend giving this recipe a try if you are looking for a more healthy and natural option for baby’s first cake. I do have to warn you though, YOU might not like it! It is more dense than a typical cake and more closely resembles a muffin in taste and texture.

Here are some of the tools I used to make this cake: strawberry huller, 6 inch cake pans, icing spatula, ceramic cake stand, GIR silicone spatulas

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