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Baby's First Birthday Cake

Baby's First Birthday Cake (Whole Wheat & Banana Sweetened)

Chelsea Colbath
A tiny, banana-sweetened, yogurt-frosted, whole grain layer cake that's perfect for eating with baby-sized fingers.
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TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes
Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 1 very ripe banana
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup milk unsweetened almond, coconut, or cow's milk all work here
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • a tiny pinch of salt

Frosting

  • 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • a tiny drizzle of maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8x8 pan with butter or oil.
  • 2. Peel the banana and put it into a small mixing bowl or large cereal bowl. Use a fork to mash well. Add oil, milk, and vanilla, and stir to combine. Then, add all remaining ingredients, and stir again until fully combined.
  • 3. Scrape cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out into a thin, even layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until fully cooked through.
  • 4. While cake bakes, stir together all frosting ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • 5. Let cake cool fully in the pan before cutting into 4 circles with a 4-inch biscuit cutter. If you don't have a biscuit cutter, a wide-mouth mason jar will work, too! Use a spatula to gently lift the cake circles out of the pan one at a time. Spread each layer with 1 Tablespoon of frosting, then stack them all up into a tiny layer cake. If desired, use remaining frosting to cover the sides of the cake as well. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance of the party. I recommend taking the cake out of the fridge at least an hour before serving since an ice-cold cake will not be very appealing to a baby.

Notes

To make this cake completely dairy-free/vegan for your baby, use 1/2 cup canned coconut cream (or the thick cream on top of a can of chilled coconut milk) in place of the yogurt in the frosting.
If your baby is allergic to wheat, oat flour is a great substitute for the whole wheat. The cake layers will be slightly more delicate, so just be careful as you remove them from the pan.