Baby's Healthy First Birthday Cake

Your baby's first birthday cake is a special milestone that is worth celebrating in a memorable way! One of the most important parts of any birthday celebration is the cake. Many parents have their babies smash a nice sugary filled cake, but in our case, my nephew hasn't been exposed to sugar since his birth. So a healthy first birthday cake is super important!

Why Choose a Healthy First Birthday Cake?

This weekend we celebrated my nephew's first birthday. He loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates so we made him a pirate birthday cake. My concern for his birthday cake was that he really hasn't had a lot of different foods to eat yet, so I worried about overhauling his tender little system with sugar, chocolate and other ingredients he hasn't experienced.

For myself, my sister and many other parents we are aware of the potential negative health effects of sugary and processed foods. We want to instill healthy eating habits in our children from an early age. Choosing a healthy first birthday cake is a great way to celebrate this milestone while also introducing your baby to healthier options!

A healthy first birthday cake can also prevent your child from experiencing a sugar rush or other negative stomach effects from consuming too much sugar. This can help ensure that your baby remains calm and happy throughout their birthday celebrations, and can even help them sleep better after their party!

Tips for Making a a Healthy First Birthday Cake

• Use whole wheat flour instead of white flour. Whole wheat flour is a good source of fiber and nutrients, and it will give your cake a more wholesome flavor.
• Use natural sweeteners instead of refined sugar. Natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and fruit purees are a healthier option than refined sugar. They will also add a touch of sweetness without making your cake too sweet.
• Use fresh fruit instead of canned fruit. Canned fruit is often packed in syrup, which adds unnecessary sugar and calories to your cake. Fresh fruit is a healthier option, and it will also add a touch of sweetness and natural flavor.
• Make your own frosting instead of buying store-bought. Store-bought frosting is often loaded with sugar, fat, and artificial ingredients. You can easily make your own frosting at home with healthier ingredients like mashed bananas, peanut butter, or Greek yogurt.

Recipe for a healthy baby first birthday cake

Ingredients

• ½ cup fruit or vegetable puree (see notes)
• ½ cup natural no sugar added applesauce
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour (can substitute gluten free flour)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 5x7 rectangle pan (pictured) or a 9 inch round baking pan.
2. In a bowl, stir together the fruit or vegetable puree, applesauce, baking soda, flour, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth. Pour into the greased baking dish and use a spatula to smooth.
3. Place pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes until edges are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
4. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for several minutes in the pan. Remove cake from pan and place cake on a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Frost when cake has completely cooled.
5. To Make the Frosting: In a mixing bowl, whip the softened cream cheese until light and fluffy on medium speed (approximately 1-2 minutes). Slowly stir in the applesauce, vanilla and cinnamon and continue mixing an additional minute.
6. Frost and decorate the cake as desired. Refrigerate cake immediately until ready to eat.
7. To serve: Remove any decorations a baby may be able to choke on prior to allowing baby to eat the cake.

Puree Ideas

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, pumpkin, squash, applesauce, cherries, or a combination of any of these. Hint: This is a great way to use up all those baby food purees you don't need anymore.

Decorating your baby's first birthday cake

• Use fresh fruit and vegetables for decoration. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a healthy and beautiful way to decorate your cake. You can use berries, sliced bananas, grapes, or even carrot sticks.
• Use edible glitter or sprinkles. Edible glitter and sprinkles are a fun way to add a touch of sparkle to your cake. Just be sure to choose products that are safe for babies.
• Use edible flowers. Edible flowers are a beautiful and delicate way to decorate your cake. Just be sure to choose flowers that are safe for babies.
• We decorated our cake with toys that we took off prior to letting my nephew enjoy his cake. We used some crushed graham crackers on part of the cake to make some sand to fit his pirate themed birthday cake.

For the Love of Cake!

My nephew loved his cake! I was a little disappointed he didn't just dig in and make a huge mess of his cake. No, he waited until it was sliced nicely for him and then he ate those pieces. He had a little bit of frosting around his lips and chin, but overall a very neat birthday.

Hopefully that changes by next year!