As your little one embarks on their first year of life, every milestone deserves a celebration filled with love, laughter, and of course, delicious treats. While traditional birthday cakes often laden with refined sugar and artificial ingredients may not be the best choice for a developing palate, there's no reason to compromise on taste or fun. With a few simple swaps and wholesome ingredients, you can create a healthy first birthday cake that's not only nutritious but also undeniably delightful.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 5x7 rectangle pan (pictured) or a 9 inch round baking pan.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Frost and decorate the cake as desired. Refrigerate cake immediately until ready to eat.
To serve: Remove any decorations a baby may be able to choke on prior to allowing baby to eat the cake.
Notes
Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.