This healthy smash cake is a gluten-free refined sugar-free banana date cake with maple cream cheese frosting. This smash cake recipe is the perfect healthy first birthday cake (with a naturally green dragon scale frosting option), but is also delicious enough for fancy dinner party!
Have you ever seen someone hug a cake before? This spiced banana date cake is a truly hug-worthy cake. I've been working on the recipe since my friend's son turned one about 3½ years ago. This final version that I made as Zoella's 1st birthday smash cake experience for her first birthday party this weekend is exactly perfect and she agrees (green frosting optional).
Healthy First Birthday Cake: Baby Smash Cake Recipe
She smushed and licked and grabbed fistfuls and fistfuls of cake until ultimately, with green frosted fingers, she lifted up a layer and hugged the cake. After shoving most of it in your face with intermittent "mmm"s and frosting-filled grins, what else is there left to do but hug the cake? I mean, I too love cake so much I want to hug it. On a purely instinctual level, we can all relate. We all feel that way about cake, but when was the last time you hugged a cake?
What a way to welcome in the world of cake.
It was the vv best most perfect first cake experience for her and everyone watching it happen. Get it girl! (Special Thanks to Todd for taking the camera without warning and capturing these gooey green photos of Zo!)
How to Make a Smash Cake
Dragons Love Tacos Party
Also, did you know that dragons love tacos? Well they do, so we threw a taco party for dragons (based on the popular book Dragons Love Tacos). We completely over-estimated how much taco meat we'd need - the book suggests getting a boat and filling the boat with tacos, which is approximately what I did, but we were a few dragons short of finishing. So...taco week?
Keeping with the theme, her party smash cake version had naturally green spirulina-tinted frosting, decorated as dragon scales. And, though they were certainly offered the mashed up remnants of her cake, the guests got my classic chocolate cupcakes with naturally-dyed hibiscus mango dragon flame frosting. And churro rice krispie treats because #tacoparty.
Lucas and I spent an evening cutting out those papel picado streamers using Honestly Yum's DIY, and I decorated the food table with a taco shell banner, which was so super cute, but also apparently confused a few guests who accidentally ate the stale decor. Oops.
Healthy Smash Cake
So this cake. It makes a perfect healthy first birthday cake because it's entirely refined sugar-free. It also just so happens to be gluten-free, filled with nutrient rich whole grains like oat and millet flour.
The cake is incredibly moist from the bananas and date paste, with a tender yet slightly chewy crumb. It's so gently sweetened with fruit and a tiny bit of maple syrup, which in my book makes it basically breakfast food. With maple-sweetened cream cheese frosting, this cake tastes like banana bread and carrot cake had a baby.
Update: Since I first made this cake as her 1st birthday smash cake, I've made it again for her second and third birthday. I've even baked it in mini and full sized cupcake trays to bring to preschool for birthday celebrations multiple years in a row, adjusting the baking time until the top springs back when touched. Zoella's teacher calls this, "the best cake she's ever had" and looks forward to it all year.
It's healthy enough to serve at a first birthday party but delicious enough to make for grown-ups!
Like Zoella, I plan to eat an entire cake for my birthday next month.
Recipe
Healthy Smash Cake: Spiced Banana Date Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (Gluten-free & Refined Sugar-free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup (120 g) packed pitted medjool dates, about 6-8 large
- ¼ cup boiling water
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (107 g) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko, different from brown rice flour or white rice flour
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (64 g) gluten-free oat flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (52 g) millet flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup pureed bananas, from about 3 medium ripe bananas
- ¼ cup safflower or vegetable oil
- ½ cup date paste, see above
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 12 ounces full-fat cream cheese (blocked), room temperature
- ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoons spirulina
INSTRUCTIONS
Date Paste
- In a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over dates and use a spoon to press dates into the water. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften.
- Transfer into a small high-powered blender or a small food processor and blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. This may take several minutes, depending on the power of your blender. Make this up to a month in advance and store in the refrigerator in an air-tight jar. You will use ½ cup of the date paste for this cake.
Spiced Banana Date Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare two 6-inch cake pans by lightly oiling them, lining them with a round of parchment paper, then lightly oiling and dusting the bottom and sides with oat flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, oat flour, millet flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the banana purée, oil, date paste, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until just combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
- Divide between prepared baking pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes (checking after 30 minutes) until a toothpick comes out clean and the top bounces completely back when gently poked. This is a very moist cake, so err on the side of baking too long if you're unsure. Let cool for a few minutes in the pans, then flip onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Make this up to a day in advance, wrap tightly in plastic, and store in the refrigerator.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed.
- Add the cream cheese and beat until completely smooth.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Depending on the temperature of your ingredients and your kitchen, you may find the frosting is a little soft. If this happens, just pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes until it firms up but is still pipe-able!
- To frost, spread about ⅓ -½ cup of frosting between the two cooled cake layers (I piped this to make it easy!). Use a little bit of frosting to create a thin crumb coat on the sides of the cake, scraping it almost all off. Add more frosting to the top and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Chill for 10-15 minutes. When chilled, transfer the remaining frosting into a large piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe three large dots up the side then use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to flatten half the dot and repeat (see process pictures above). Slice and serve!
Karen @ The Food Charlatan -
THOSE PICTURES!! Zoella could not possibly get any cuter. Do you think if I hugged a green cake and smashed it all over the table I would look as cute? I totally would right?
PS I would have been the guest snarfing the stale taco shells.
PPS I'm crashing your taco week. Be there soon. I hope you saved the stale shells.
Sarah Menanix -
Yes. Please do it. Send pictures. Instagram story it. I promise you'll look as cute. Make sure you get the onesie + tutu for the shots too.
YES PLEASE COME.
Emma -
I really want to make this cake for my daughter's birthday in a couple of days but I live out in the country and I can't find sweet rice flour. Can you suggest what else I could use to replace it?
Sarah Menanix -
Hm - I think you could replace it with an all-purpose gf flour blend! I would probably add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, if your blend doesn't have it. Sweet rice flour acts as the binder to make the cake stick together and have chew, so without it, you'll need a gum. Alternatively, you can get the sweet rice flour on Amazon!
Aneesha -
Just made the cake in advance of my little girl’s first bday. YUMMY!!! That’s all I can say. Going to freeze it and frost the day of. Wish me luck!!
Mama B -
Did the freezing go ok? I was hoping to make the cake ahead of time as well!
Sarah Menanix -
I've baked the cakes in advance and frozen with success. Bake the cake, let it cool completely, then wrap the layers in plastic wrap (and into a ziplock bag if it fits!). Pull it out when you're ready to frost and frost it while frozen. The cake will defrost while you frost it - and in my opinion, it's even easier to frost a frozen cake.
Elizabeth Monahan -
Hi there! Can I replace all the flour with all purpose gluten free and add a little xanthum gum? Would the ratios and bake time remain the same?
Sarah Menanix -
While I've not tested it with this exact cake, I have done this with several other gluten-free cakes and that should work just fine. I would substitute the flour by weight not volume. Most AP gf blends have xanthan gum, but if not, you could add a teaspoon. I recommend Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour!
Elizabeth Monahan -
That is perfect, thanks so much!
Abby @ Heart of a Baker -
Zoella is my spirit animal. Hugging a cake sounds like a DREAM! Happy birthday to your little one, she's such a cutie! I actually went to a one year old's birthday party this past weekend and she was not interested in the cake at all. Looks like your babe took the opposite approach :)
Sarah Ghaly -
Looks so nice and delicious. I'm hoping to make this into cupcakes for my sons 2nd bday. Would it keep if I make it, frost it and refrigerate it 2 days ahead of time?
Many thanks,
Sarah
Rebecca Blackwell -
I just love how you decorated this cake and the cupcakes! Happy Birthday to your adorable Zoella! Thanks for sharing her first birthday with us!
christine desroches -
Ahh I love this all so much, that first shot of her smiling at her cake completely melted my heart. She's the cutest, and this party is amazing! Happy birthday to Zoella! xo
Janet -
Basically perishing from the cuteness over here. And wishing I could dial back to my kids' first birthdays and up my game! Truly the cake smashing photo of my son, even without green icing (that song now stuck in my head for the day, thank you) is one of my favorite pictures of him ever. Congratulations!!
sarah -
Wonderful! Such an adorable baby taking great delight in that amazing cake. Sweet photos and beautiful cupcakes!! Happy Birthday to Zoella
Karlie -
She is so beautiful!!! What a lovely birthday, this cake is genius, saving it for the next opportunity.
Lisa / Good on Paper -
Happy Happy Birthday Zoella!!! That smile, that cake and that cake hug, what!!?? So cute!! Sending big hugs!
Lily | Kale & Caramel -
Z is the luckiest girl in the world!! Blown away by you, and the dragon-level badassery of your mom skills. Happy one year!!
Joyce @ Sun Diego Eats -
I had never heard of smash cakes before but those pictures of Zoella are so damn cute! And um, can grown ups have smash cake too because this cake sounds amazinggg.
Sophie MacKenzie -
I love this all so much! The pictures, that cake, your amazing decorating skills, and especially that bb face! I wish we all could party like a 1 year old!
Alanna -
Aw, I'm so glad I didn't miss this (and that I got to try a piece of un-smashed cake - yummmmm!)
2pots2cook -
Oh dear ! You are all so beautiful ! Will do the cake for my son's birthday ! Thank you so much ! All the best to you and your family !
Carla -
YOUR BABY IS ONE. That's INSANE. She's too little and tiny to be that old and also HUGE and BRILLIANT to be only one, so I'm a pile of contradictions. I'm sad I missed the stale taco banner though. :(
Anja -
Your baby looks like she really enjoyed smashing the cake :) :) She's so cute and so it the lovely metal cake holder. Where did you find it if I may ask?
Anja
Use Your Noodles
Sarah Menanix -
I just got it at JoAnn's a couple of weeks ago actually!
Alene -
Hi! I love those pictures. You are a great mom, in my estimation! Since there are no babies here, and no baby cake molds either, I was wondering if you/anyone, might be able to tell me how this might work in a regular cake pan with 2" sides or even in a very small (8") springform? Thank you!
Sarah Menanix -
Hi! Thank you so much! This cake actually uses a normal 6-inch cake pan with 2-inch sides - nothing special or fancy! When you're asking about a "regular cake pan" what size are you referring to? I made a version of this where I used the same amount of batter for 3 6-inch layers and it baked up well, just taking a little less time to bake. That being said, I think you could similarly make this in 2 thinner 8-inch layers, checking for doneness after 25 minutes. Or else you could also make 1.5 times the recipe in two 8-inch layers!
amanda paa -
gosh, this is a true testament to happiness. and unfiltered love and joy. both from zoella to that cake, and you both as parents. i'm so happy she's brought you so much joy.
this cake is just stunning. i'm not very good at cakes, and wow - with your last few posts, i think i'll be hiring you if i'm ever in need. plus this has my favorite flavors. xo
Sheri -
So glad to see you inherited my mad cake decorating skills (HAHAHAHA)...but where is the green shredded coconut :) :) :)
Aysegul Sanford -
What a cutie pie! This is the right way of celebrating a first birthday. You GO GIRL!
And that cake.. I am pinning this to make it for my own birthday in April. I will make sure to hug it and eat it just like Zoe did.. Cause why not?
Much love and hugs. <3
Josephine Vorenkamp -
That cake sounds SO delicious, and that party is perfect! Thank you so much for sharing!
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen -
These are the literally the cutest cake pictures I've ever seen! Zoella is gorgeous - such a fun way to celebrate a birthday. and lol that people ate your taco decorations!!! also I am loving this cake - date paste is such a genius sweetener addition, and I love the sound of maple frosting. Cake for breakfast always!
Izzy @ She Likes Food -
That is the cutest thing!! And the prettiest cake! I just found out that smash cakes were a thing and I can't wait until my little one turns one so I can make him one! And in the meantime I might just have to make this cake for myself because it looks so dang good!! Happy first birthday to Zoella!
Zakiya -
I would like to make this cake for my son's 1st birthday. Is there another flour I can use in place of the sweet rice flour? If not, is there another four combo that will yield the same results? Thanks in advance!
Sarah Menanix -
I don't have a good gluten-free blend that doesn't use sweet rice flour - it's stickiness lends to the soft chewy texture you want in a cake. Are you wanting to keep the recipe gluten-free? If not, I would replace all the flours with all-purpose flour to avoid the sweet rice flour. Sorry I'm not much more help!
Zakiya -
*flour combo*
Charlotte -
I wish I could hug a cake. It looks so good!
Eden Passante -
OMG! These photos are so sweet!! Also, that cake is almost to pretty to smash!! Love everything about this post!
Sarah Menanix -
Aw thank you so much! <3
Erika -
Hi! I'm a huge baking newbie but determined to make this awesome cake for my son this weekend. Can I ask, how far in advance can I make the cake and frost it?
Sarah Menanix -
Hi! You can make the cake up to two weeks in advance and freeze it. Just wrap it up really well in plastic wrap and when you're ready to frost it, just pull it out and frost it and by the time you're done, it'll be defrosted (takes about 40 min to defrost). I recommend frosting it either the day before or the day you want to serve it (best the same day) and store it on the counter (not in the fridge, as that will dry it out). Best of luck!! Please let me know how it goes!
Erika -
Hi Sarah! Thanks for your reply. I decided to make the cake a day before, leave out, and frost the day of.
It was so delicious! The cake was moist (surprising from a gluten free cake!) and the icing was fantastic. My son unfortunately didn't hug the cake but he thought it was a great seat and I have had no problems eating the smashed remains. I will definitely repeat this recipe!
Sarah Menanix -
I'm so glad you loved it - thank you for coming back to let me know! I think this is one of my favorite cakes - not just for my toddler but for me too! Have you tried the chocolate cake on my site? It's similarly moist and I think you'd love it!
Erika -
Hopefully I can find some chocolate extract (going to try tmr) I will absolutely try and make that with some peanut butter frosting (you mention it in the description as an iteration you have tried) for my sister in law's birthday. Is there a PB frosting recipe you recommend?
Sarah Menanix -
If you can't find chocolate extract - don't let that stop you! The cake is still super delicious with just extra vanilla extract in place of the chocolate extract:)
Annie Bunje -
Hi! Can you substitute all purpose flour for the rice flour and GF flour?? If so, is it a 1:1 substitution?
Sarah Menanix -
While I've never tested it this way, I think you could probably replace the sweet rice flour, millet, and oat flours with an all purpose flour! I would do a 1:1 substitution by weight (not volume) - 223g, which looks like approximately 1.75 cups all-purpose flour. Let me know how it turns out! (If you're looking for a gluten-free all purpose flour - I'd recommend Bob's Red Mill All Purpose blend for this!)
Annie Bunje -
Great! I was going to bake it in 8 inch rounds. Do you know if I could just double the recipe?
Sarah Menanix -
I think you could make this in 2 thinner 8-inch layers, checking for doneness after 25 minutes. Or else you could do 1.5 times the recipe in two 8-inch layers!
Stephanie -
Thank you for this beautiful recipe. I made this yesterday for my son's 1st birthday using just gluten free flour and it was lovely. The adults loved it and so did my little man! Do you have a suggestion to make this egg free as well? Would love to be able to accommodate the littlies that have allergies.
Heather Reed -
This is delicious! I made it early so I could test it, and we all love it! This will be my little girls first birthday cake, and I appreciate so much that it is not a giant sugar bomb! I am not good with frosting - but even that turned out! Thank you!!
Ps. Mine turned out a little crumbly. I’m thinking maybe cook a few minutes less or add a pinch of xanthan gum?
Sarah Menanix -
Yay I'm so glad you love it! Oh interesting - I've made this a few times and it's definitely not crumbly for me. I have noticed that certain brands of sweet rice flour tend to influence the impact of the texture of cakes. Which brand did you use? For this cake, I recommend using Mochiko, which I get in the Asian section at my major grocery store or else it's readily available at most Asian supermarkets. That being said, 3/4-1 tsp xanthan gum might fix the issue for you too!
Tori Jarrard -
Can I double this and make cupcakes?
Sarah Menanix -
I actually just turned these into mini cupcakes for my daughter's school birthday celebration! If you use the recipe above, you should get about 11 to 12 regular-sized cupcakes. You'll need to adjust the baking time probably to just 18-24 minutes. This cake is pretty moist, so I tend to err on the side of overbaked and they still turn out delicious!
Ashley -
That’s such an elegantly decorated cake. Which piping tip did you use?
Sarah Menanix -
I used about a 3/4-inch round piping tip - I am not at home right now so I'm not sure the exact number!
Smrity -
I absolutely love your cake recipe & the pics are adorable. I would love to make it for my son who is turning 1 this July. I'm a total noob in baking so would really appreciate you're suggestion. I'm planning a minion themed party. I feel very stupid asking this question but is there any way I can make this cake miniony..!!! :P Please please let me know. Thanks in advance. :)
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you! I found a minion that is probably what I'd make a version of. First, instead of maple syrup, I'd use honey in the frosting. I'd set a little aside to dye blue/black/keep white. Then with the rest, instead of adding spirulina, I would add ground and sifted freeze-dried mangos to make it yellow. I'd use various piping tips with the colors to make the rest of the decorations (I would probably use a little bit of gel dye for the blue/black bc those are harder colors to get naturally)! Hope this helps!
Smrity -
Thank you so much. I really appreciate the quick response. I'll definitely try this out. Fingers crossed it turns out like it's supposed to. Thanks again. Cheers :)
Ruby Lee -
Hi Sarah,
I’m thinking of using your frosting recipe on some cupcakes from another recipe. I was wondering if you think I could make the frosting a night before I frost the cupcakes and store it in the fridge. Would the frosting become too solid from the cold fridge to pipe it the next day? Also would the frosting come together just as nicely with a hand mixer? Thanks for taking time to answer! Looking forward to using your recipe!
Sarah Menanix -
I hope I'm not too late to respond! I always recommend piping/spreading your frosting the day you're going to use it. When you put it in the fridge, it does become quite solid and often will take several hours to soften to room temperature (especially with cream cheese!). I think a hand mixer should work just as well as a stand mixer!
Jenn -
It’s too bad we already chose a Pooh Bear theme for my girls 1 year party next month cause I’m LOVINF that green spirulina frosting. Perhaps a Christmas cake is in order? Yep, it’s settled. Still going to use the recipe for her cupcakes and see how it turns out
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen -
Christmas cake for sure! I just made cupcake and mini cupcake versions of this cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday to bring to daycare and they worked great!
Susan -
Such a beautiful cake! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m planning to make the frosting tomorrow for my daughter’s first birthday cupcakes (in actuality healthy banana muffins haha). How much frosting does it yield? Do you think it’s enough to frost swirls on 12 standard cupcakes?
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen -
Sorry for the late response! Just compared it to my other frosting recipes for cupcakes and I think this is enough to frost about 2.5 dozen cupcakes, so you’ll be good! Hope the party is a blast!
Emily -
Hi! I'm so glad I stumbled upon this cake. My little one is turning 1 next month and I'm hoping to make this. I noticed that substituting all AP flour at 1:1, which I'm hoping will work out and taste just as good as yours. Is there also a recommendation for substituting the oil for butter? Thank you!
Sarah Menanix -
In my experience when you use butter instead of oil in cakes, it tends to produce a more dense cake. If you do want to do that, I would beat the butter (room temperature) first to add some air into it before adding the rest of the liquid ingredients. If you're looking for a different alternative to the the vegetable oil, you could also use coconut oil, which I think would be great! Look forward to hearing how you like the cake!
Ana -
How could I make the frosting without maple syrup or honey? Date paste or applesauce? Thank you!
Sarah Menanix -
Ooo - I think it would be good with date paste, though I've never tried it. It sounds great though! Please let me know if you try it! If you don't want to use date paste, my second option would be to take apple cider and reduce it into a syrup to use (but obviously that's more work!) because I don't think applesauce is concentrated enough for the sweetness to work in the frosting.
Ana -
It worked! Also with applesauce (less sweet). Thanks! <3
Anna -
Hi, this cake looks amazing and would like to make it for my baby's 1st Bday too!!
If doing a regular gluten cake can I sub all the alternative flours for regular all purpose flour? Would other adjustments need to be made?
Thank you!!
Sarah Menanix -
I would replace all the alternative flours with regular all purpose flour by weight (instead of volume). You'll need to be a little more careful with the bake time (the gluten-free flours are a little more forgiving in that regard), but otherwise it should turn out just as delicious!
Roxy -
Thank you for this recipe. I have given it a trial run but being in the UK I think I got the oven temperature conversion wrong. Are you using a fan assisted oven? Also when making the date paste do you drain them and then blend or blend with the water and if so how much water?
Sarah Menanix -
For the date paste, you use 1/2 cup packed (120g) pitted medjool dates, about 6-8 large & 1/4 cup boiling water - after soaking you add everything together to the blender.
I'm not entirely sure what a fan-assisted oven is, but I bake using a standard gas oven (without convection) if that helps? I actually just made this cake again last Friday and am making it again tomorrow for my son's birthday party! I've baked this as mini cupcakes, regular cupcakes, and this weekend I'm trying a bundt! My tip would be to check the oven after 30 minutes and press the middle of the cake for doneness - it should spring back and not leave an indent when it's done. Different things like elevation, pan color, etc. can all vary the bake time a bit.
Amy -
Hi! I tried this recipe and the cake came out a bit too dense. I used the same sweet rice flour brand that you recommended. I also found the icing too soft. I used an icing bag to decorate and had difficulty due to the softer texture. Have you had these issues before? What can I do to remedy them?
Sarah Menanix -
I'm so sorry you had trouble! I've been making this cake now every year since Zo's first birthday (I actually just made a version in a bundt pan decorated like the very hungry caterpillar) - I will say the cake isn't meant to be a light and fluffy cake, but is on the more dense side (think like an applesauce cake or pumpkin cake). Did you measure by weight or volume for the flour?
For the frosting, depending on the temperature of your ingredients (and your kitchen) when you're frosting the cake, you may find the frosting is a little thin. When I make this for my daughter in the winter, we don't have that issue, but I did notice it was thinner when I made it for my son this past July during a heatwave without AC;) If that happens, just pop the frosting in the piping bag in the fridge for 15-20 minutes until it feels firm but pipe-able! I'll update that note on the recipe for other folks! Thank you!
Amy -
I measured the flours by volume. Next time I'll try doing it by weight.
My first attempt was a test run for my daughter's first birthday cake. I did half the batter in a 6 inch cake pan (as a small smash cake) and the other half as cupcakes. I've noticed that the cake came out more dense than the cupcakes.
Have you ever tried reducing the liquid content in the icing? Such as using vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract and/or reducing the maple syrup on the stove so it's less runny?
Sarah Menanix -
Ah yes - I think measuring by weight should make a big diff because different brands of flours can me more or less finely ground which makes volume less accurate.
Oh interesting - I wonder if the 6-inch cake needed to bake less? I've not noticed a big difference in the cake v cupcakes and I make it as both equally as often.
I do sometimes use vanilla bean paste versus vanilla extract depending on what I've got on hand. But I haven't tried to reduce the liquid content in the icing because when chilled a bit, the cream cheese firms back up well (and less steps than reducing the maple syrup). Another note: do you use blocks versus tubs of cream cheese? I've heard that using blocks for frosting is the best route as the tubs can be a little softer/more liquidy. I also primarily use organic cream cheese, but not sure if that makes a difference!
Amy -
I use brick cream cheese.
After much trial and error, I've resigned to sticking with cupcakes because they turn out the best -- even when measuring flours by weight. And gently heating the maple syrup to reduce does help a lot with the consistency of the icing.
My daughter's 1st birthday party is this weekend. I'm going to build a smash cake out of cupcakes.
Heather -
Hi, Amy, I'd like to make this cake for my daughter's 1st bday. Wondering if simmering the maple syrup helped you get a more spreadable frosting? If so, how long did you simmer it for? And for how long? Thank you!
Val -
Hi! I'm a bit late to the party but nevertheless. I'm planning on making this amazing-looking cake for my son's first birthday this week-end, although I'll replace the gluten-free flours with einkorn wheat bread flour as it's all I have. We're 15 so I'll double or triple the quantities (9 bananas does seem like a scary amount though!)... Anyway, how long do you suggest I should bake the bigger cake? Thank you!
Sarah Menanix -
I haven't baked with einkorn bread flour before, but my understanding is that it's not ideal for cakes because it has higher protein content that AP or cake flour, so it will produce a dense cake. I would recommend replacing with AP flour or cake flour by weight (not volume). When baking with wheat flours, your baking time needs to be much more precise than gluten-free flours so as not to over-bake it, and they do tend to have diff baking times. What size pan are you planning to use? I would do the math of the surface area of the cakes to figure out what size pan to use. If you double the recipe, it would bake as a single layer in a 9x12 sheet pan. If you triple the recipe, bake it as a 3-layer 8-inch round cake. And for baking time, I'd start checking for doneness around 25-30 minutes. It should spring back in the center when gently pressed and a toothpick in the center should come out clean or with just a few crumbs.
Val -
I didn't know that about einkorn, i just use it because of the low gluten content, thanks for the info! I ended up buying rice flour and mixing the millet and oat flours in the blender since i didn't find any GF flour blend that wasn't full of glucose and additives. Unfortunately i couldn't make it fine enough and the cake has a really gritty texture. It's very tasty though! I'll definitely make it some other time but I will buy the flour and not try to McGuyver it again
Sarah Menanix -
Bummer! I’ve never tried to make Millet flour in the blender before but I do make oat flour all the time. I imagine you’d need a very high powered blender bc mMillet is so hard. Also - just to clarify: did you use sweet rice flour or white rice flour? If you used white rice flour it will definitely contribute to a gritty texture. Sweet rice flour on the other hand will add stickiness to the flours and chew to the cake - I recommend Mochiko brand!
Elena -
Hello. This recipe looks great! I only have two 9" spring-form pans. Would this recipe work for that size or should I make some adjustments?
Rose -
Hi, i've attempted 2 trial runs now in preparation for my sons first birthday and each time the cake hasn't really risen - about an inch deep both times. Any ideas where i may be going wrong? beating the mixture too much/little? I'm novice baker so pretty clueless really.
Thanks!!
Sarah Menanix -
That is very strange! I've never had that issue, but my guess is that possibly your baking soda or baking powder need to be replaced?
Lina -
Thank you for this great recipe! I’m a novice baker and I followed the tips in the comments to make this recipe for cupcakes, and it was so delicious! But I have a problem with the frosting, it was not as smooth as yours. It was a little bit granulated but I still can pipe it. Do you have any tips?
Sarah Menanix -
I think probably your butter or cream cheese were too soft (probably the butter)! You want it to be softened, but still a bit firm to the touch. When either get too soft, the fat separates and can create a granulated texture. Hope this helps!
Katharine -
Can I substitute almond flour for all the flours in the recipe?
Sarah Menanix -
I would not recommend that as the cake will likely be very crumbly. Almond flour also has a much higher oil content so you'd have to make other adjustments. I might try doing 50/50 almond flour and oat flour, but you'd need to test it first because of the moisture content!
Lacey -
How long would you bake this if made in 4" tins please?
Sarah Menanix -
I've never tried it but to bake it in 4-inch tins, you'll likely want to divide it among four tins (instead of 2) because of the volume of the batter. I would start with 25 minutes then check it every 5 minutes by pressing the top gently with your finger - it should spring back. Hope this helps!
Lacey -
Thank you very much! I made this as a test run in the 6inch tins but it just seems too big for his first birthday! The recipe is lovely! I will use the left over batter for cupcakes so everyone else can enjoy!
Sonya -
Hi, I read everything but must be missing it-how do we get the icing to be green in color? Thanks!
Sarah Menanix -
If you want to tint it green, add the optional "Optional: 1-2 teaspoons spirulina" when mixing up the frosting!
Sonya -
Thank you for the fast response! I thought spirulina was a sweetener so I missed that.
es -
What a happy celebration your daughter has! My questions have to do with the milk you use. Have you made this recipe with coconut milk or nut milk instead of the regular milk? Is the texture of the cake affected? Also, is there a substitute for the millet flour? Looking forward to your reply. And thank you for sharing.
Sarah Menanix -
While I haven't tried it, I think any nut milk would work fine as a sub in this recipe! You could also try swapping the millet flour for sorghum flour or an all-purpose gluten-free flour. Hope this helps!
Jana -
Hi, could I use almond flour instead of rice flour?
Thanks
Sarah Menanix -
I would not recommend this substitution, sweet rice flour (also called mochiko or sticky rice flour, which is different than white rice flour or brown rice flour) is what adds the stickiness that holds the cake together and gives it the chewiness you would find in a traditional gluten cake.
Sneha Kaluskar -
Hi Sarah,
I am planning to bake this cake for my daughter’s first bday. It looks like amazing healthy recipe. I only have a question about sweet rice flour. Is it sweetened naturally? Where do I get this? And if I want to skip the millet flour what adjustments I need to do?
Looking forward to your reply.
Thanks,
Sneha
Sarah Menanix -
Hi! Sweet rice flour, despite its name, is not actually sweetened at all. This particular rice flour has more starch and is super sticky, and it's what is typically used to make mochi. It's also called glutinous rice flour (though it also doesn't contain gluten ha!). I would recommend getting it on amazon. I also have found it in the Asian section of my major supermarket and they'll definitely have it at an Asian supermarket if you've got one nearby.
To substitute for millet flour, I would recommend teff flour, chestnut flour, or all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Sneha Kaluskar -
Thank you so much Sarah 😊
Tania -
Hi There,
As it doesn't need to be gluten-free for my little one, I was thinking of trying to do a combo of whole wheat and all purpose flour. Do you think it will be too dense if using whole wheat flour? I will just go with all purpose if that's the case. Also, have you ever tried it without adding the maple syrup to the cake? I'm wondering if the bananas and dates will lend enough sweetness given there's also maple syrup in the frosting?
Thanks!
Sarah Menanix -
I think substituting the gluten-free flours (by weight) with all-purpose flour should work great, but I'm not entirely sure how whole wheat will bake up into the cake - my hunch is that it would be a bit dense (and this is already a more-dense cake because of the bananas/dates). I haven't tried it without maple syrup, but the cake is not super sweet so I imagine it wouldn't be sweet enough without (it also adds moisture so you'd have to adjust the flours as well). You could probably replace the maple syrup with more date syrup though. But since I haven't tried it, I can't say for certain how it would turn out.
Tania -
Thanks so much for the quick reply! Sounds like all-purpose is the way to go. I plan on doing a test run or two (largely to practice the decorating side of things) so I will play around with the sweeteners and let you know how they turn out.
Sarah Menanix -
Please do! I'd love to know (and it'll be helpful for others too!) Good luck :)
Naila -
This cake looks wonderful. I stumbled upon it while searching for a frostable icing that isn't loaded with sugar. Cream cheese!
Like the previous comment, I don't need to go Gluten free so I am hoping to replace the 1-1/4 cups of flours with AP flour. I plan to use two 6" pans like the recipe. Do you anticipate any issues with this substitution? If I can make the change, is it safe to stick to the same amounts of all the other ingredients? Would the bake time remain the same?
Thank you :)
Sarah Menanix -
While I haven't tested it with this cake so I can't say for certain, I think substituting the gluten-free flours (by weight) with all-purpose flour, keeping all other ingredients the same should work just fine! I have made this substitution with other recipes before. You may have to adjust the bake time, though since I haven't tried it, I can't say if and for how long. I would just check on it after 28 min or so - when it's finished, it will spring back in the center when gently touched and a toothpick will come out clean or with just a few crumbs. Good luck!
naila -
Thank you for the response! I will be trying it this week :)
Susan -
I baked this cake for my daughter's first birthday. I checked the cakes at 30 mins as suggested and they both looked dry on top, were quite set and the cake tester came out clean so I took them out. Sadly they were FAR from baked. The whole cake was so underbaked and so gooey it was really not even edible. The guests were polite about it and some choked a piece down but I was really embarrassed about it. I'm sure if I'd left them in for the full 40-45 mins it would have been fine but I just wanted to let others know that the cakes might look completely baked on the surface and even have a clean tester. I think with the glutenous rice flour and the dates you probably cannot really overbake this cake, it will still retain it's chewyness if you err on the side of overbaking it.
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks for your note and I'm so sorry your cake was underbaked! Yes, with this cake and most of my gluten-free cakes, I always recommend err on the side of overbaking. This one in particular is a very moist cake (due to the dates and banana) so it should completely spring back when gently touched on top. I'll make sure to update above to make it clear to folks to err on the side baking longer!
Francesca -
I have no idea why but my icing completely split. I used mascarpone instead of cream cheese but I’ve done that before in other recipes and it didn’t happen. Completely split and curdled instead of beating smooth
Sarah Menanix -
This particular frosting relies on the thickness of cream cheese because it doesn't have the powdered sugar to stabilize and thicken, so I would not recommend mascarpone as a substitute. Mascarpone tends to be quite a bit thinner (and more spreadable) than cream cheese, so I would recommend making a whipped mascarpone instead if you're aiming to use mascarpone.
Kitty -
My daughter's first birthday is coming right up and I'm planning on giving this recipe a go! However, as I've been unable to get hold of any good organic cream cheese, I was wondering if it's possible to substitute this with the appropriately thick though perhaps a tad too tangy Middle Eastern variant, labneh? I've found plenty of other (mostly carrot cake) recipes which use it in place of cream cheese for the frosting but all rely heavily on icing sugar. I'm a bit concerned I'll end up using way too much maple syrup... but suppose additional date paste could work? Do you have any suggestions for reducing tartness?
Thanks in advance!
Sarah Menanix -
Hmm - I don't have a ton of experience with labneh, but my understanding is that it's quite a bit softer than cream cheese, almost more like whipped cream cheese. Is this correct? You really do need the cream cheese to be quite thick to make this frosting work without icing sugar for stabilizing it. I have also tried this recipe with Philadelphia cream cheese's non-organic cream cheese and it works! If you find the frosting too soft after mixing, just chill it for 30 minutes to an hour before spreading it on the cake.
Stefi -
Hello, I’m thinking to make this cake for my little boy:) He turns one tomorrow ! I wondered if I could add blueberries to the frosting ( as a natural colouring ) ?
P.S: Your cake looks delicious
Thank you :)
Monika -
Hi Sarah, can you please recommend the cream cheese you use? Which brand??
Thanks,
Sarah Menanix -
Hi! I use blocked cream cheese and the brands I buy most often are Philadelphia, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods 365 brands. Just be sure not to get one that's reduced-fat or in a tub as they'll have very different consistency.
Charlotte -
Hi! This looks delicious. I'm thinking about making this for my son's first birthday but as cupcakes instead. How long would you bake for if made into cupcakes?
Sarah Menanix -
You can bake this as mini or full-size cupcakes. Fill the lined cupcake tray ¾ full and bake for 14-16 minutes for mini or 20-24 minutes for full-sized cupcakes, or until the cake springs back when touched with your finger.
Rebekah -
Hi! I’m planning on making this for my daughter’s smash cake! I was wondering if a pure maple syrup sugar would be a good way to make the frosting more stable and less soft? I was thinking of grinding it into a fine powder, like powdered sugar.
Michelle Fox -
I love the idea of this cake, and I pinned it years ago! I really want to make it for my son‘s second birthday next week, but I’m wondering if I could just use a gluten-free flour blend, but I’m not sure how to calculate how much I would need? Do you have any idea how much of one type of flour it would need?
Thank you!!
Mel -
Hi! Am I able to bake in one 6inch tin then cut in half?
Will the crumbs be an issue when icing?
Can't wait to try it!!
Sarah Menanix -
I would not recommend baking this recipe in just one 6-inch tin. This cake is already a very thick cake as a 6-inch layer and if you tried to put all the batter in one tin, it would likely overflow. It would also not bake evenly or properly (ex. the outsides would get VERY dry before the center finished baking). You could halve the recipe and bake it in just one tin and then cut the layer in half. I think as long as you did a "crumb coat" of frosting it should be fine! In other words, do one thin layer of frosting where you capture all the crumbs, then chill the cake, then put the final pretty layer of frosting on top.
Colleen -
Hi Sarah, this recipe looks so good and I'm tempted to try it for my son's upcoming first birthday! I'm wondering if you might have a tutorial (or be able to recommend one?) for the frosting? I'm a total novice! Thanks so much
C Thomasy -
Hey thanks for the recipe!! I only have 1x 6-inch pan. Can I divide the batter and cook it one at a time? Then put the remaining batter in the fridge while the other cake is cooking.
Sarah Menanix -
I think it would be just fine to bake it one at a time, but I would keep the remaining batter at room temperature. When the first one comes out of the oven, turn it out onto a wire rack to cool. Wash the pan to cool it down and then put the remaining batter in and bake.
Alternatively, you could bake a few cupcakes alongside the 6-inch cake:)
Rebecca -
Sorry for asking this, but how would you modify this recipe if you were to add sugar to it?
I made a trial run of the smash cake and it seems good to me texture wise, but unfortunately I can’t taste it due to a cold! My sweet toothed significant other says to maybe make the “adult” version with sugar or applesauce.
Sarah Menanix -
Hmm - when I make this for 1st birthdays, I make a chocolate cake for the adults:) I don't think applesauce would make it much sweeter than dates, but sugar would.
I'd have to test it to see how to sub out the date paste for sugar. For a similar warm flavor profile, I'd recommend this cake for the adults OR my favorite chocolate cake/cupcakes .
Victoria -
I’m making this cake this weekend but also wanted to make a big version for the rest of the family. I have several people who don’t care for banana, does pumpkin work as a substitute? I really wish I had time to do a test run myself but hoping you might have some guidance on making this work.
Sarah @ Snixy Kitchen -
When I make this for kids birthday parties I always make something different for adults to enjoy. If you’re looking for refined sugar free, I recommend this snack cake. If you’re not needing refined sugar free, I have a few pumpkin cake recipes too!
Ramona -
I usually don't leave reviews but people need to know that this is the tastiest most moist cake they can make and it's also super healthy. Can't get any better than that ! It'll become a go to cake in my household. Thank you for creating this amazing recipe.
Lotta -
Has anyone tried making this vegan? Simply put, is there any idea how to substitute the eggs? I am thinking of flax eggs or applesauce…