This First Birthday Smash Cake with Yogurt Frosting is an easy and super special first birthday cake. It’s moist, flavorful, and so yummy—and has the creamiest yogurt frosting. Find everything you need to make this vanilla oat smash cake, plus allergy-friendly and make-ahead options.
I first learned to make this healthy first birthday cake from a friend when she made it for her daughter Ruby, and I’ve now made this cake about a dozen times in various forms over the years. I love both how easy it is to make—no special skills required!—and how good the final result tastes.
The tender crumb of the smash cake is paired with a yogurt-based frosting for results that are as delicious as they are fun for the kids to smash.
This is a perfect first birthday cake option since it’s sweetened with maple syrup and has plenty of flavor and healthy fats. It can also be made ahead of time too, which is helpful when planning first birthday party ideas for a little one.
(You may also like Blueberry Smash Cake, Sweet Potato Baby Cake, and my full list of Kids Birthday Cake Recipes.)
Table of Contents
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1st Birthday Smash Cake Recipe
This healthy first birthday cake is made with whole grains and natural sweeteners and is a fun way to celebrate the big day! The cake tastes like maple and vanilla, with a slightly tangy yogurt frosting.
We like to top it with fresh fruit for a simple and bright finish.
What’s a smash cake?
A smash cake is a first birthday cake meant for a baby turning 1. The idea is that they will eat, smash, and generally make a mess of it as they explore this new food by using their hands and sometimes their bodies! (It’s usually placed in front of baby on a highchair or on the floor on a sheet or drop cloth.) It’s a fun tradition to mark a big milestone, and this version of a smash cake is an easy one to make at home.
TIP: You can place the cake onto the baby highchair, or onto the floor with baby set on top of a sheet to contain the mess a bit.
Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at what you need to make this first birthday smash cake recipe to share with baby so you know what to have on hand.
- Oat flour: You can use store-bought oat flour or make your own by grinding rolled oats into a fine flour in the blender. I love using this ingredient because it creates a wonderful texture and adds nice flavor to the cake.
- Eggs: I bake and cook with large size eggs, so plan to use them here. They help bind the batter together and give the cake structure.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in baking so it’s easy to control the level of salt in the recipe.
- Maple syrup: This natural sweetener adds flavor, sweetness, and moisture.
- Vanilla extract: You can use regular vanilla extract or an alcohol-free option.
Ingredient Substitutions
Gluten-Free First Birthday Cake: If you need to make this gluten-free, you can use certified gluten-free oats or gluten-free oat flour.
Dairy-Free Smash Cake: You can make this recipe without dairy by using coconut oil and a dairy-free yogurt. See the Notes section at the bottom of the recipe card for the details.
Egg-Free Smash Cake: To make this without eggs, there are a few adjustments you’ll want to make to the batter, including adding ripe banana and a small amount of regular flour to help bind the batter together. The banana flavor is subtle and the cake is moist and sweet. See the Notes section at the bottom of the recipe for the details.
(This Blueberry Smash Cake is also egg-free.)
Step-by-Step Instructions
The process for making this first birthday cake is simple. Here’s a preview of the process so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the end of this post for the full recipe and all the variations.
Step 1. Lightly beat the eggs. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and stir.
Step 2. Gently stir together the dry ingredients and add to the wet.
Step 3. Divide the batter between greased cake pans. Bake until lightly golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
Step 4. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack while still in the pan. The cakes must cool completely to hold their fluffy structure.
TIP: You can make this recipe in 5-inch pans, 6-inch cake pans, 8-inch cake pans, or cupcakes.
How to Make Yogurt Frosting
The frosting for this smash cake is made with whole milk plain Greek yogurt, a little maple syrup, and a touch of vanilla extract. It’s slightly tangy from the yogurt and super simple to make. (And there’s no need for cups and cups of powdered sugar to make it thick and spreadable!)
Step 5. Strain the yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth or paper towels over a bowl. This makes it thicker, as it helps to remove some of the liquid in the yogurt.
Step 6. Stir yogurt together with maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl. You can use a spoon or a hand-held mixer if you prefer.
Step 7. Add some frosting on top of the first layer. Spread. Add another cake and more frosting.
Step 8. Add the third cake, if using an additional cake layer. Top with the rest of the frosting. Add berries if you’d like.
TIP: You can leave it plain, top the layers with berries, add sprinkles, or add a candle for baby’s first birthday.
Frequently Asked Questions
It does contain natural sugars from maple syrup. Your little one’s first birthday is a big celebration, so it’s only fitting that they have a really special cake to mark the day! (Though this is so good you might hope they don’t smash it so you can have a piece for yourself. I usually use just two layers of the cake for the smash cake and save the third one so the rest of us can have a slice!)
TIP: If you want to use less maple syrup, a few people have replaced half of it with very smooth mashed bananas.
This cake, due to the oat flour, is a little denser than a traditional yellow cake. It will smash just fine, though, and has a wonderful flavor from the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
A smash cake is a cake meant to be placed in front of a baby on their first birthday and smashed, eaten, or explored in any way the child chooses. A cake is usually just sliced and enjoyed.
How to Store
This is a great first birthday cake to make in advance, especially if you’ll be busy celebrating your new toddler on their big day. Simply bake the cakes and make the frosting the day before. Store the cakes, once fully cooled after baking, in airtight containers (in one layer) at room temperature.
Store the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge.
TIP: I recommend frosting the first birthday cake just before serving, but you can frost up to an hour ahead and leave it at room temperature.
Make Ahead Tips
To Make the Cakes Ahead: You can bake the cakes up to a day ahead. Let cool fully on wire racks and store at room temperature in an airtight container. Frost just before serving.
To Make the Frosting Ahead: Prepare the frosting as directed and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours
Best Tips for Success
- Let the first birthday cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning them out onto the rack for the best texture.
- You can try making this 1st birthday cake with whole wheat flour if you prefer—though check for doneness closer to 18-22 minutes and stir very gently to avoid overworking the batter.
- To Use Three 4-Inch Pans: Divide the healthy smash cake recipe in half. The baking time will be 16-18 minutes and the layers will be slightly thinner than shown here.
- To Use Three 6-Inch Pans: The baking time will be 20-22 minutes, and the layers will be slightly thinner than shown here.
- To Use Two 8-Inch Pans: Bake in two 8-inch round cake pans, using about 2 cups of batter in each pan and baking for 18-20 minutes. The layers will be thinner than shown here.
- To Make as Cupcakes: Use about 3 tablespoons of the batter in each paper cupcake liner to make about 16 cupcakes. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (I did 20 minutes). The rest of the recipe is the same.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this first birthday cake, so please rate and comment below to share!
First Birthday Smash Cake (with Yogurt Frosting)
Ingredients
Greek Yogurt Frosting
- 1½ cups whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Oat Cake
- 3 cups oat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 4 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh berries to garnish
Instructions
To make the Frosting:
- Place 1½ cups whole milk yogurt in a sieve or fine-mesh strainer lined with a paper towel with a bowl underneath. Let sit for 30 minutes or up to overnight, covered in the fridge. (This helps ensure that the frosting is nice and thick.)
- Transfer the yogurt to a bowl and stir in 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Trace one 5-inch cake pans onto parchment paper and cut out three times to make the rounds. Trim slightly to fit inside the bottom of each pan.
- Grease three 5-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and place a round of parchment inside of each. Grease again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between prepared cake pans, using about 1⅓ cups batter in each pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 22-26 minutes. Remove from oven and place pans onto a wire rack. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then carefully invert to cool fully. Discard parchment paper rounds.
- To assemble, place one cake on your serving plate. Top with about ⅓-½ cup of frosting, spreading it in an even layer just past the edges. Add the second, repeat with frosting, and then repeat with the third cake . Use an offset spatula or knife to scrape off the frosting overhang for a "naked" cake look, or use additional frosting to coat the entire cake.
- Top with berries and serve…as in, let the birthday kiddo dig in!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post was first published May 2017.
Hello,
Is there anything that I can substitute the Maple Syrup fo? Something sugar-free?
Thanks,
Valentina
You could use date-syrup, which has sugar from the dates. If you’d like a cake without added sweeteners you can look at this yummy recipe: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/favorite-one-year-old-birthday-cake/
My baby is allergic to oats. Can I just use regular all purpose flour?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure. You can also check out some of my other birthday cake recipes here: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/kids-birthday-cake-recipes/
My daughter turning one is suspected fpies to oats so I will be trying this tomorrow with regular flour and report back! Made it for my son’s first and second birthdays the past two years and followed the recipe but need to change it for baby girl.
It worked with all purpose flour! Definitely changed the texture and taste from original recipe but it was still tasty. Baby girl devoured it
Planning to bake this cake using a dome cake pan (baseball theme party). Do you know what the baking times should be in this case? Will the frosting hold up well to use on the outside of the cake with this shape?
The frosting should be fine but I am unsure about the baking time as I have not tried it in that type of pan and I don’t have the volume or depth. Do you know what those are? My main concern would be if it’s very thick, the middle might be challenging to get to bake all the way through.
Hi there, thanks for the feedback. The instructions on the box do say 5 cups of batter is needed and to bake at 350 degrees.
I used this recipe for my son’s 1st and it was so good!
My daughter is allergic to eggs. Where in the recipe do I add the flaxseed? With the wet or dry ingredients? Thanks!!
Hi- You can add it with the dry ingredients. Enjoy!
Any ideas how I can make this sugar free (or syrup free)? Could I use banana or apple sauce instead of the maple syrup?
I haven’t made this that way so I can’t say for sure, but it might work. There is also this recipe which is added sugar free: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/favorite-one-year-old-birthday-cake/
This recipe is amazing. The execution was easy and the end result was super delicious. I tried this for my baby’s firth birthday. He did not smash it as we hoped but thanks to that we were all able to taste the cake. Everyone loved it! I got so much compliments. I do not bake and this is such a good recipe for a starter who just wants to do something nice for their child. Thanks a lot!
I can’t find oat flour where I am can all purpose be subbed?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but you can always make oat flour according to the directions in the Notes at the end of the recipe.
Could I use your chocolate frosting with this cake? I want to decorate based off the theme so I wanted to use the chocolate frosting for like a wood look.
Sure!
Could I use coconut sugar instead of maple syrup or will it be too dry? Thanks!
It won’t work the same due to the loss of liquid. It might work to add some milk to compensate, but I haven’t tested it that way so I’m not completely sure how much you’d need. Let me know if you try it!
Can you freeze this cake?
Sure!
This was easy to make and the instructions were perfect. I made a day in advance. My son loved it, but my husband may have liked it more. It didn’t necessarily crumble about but it withstood some serious smacking from my 1 year old.
This was a fantastic recipe! I made a 2.5× batch for my son’s 2nd birthday today and baked as mini cupcakes. Everyone loved them (one of my older nephews ate at least 8 or 9 by himself!) The cake batter was very easy to mix together and it only took about 15 minutes for the mini-sized cupcakes to cook.
One change I made was to sub some banana for part of the maple syrup since I was making so many cupcakes. For each batch, I mashed the banana in the measuring cup, then added enough maple syrup to get to the 1 cup mark. There was no overt banana taste, and the texture seemed unaffected as well.
I loved the idea of using extra-thick Greek yogurt as a frosting, and I got tons of compliments on the idea. My husband especially liked how light the frosting was instead of being overly sweet and rich like a buttercream can sometimes be.
Thanks so much for this keeper of a recipe!
Hi! Excited to try this for my son’s first birthday this weekend. I accidentally bought normal whole milk yogurt. Any idea if this week be an okay substitution for the Greek yogurt?
You will want to line a colander or strainer with cheesecloth or paper towels, set it over a bowl, and strain the yogurt to remove enough liquid that it’s closer to the consistency of Greek yogurt. This will ensure the frosting is thick enough. I would do it for about 2 hours. You will see liquid in the bowl.
Only have 2 cups of oat flour- what could I use for the 3rd cup? Would ground almonds/almond flour work?
Thanks
I would use all purpose flour if you have that on hand.