Vanilla Oat Smash Cake with Yogurt Frosting

Vanilla Oat Smash Cake with Yogurt Frosting

This First Birthday Smash Cake has a base of rolled oats and is simply decorated—so your little one can dig right into the deliciousness. You can start prepping the frosting the night before. This recipe is baked in mini cake pans to create a small, personally sized cake for your newly minted toddler.

Course Cake

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 22

Total Time 52

Servings (Makes 1 smash cake or serves 8-12)

Calories 518kcal

Author Amy Palanjian

Equipment

Ingredients

Greek Yogurt Frosting

1½ cups whole milk 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

US Customary - Metric

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.
Transfer the yogurt to a bowl and stir in 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup and 1/4 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!

Notes

This makes a tall cake, so you can use just two layers of the cake for the smash cake and save the third one so the rest of the family can have a slice.

To Make This Cake 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.

To Bake in Three 4-Inch Pans: Cut the recipe in half. The baking time will be 16-18 minutes and the layers will be slightly thinner than shown here.

To Bake in Three 6-Inch Pans: The baking time will be 20-22 minutes and the layers will be slightly thinner than shown here.

To Bake in 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 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.

To Make Oat Flour: Place rolled oats into a blender. Cover and grind until it resembles a fairly fine flour. Measure the amount of flour needed for the cake after grinding.

Dairy-Free: Use melted and cooled coconut oil in place of the butter and nondairy Greek-style yogurt for the frosting.

Egg-Free: Follow the recipe as written, using the ingredient list below, and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, testing the center with a cake tester to be sure it's done. Let it cool completely in the pan. Store it in the fridge if you need to make it ahead.

2 cups oat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, 1 cup maple syrup, 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups sliced banana), 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nutrition