A healthier smash cake recipe, made without butter or refined sugars. This easy whole wheat banana cake is sure to be a hit with your birthday girl or boy!
Ripe bananas and applesauce replace the butter, adds moisture and natural sweetness.
Using 100% whole grain flour is much healthier than white flour. It also makes a denser cake like a muffin rather than a fluffy cake.
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My son is only a few months off turning two years old. I’m not sure where the past year has gone- it seems like just yesterday that he just turned one. Which reminds me, i am going to have to pull out that healthy birthday cake recipe I made for his last birthday for his two-year-old birthday.
Before my son’s first birthday, we haven’t given Greyson anything sweeter than fresh berries or bananas, so giving him a sugar-filled cake for his first birthday didn’t make sense to me. I knew that he would love a healthier cake just as much. Still, to this day we still have not given him any refined sugar or junk food (including chips, burgers, sweet cookies, cake etc).
Recipe type:
Dessert
Serves:
Makes a double layer 4 ½-inch cake, or one 6-inch cake, or 7 cupcakes. You can double the recipe.
Ingredients
- butter and whole wheat flour for the pans
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 medium ripe banana (about 3 ounces)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup milk (whole preferred)
- (¼ cup pure maple syrup) OPTIONAL
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream or natural yogurt
Cake Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the cake pans and lightly dust with whole wheat flour, tapping out the excess. (I used two 4½-inch pans. You can also use one 6-inch pan or make cupcakes.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Place banana, applesauce, milk, (and maple syrup-optional) in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup. Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry and mix with a rubber spatula or spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; it’s ok if there are a few bits of flour still visible in the batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pans. Pans should be just over half full with the batter. Bake for about 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (Cupcakes will bake for about 14-16 minutes.)
- Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then, gently run a knife around the edges and carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting Directions:
To frost a double layer cake white:
First, add a spoonful of frosting to the top of the bottom layer. Place the second cake layer on top. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting over the top of the cake and then down the sides.
To Make Purple Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Place frozen blueberries and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring often, until blueberries soften and burst, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Transfer blueberry mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. Place in a bowl to cool completely.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream until it is the consistency of whipped cream. Gently fold in the blueberry mixture. Frost cake as desired.
Grey and Gold 