Recipe: Healthy Smash Cake (first birthday cake)

HEALTHY SMASH CAKE



Makes 2 small cakes

FOR THE CAKE:
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) all-purpose flour*
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole wheat flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) baking soda
1/4 cup (60 ml) carrot or sweet potato puree
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk or plant-based milk
1/3 cup (80 ml) applesauce
1/2 cup (120 ml) sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) cooking oil
1 banana, mashed
1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon juice
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) blueberries
FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon (15 ml) powdered sugar
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh blueberries
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (163C). Grease two miniature Bundt pans or 4-inch (10cm) cake pans with butter or cooking oil.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours and baking soda.

In a second bowl, combine the carrot or sweet potato puree, milk, applesauce, sugar, cooking oil, mashed banana, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fairly smooth.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, and then mix until well combined. Gently fold in blueberries, then pour into cake pans.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes,* or until firm and golden brown. To test for doneness, stick a dry toothpick in the center of the cake. When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.

Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 30 minutes before turning them out onto cooling racks.

To make whipped cream, combine heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar and whisk with electric mixer for several minutes at the highest speed, or until the cream forms soft peaks that easily hold their shape. Store whipped cream in the refrigerator until cake is served.

When cakes have cooled completely, top with whipped cream and fresh berries just before serving.

*If using gluten-free flour, bake for an extra 10 to 15 minutes.

FROM THE AUTHOR:
"One tradition that I dreaded upon my son's own first birthday was his first bite of cake. It's not that I'm opposed to a mess, or even my child getting his first real sugar rush. I might be kinda crunchy, but I'm really not too uptight. It was just kind of a bummer to have spent the last twelve months (well, more like twenty-two if you count pregnancy) fiercely defending this new life from things like synthetic chemicals, potential toxins, and sketchy foods only to plop him into a pile of hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup, and food dye on his first birthday. As his party approached, I had my heart set on baking him a special healthy cake. But then life went upside-down (like it does) and I ran out of time to make it for him. We ended up getting a giant sheet cake from the local wholesale store-slathered in rainbow-colored frosting and sporting an ingredient list that I would have needed a magnifying glass to decipher. Did we all survive? Yes. Did we sleep that night? No. If I had that day to do over again, I would have baked him this cake. It's made with fruits and veggies and all-natural goodies! Mountainous peaks of freshly whipped cream give baby plenty of ammunition for creating that adorable mess we have all come to expect in first birthday photographs."

Source: The Handmade Mama: Simple Crafts, Healthy Recipes, and Natural Bath + Body Products for Mama and Baby by Mary Helen Leonard. (Spring House Press; May 1, 2018, ISBN: 978-1940611716).