Delicious & Healthy First Birthday Cake Recipe

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I almost didn't have a cake for my baby's first birthday. I didn't want him having the sugar, dyes, and overall garbage that's in most cakes.

I kept telling myself, "He's too little to even notice. Skipping the cake doesn't make me a bad mom." But deep down, I really did want my baby to have a cake on his birthday.

The idea of baking a cake from scratch crossed my mind, but finding a recipe that tasted good with healthy ingredients seemed more trouble than it was worth -- especially if this was going to be a typical smash cake situation where Baby has a couple bites and then he’s done.

Friends of mine reminded me that the cake was more for capturing memories than for eating. And it only mattered if my baby thought it tasted good.

Motivated by their encouragement, I found a gem on eatingbirdfood.com -- a recipe that I could tweak to my liking.

I've used it again year after year, and this time for his 3rd birthday we went with cupcakes.

'Healthy' Birthday Cake Recipe:

What You Need:

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/3 cup avocado oil

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour

• 1 cup cassava flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Let's Bake:

• Heat your oven to 350°F. Get three small bowls (or one cupcake pan) ready by greasing them or lining them with parchment paper. (I used 2 cup glass bowls.)

• Whisk all the wet ingredients in a big bowl.

• In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

• Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, mixing just enough to blend them together.

• Pour the batter into your prepared bowls and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden-brown. (Bake 15-20 minutes for cupcakes.)

For his first birthday, I used a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter on each layer of cake to spice it up visually and added a layer of frosting between each.

Now, about that frosting -- I’m still on the hunt for the perfect one. The one I tried didn’t quite hit the mark. So, for now, I say stick with mashed sweet potatoes if you’re looking for a healthy 'glue' for your cake layers for a first birthday. They’re sweet, healthy, and baby-approved!

If you're making cupcakes, you could skip the frosting altogether. That's what we did this year.

xo, Mary

It wasn't the prettiest cake to look at, but it was yummy and filled with wholesome ingredients! That's what matters most to me.