After trying out a few recipes and purchasing tiny cake pans, I am ready to debut my first recipe: a smash cake for my daughter’s first birthday. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be agonizing over every ingredient that goes into a cake that will likely end up on the ground (and, subsequently, as dog food), I’m not sure I would have believed you…but here we are! Motherhood has changed me. This recipe is an adaptation of my favorite carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Both the baby and the dog love carrots, so whoever ends up eating it will inevitably be pleased. Win/win.
The Cake
When I say carrot cake, I am not joking. This puppy has a lot of carrots in it. The batter is going to seem wrong, but it’s going to turn out GRATE. Trust me, I’m an (eye) doctor. Hey, and carrots are good for the eyes (thank you, beta-carotene). For the flour, I chose a combination of whole wheat flour and almond flour. Either/both of these can be replaced with oat flour if your little one has a nut allergy or gluten intolerance, but it will result in a denser sponge.
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce (I make my own stewed apples with cinnamon and blend in the food processor until smooth)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk (any kind)
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups grated carrots
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, eggs, milk, and spices until smooth. Add in the flours and soda and whisk together until just combined. Fold in carrots until evenly distributed. Pour into two 5-inch cake pans, greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pan.
The Frosting
I really wanted a pipable, flavorful, white frosting…with an option for an accent color. In the past, I have used straight cream cheese as frosting, but it dried and cracked in the fridge when it sat overnight. Not ideal. This recipe turned out just right…tangy and creamy!
- 8-oz block of cream cheese (not reduced fat), room temperature
- 1/4 cup whole milk greek yogurt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp freeze-dried strawberries, ground in food processor (optional)
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a hand mixer) fitted with whisk attachment, whip the whipping cream on high until stiff. Don’t underwhip! Move the whipped cream into a separate bowl and set aside. In mixing bowl, add cream cheese and greek yogurt. Whip on high until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add whipped cream into cream cheese mixture and fold in with rubber spatula.
Turn out the first layer of your cooled cake, flat side down. Pro tip: don’t forget to take the parchment paper off of the bottom of the cake. Spread about 1/4 of the frosting on top of the layer before stacking on the second cooled layer. Use remaining frosting to cover the sides and top. I saved a little bit of frosting back to mix with the freeze-dried strawberries for some color. You could use food coloring if you’d prefer…or another ground-up freeze-dried fruit. I used a star tip and a piping bag to make a border around the cake. It definitely looks homemade, but fancy homemade.
Baby tested…baby approved!
Baking for the Baby 