I love to bake – and I love to make sweet treats for birthdays. So when my sister asked for a sugar-free, gluten-free, kid-friendly first birthday smash cake for the twins – I panicked.
Sure I’ve made “heathy” desserts before – and always lean that way if possible. But how in the world could I make a cute Watermelon-themed first birthday cake with none of usual tips and tricks?
Enter the refined sugar-free, gluten-free, banana birthday smash cake with cream cheese icing recipe.
Apparently, the watermelon smash birthday cake was a hit….
And for the adults – I whipped up a “sugar-please” batch of watermelon cupcakes.
Children's Birthday Smash Cake : Sugar-free & Gluten-free Watermelon Cake
2017-08-20 19:52:18
An easy sugar-free, gluten-free birthday cake - mom and kid tested - for any birthday celebration.
Ingredients
- 4 - 5 ripe organic bananas
- 1/2 cup natural applesauce (no sugar added)
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Cream Cheese Icing (naturally sweetened)
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup apple juice (no sugar added)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F and spray two 8” or 9″round pans with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mash the bananas in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until blended.
- Add the mashed bananas, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix well until incorporated, it will be a bit lumpy and sticky.
- Spread the batter into the bottom of both pans, and try to keep it batter volume equal.
- Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes. Check that the middle is cooked by inserting a toothpick in the center after 18 minutes.
- Cool the cakes completely before frosting, especially since the natural icing recipe can be very wet.
For the frosting
- Soften the cream cheese to room temperature
- Whisk the cream cheese with the apple juice and vanilla extract until creamy.
- Chill the icing for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before frosting the cake.
- It will be best to frost the cakes the day of serving to provide the most freshness (the lack of preservatives in the icing doesn't allow for a pre-made recipe approach)
- Decorate with your children's birthday theme and for inspiration on my Watermelon cake, see below.
Cake Decorating
- To make the Watermelon Slice Smash Cake - follow the instructions above and after cakes are baked and cooled add these steps.
Icing the cakes
- Trim the tops of both round cakes when cooled, and before icing.
- Spread a few tablespoons of icing in between the two cakes to secure them on top of each other - and then ice all sides of the cake.
- When covered, carefully slice the round cake into halves, so you end up with 2 half circles.
- Place the cakes on their serving platter or cake plate and slide trips of parchment paper underneath the cake edges to protect the plate.
- Ice the raw cake edge and smooth the icing around the edges.
- Refrigerate the fully iced cakes for 15 mins, and then carefully remove the parchment paper around the edges.
- My recommendation is to keep these cakes in the refrigerator during the birthday celebration - and let stand at room temperature for about 30 mins before "smash" time.
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And here are some decorating images to help!
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