A light and fluffy healthy smash cake with no butter, no oil, and no sugar. Most importantly (since this cake will hopefully be smashed into a big mess on baby’s first birthday), this cake is easy to make – with only five ingredients!
And just like that, our baby girl turned one. We wanted the classic smash cake photo on her first birthday, but every recipe I found seemed overly complicated with fruit purees, unusual ingredients, or fussy techniques. Fortunately, I develop recipes for a living, so to the kitchen I went! And came out many tests later with this little gem – an angel food-inspired healthy smash cake that is light, fluffy, and made with just egg whites, cake flour, cream of tartar, pure vanilla extract, and heavy cream (for topping).
The reality is that the smash cake is just for the baby, so it doesn’t need to be fussy. Make or buy a regular cake for the adults (I served my favorite Chocolate Bundt Cake), but give the birthday girl or boy this little sugar-free birthday cake. He or she will make a glorious mess and you won’t have to worry about baby’s first sugar crash. (Scroll down for all of the June’s messy “smash” photos!)
By definition, a smash cake is little. This one bakes in a 6-inch springform pan. It seems like a one trick pony, but I’ve been using mine all summer long to make this cake (with the addition of some sugar) as a perfectly-sized dessert for our family of five. If you only use the pan once, just pass it on to someone else who might be making a smash cake for their own baby’s first birthday.
Sugar in Baby’s First Birthday Cake
Many people prefer not to give their baby sugar on their first birthday. There’s no reason to add sugar to baby’s smash cake, since most babies will smash the cake and make a fun, photograph-friendly mess without the taste of sugar.
The basic recipe below is for a sugar-free cake which tastes like unsweetened light, fluffy white bread. If you’re okay with a small amount of sugar, follow the directions provided. Adding the optional sugar amounts listed makes a cake that any dessert-loving adult would also love.
Ingredients for Angel Food Smash Cake
One of the best things about this recipe is that it has very few ingredients! All you need is:
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- Granulated Sugar – As mentioned above, I’ve given the measurements for a small addition of sugar if you’d like to include it or if you’re making this for something other than a baby’s first birthday cake. Even though many classic angel food cake recipes require superfine sugar (or sugar that you’ve pulsed in a food processor) to give them a lighter, finer texture, this cake is small and doesn’t need as much lift as a larger cake – regular granulated sugar works just fine.
- Cake Flour – Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which means that cake flour creates softer, more tender baked goods. You want your angel food cake to be light and fluffy, and cake flour will help you get there. Don’t skip this ingredient. (And that extra cake flour? Store it in the freezer and later you can use it to make the New York Times’ best-ever Chocolate Chip Cookies)
- Egg Whites – Beaten egg whites are the foundation and key ingredient of this light and fluffy cake. Separate the egg whites and egg yolks carefully to be sure no yolks are in the mix. If you have leftover yolks, make lemon curd (it would be great served over the cake)!
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- Pure Vanilla Extract – Make sure it is “pure vanilla extract” and not vanilla-flavored. This will contribute most of the flavor to the cake.
- Cream of Tartar – This acidic ingredient helps to stabilize egg whites so they stay light and fluffy as they bake. Don’t skip it.
- Heavy Cream – Heavy (or “whipping” cream) is whipped into a light topping for this cake. This makes a great, unsweetened, “frosting” that leads to wonderful, messiness for photos.
Tips for a Light, Fluffy Angel Food Smash Cake
- Use a regular pan, not one that is labeled as non-stick.
- Do NOT grease the pan. As the cake bakes, the egg whites will rise by clinging to the sides of the pan. You will release it from the pan by running a knife around the edges later.
- Beat the egg whites until medium peaks form – do NOT overbeat – the peaks should be white, opaque, and should gently fall over when you pull the beater out of the whites (see photo below).
- Cool the cake upside down (prop up the sides of the pan on cans or jars) to allow air to circulate and prevent it from sinking as it cools.
Do you need cream of tartar in angel food cake?
Don’t skip cream of tartar in angel food cake. The cake will rise higher with cream of tartar and will give it that light and fluffy texture that is so unique to angel food cake.
How to Make the Cake Ahead
This cake can easily be made ahead. Bake and cool the cake completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze it for up to 6 months (defrost completely before serving).
Smash Cake Photos
Are you wondering if this little healthy smash cake is first-birthday-girl approved? I think the photos speak for themselves.
Favorite Tools
- 6-inch Springform Pan – You’ll need a small pan to bake this healthy smash cake. Springform makes it easier to remove the cake after baking. I thought I would just use this little pan once to bake my one-year-old’s sugar-free birthday cake, but I’ve actually used it all summer long to make the version of this cake with sugar. It makes a perfect serving for each person in our family of five.
- Hand Mixer – The fact that there are people who have (and still do) beat their egg whites by hand never fails to amaze me. Safe to say, I need a mixer to get those whites light and fluffy. This does the job every time.
Healthy Smash Cake for Baby's First Birthday
Ingredients
For Cake:
- 3 tbsp Granulated Sugar (optional; see note)
- 1/3 cup Cake Flour
- 4 Egg Whites, chilled (from large eggs; reserve yolks for another purpose or discard)
- 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/4 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
For Topping:
- 1/3 cup Heavy / Whipping Cream
- 2 tsp Granulated Sugar (optional; see note)
- Fresh Berries
Instructions
- Make cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Set out a 6-inch springform pan (note: you can also bake this in a loaf pan). Do NOT grease the pan. Place the pan on a sheet pan (just in case any batter leaks out / spills over).
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar (portion for the cake) and cake flour. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until medium peaks form (the peaks should lift and then fall over on themselves when you pull the beater out of the mixture), about 2 minutes.
- Dust the top of the egg whites with the sugar / flour mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold the flour mixture in, being careful not to compress the fluffy egg whites.
- Gently pour the mixture into the springform pan. (There should be at least 1-inch of space from the top of the batter to the top of the pan so that the cake has room to rise.)
- Bake cake: Bake until cake is set and the top is a light golden brown, 25 to 27 minutes.Remove from oven and invert over a cooling rack. Allow cake to cool completely upside down (for at least 1 hour).
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake to gently release it from the pan. Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Make whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream and sugar (portion for the whipped cream). Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and firm enough to spread over the top of a cake (do not overmix), about 3 minutes.
- Just before serving, spoon whipped cream over top of cake. Add fresh berries.
Notes
Nutrition
Second only to the smash cake, June’s favorite thing about her birthday had to be the balloons! She played with them all day long. (So did her big sisters.)
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Yum!!! This looks delicious. What a wonderful summer dessert for the entire family — and great for a smash cake, too. I love the pictures of June enjoying it.
Hi Jess,
Loving your recipe! Would you advise using agave syrup (one spoon) to add sweetness instead do the granulated sugar?
Absolutely, Angelina – that would be a great idea and should work just fine!
Is it too light and fluffy to cut in half and add a middle layer of whipped cream? And will it absorb the topping quickly? I don’t want the birthday cake to get all mushy and spongy
Hi Victoria – I haven’t tried making this as a layer cake but I feel pretty confident that the cake is sturdy enough for a layer of whipped cream in the m middle.
Hello, I am very excited to make this. What is the recipe for your topping?
Hi Vanessa – great question- I’ll update the recipe to add this, but I topped it with unsweetened whipped cream. Take 1/2 cup heavy / whipping cream and beat it with a hand mixer light and fluffy but firm. (To sweeten it just a bit, add 1 tsp granulated sugar at the beginning of mixing.) I just spooned that whipped cream on top of the cake and added fresh berries.
Hi there,
I don’t have cream of tartar on hand. Could I substitute with baking powder?
Thank you!
Actually, I think an acid would be a better substitute. Try a tiny bit of lemon juice of white wine vinegar (barely even 1/8 tsp). Or just skip it completely – the cake should turn out even without the cream of tartar (it just may not rise as high).
Hi there. The recipe says “4 each egg whites”.. What does this mean?
Best,
Candice
Hi Candice. That was a quirk of the recipe template I’m using – thanks so much for flagging it! The recipe has been updated. You’ll need 4 Egg Whites.
4 years ago for my first child’s smash cake, I had found a very healthy sugar-free recipe with whole wheat and other dense ingredients. The cake came out like a brick and it was hard for baby to sink his fingers into. He pushed it off the table and it made a big loud splat as if he had thrown a dictionary lol. Needless to say, when it came time to make a smash cake for my second child, I wanted a light fluffy cake recipe and I was thrilled to find this recipe. I have never made an angel food cake before so I was scared to try. I watched a tutorial video so I could get a sense of how stiff the egg whites should be and I used your lovely recipe. (I opted to add just 4 teaspoons of sugar to the dough and 0 sugar to the frosting). I accidentally overbeat the egg whites because I got distracted but the cake was still totally serviceable. Sure, I wouldn’t have served it to a picky adult gourmand, but it was fine for baby, big brother, husband and me. I encourage others to go for it! Even if you don’t have perfect technique you will still end up with a decent cake, and if you do a better job paying attention than I did, you will surely end up with something quite lovely. It is a nice light cake that was easy for baby to sink his teeth into! Big brother was also a big fan. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Molly – thanks so much for your note! That’s been my experience with those other smash cakes and my older kids – they’re packed so full of good things that the kids can’t do much with them. So glad this was a success and so glad to hear that the angel food worked out. It does seem intimidating, but is surprisingly forgiving if the eggs are a little over or under-beaten (especially in a small cake like this one!).
Hello there! I also went with a super healthy first birthday cake, which my daughter quickly threw on to the floor! This recipe looks so much easier and so much more toddler friendly!! I had one question though, I wanted to make a layered cake with an 8 inch regular cake pan, would this recipe work in a non spring form pan? Thanks for your help!
Hi Brie – I haven’t tested it in an 8-inch cake pan, but I did test it in a 6-inch regular (non springform pan), and it worked fine. I think it should work well this way. You may need to double or even triple the cake batter though, depending on how many layers you want to make. Use the slider next to “servings” in the recipe to adjust the measurements.
One other tip I just thought of. The only think that might be challenging is getting the cake out of the pan, so it would probably be really helpful to cut a circle out of parchment paper and put it in the bottom of the pan. Then when the cake is cool, it should easily flip out of the pan.
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! I’ll post an update once I make the cake!!
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
I tried your recipe twice and followed it step by step but I failed both. The cake didn’t rise at all. I used 8 inches springform pan though. Should I modify the amount of the flour or egg white? Please advise!
Hi Lili – yes – you’ll definitely want to increase the measurements. With an 8 inch pan, I bet you can double the recipe and it will fit. You’ll get much more rise that way. Double check too that your pan is not a nonstick pan. The cake can’t “climb” in a nonstick. Hope that helps!
I am planning on making this for my one year old tomorrow. I only have glass baking pans that are non stick. Will a glass baking pan work? Is so, does the time and temp need to be adjusted? Thank you!
Glass baking pans won’t usually give you as much lift since the cake needs to stick to the sides of the pan a bit to rise. But this cake is so small, that I really think you should be fine with glass in a pinch. I wouldn’t adjust the time or temp at all. Let me know how it goes!
I can’t wait to make this for my daughter’s birthday! Cute cake stand too. Where did you get it?
It’s such a fun little cake! The “stand” is just a plate placed over a little inverted bowl. 🙂 I even set the cake out like that for her party and several people thought it was a real stand then too. When it was time for her to eat it, we gave her just the plate with the cake.
Hi Jess! I just did a trial run of this cake for my little ones first birthday and the cake didn’t rise as much as I thought. And it was a little sticky. I was careful with folding in the four, but maybe I over whipped the eggs… Any ideas? Thanks for a great recipe!!
Hi Melanie! Was the outside sticky or was it the overall texture of the cake? The outside does have a slightly sticky texture, but the inside should be very light and fluffy. The pan you’re using is definitely nonstick right? If yes, I agree with your guess on overbeating the eggs. Folding in the flour is always my first guess if the texture is off, but if you feel like you didn’t overmix it at that step, the eggs are probably the problem. The eggs can quickly go from just right to over-whipped.
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