Babys First Birthday Cake (Naturally Sweetened)

First birthday cake for baby is actually a maple syrup cake that can be made into cupcakes or a small 6-inch baby smash cake. It’s naturally sweetened and the coconut whipped cream is so good!

Baby’s First Birthday Cupcake

I said I wasn’t going to be ‘that Mom.’

That Mom that makes her kid a naturally-sweetened first birthday cake. Ugh. I kinda hate myself for this, except…these maple syrup sweetened cupcakes are DELICIOUS. You won’t even notice they’re not ‘normal’ cupcakes or cake…you’ll just notice the deep maple flavor. Even the raw batter is lick-able.

I like to think of them as ‘better for baby’ babycakes. Is the maple syrup sweetened coconut whipped cream on top too far? Wait, don’t answer that.

So, let’s back up. I’ve told you before that I didn’t read any parenting books before Camille was born. I only read books about how French children eat. Books like ‘Bringing up Bébé‘ and ‘French Kids Eat Everything.’ All I knew is that I was NOT going to have one of those kids that only eats white foods. No no no. And I would never bring my kid to your house for a dinner party and pull out goldfish crackers and fruit snacks for Camille to eat instead of the homemade dinner you lovingly made. No no no again.

Anyway, those books told me that when you deny kids something (like sugar), they want it all the time. A little bit of the real thing in moderation sets them up for a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

I knew this. And I’ve been denying her sugar anyway. I just couldn’t do it. She’s such a good eater; I’m worried she’ll stop eating her vegetables once she tastes sugar. Truthfully, that is what’s holding me back.

When she was 7 months old, I was licking an ice cream cone with her on my hip. She leaned in for a lick. She enjoyed it, but didn’t beg for more.

Then, when she was 10 months old, I was making oatmeal cream pies from my cookbook, and she was parked on my hip while I was smooshing the marshmallow filling between the cookies. Out of nowhere, she just went for it. Both hands grabbed that cookie, and she knotted up her fists around it and started shoving it in her mouth as fast as she could. I couldn’t really do anything but laugh. Honestly, I felt like she earned it because she fought for it so hard and held it so tightly in those sweet little fists.

Then, at 11 months, I was eating this caramel carrot cake during snack time and she was eating something boring like peas. I gave her 3 little bites of the cake without the frosting. She liked it, and asked for more.

And here we are. Maple syrup-sweetened cupcakes for baby’s first birthday cake.

Side note: I did make these cupcakes for a kid’s second birthday and used white whole wheat flour, per request. It totally works here, but they do taste kinda blah because of it. When I make it with regular all-purpose flour, they taste like a real cupcake that you would buy at a bakery. Yes, they are that good.

The frosting? It’s nothing but whipped coconut cream and maple syrup. And it’s so good, I’d eat it off a shoe.  I actually add it to my tea lattes during the afternoon sometimes.

First Birthday Cake ingredients

• Butter. Three tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted.
• Oil. One tablespoon of a neutral, flavorless oil, like avocado oil, grapeseed oil or canola oil.
• Maple Syrup. We’re sweetening this first birthday cake naturally with maple syrup. You can use grade A or grade B maple syrup, either work well.
• Egg. One large egg.
• Flour. One cup of all-purpose flour that has been fluffed, scooped and leveled with a knife.
• Baking Powder. Baking powder and baking soda is not interchangeable; please use baking powder.
• Whole Milk. One-half cup of whole milk. Whole milk is best for a rich-tasting cake. Do not use skim milk.
• Coconut Cream. Read the label of the can–it should say COCONUT CREAM. Not coconut milk. An entire thick can of coconut cream will still have a small amount of liquid in it. Refrigerate the can of coconut cream upside down overnight. Then, flip the can over and use a can opener to open it and drain off the liquid completely.

How to make a 1st Birthday Cake

Taste the frosting–if you want it sweeter, you’re going to have to add powdered sugar because any more maple syrup will make it too thin. Frost the cake/ cupcakes and serve.

How to serve baby’s First Birthday Cake

The best way to serve baby’s first birthday cake is to place it on the high chair and let them dig right in. Have your camera ready :)

How to store Cupcakes for First Birthday

If you want to make this cake/ these cupcakes a day ahead of time, you can refrigerate with the frosting on. Place them in a covered container in the fridge overnight. The frosting need to stay somewhat chilled because of the coconut cream, so do not let these become overly warm. This is the not the recipe to use for a park birthday party.

Babys First Birthday Cake FAQs

Can babies eat cake on their first birthday?

 In general, we like to limit sugar with kids under 3. This is just my personal philosophy. I think cake is okay for a birthday, but it doesn’t need to be a gateway to sugar every single day for little kids.

What’s a smash cake?

A smash cake is a decorate small cake that you give to a kid to eat/play with however they like. It is assumed that only the birthday kid is going to be consuming it. It will most likely be destroyed by the kid, but you will capture great photos :)

Can a baby have a normal cake at 1st birthday?

My personal philosophy is to limit all sugar to kids under 3. I think this helps develop their palate to other flavors, like slightly bitter vegetables, savory meat/ eggs and spices. I make an exception on birthdays, and in that case, I use a natural sweetener, like maple syrup. Once a kid has a more developed palate that appreciates all types of flavors, I think sugar in moderation is great. For my kids, around age 5, I start letting them decide on what they eat.

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