Birthdays call for a birthday cake and when Isabella was so young I didn't really want her to have a cake filled with all the things us adults love! Hence trialling a few baby friendly cakes over the past months, this Banana and Raisin Cake with a Peanut Butter Frosting being the biggest success. It has no refined sugar, is completely baby friendly or even adult friendly if you are trying to avoid/limit your sugar intake. I added peanut butter to the frosting because it goes really well with the banana cake, but it could be left out or replaced by almond butter. This cake would be perfect if you're planning to do a cake smash, having a party of it is small enough for just your family to enjoy.
What you'll need:
for the Banana and Raisin Sponge
2 Ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup Plain flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 tsp All spice
4 tbsp Unsalted butter
1 Egg, beaten
2 tbsp Full fat milk
30g Raisins
for the Peanut Butter frosting
225g Greek yogurt, it needs to be a thick variety such as Total
3 tbsp Peanut butter
2 tbsp Cream cheese
1 tbsp Sweet Freedom Fruit Syrup or maple syrup
2 tsp Vanilla extract
for the topping
Raspberries
What to do:
1) Preheat oven to 190'C. Grease a small cake tin. Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and all spice into a bowl.
2) Add the butter and mashed banana to a separate bowl and whisk until smooth. Gradually mix in the beaten egg.
3) Fold in the flour mixture, then add the milk and raisins. Mix until combined and pour into the greased cake tin.
4) Bake in the oven for approx 40-45 mins, until golden and when a cocktail stick is poked in it comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and allow to completely cool.
5) While the cake is cooling you can make the frosting by beating the Greek yogurt and peanut butter together in a bowl until combined. Add the cream cheese and fruit syrup and beat for two minutes, so that it's combined and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
6) Once the cake is completely cool you may need to use a bread knife to flattern the top of the cake. You don't have to do this but it's the perfect opportunity to try the cake and it makes decorating easier.
7) To cover the cake in frosting it's best to do it in two steps. Firstly, cover the cake in a thin layer of the peanut butter frosting and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. This gives you a smoother base to add the rest of the frosting. I used a palette knife to create the smooth edges, but you can decorate it however you want to.
8) Arrange the fresh raspberries on the top and it's ready for birthday celebrations!
7) To cover the cake in frosting it's best to do it in two steps. Firstly, cover the cake in a thin layer of the peanut butter frosting and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. This gives you a smoother base to add the rest of the frosting. I used a palette knife to create the smooth edges, but you can decorate it however you want to.
8) Arrange the fresh raspberries on the top and it's ready for birthday celebrations!
How did/do you intend on celebrating your little ones first birthday?
Feel free to leave a comment :)
Helen x
Ooh, this looks lovely! I was planning to search for baby friendly cake recipes this week, too!
ReplyDeleteyou had me at peanut butter frosting! This looks so good - love the cake stand too #tastytuesday
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible birthday cake-magnificent! Thanks for linking up to #Tastytuesdays
ReplyDeleteThis looks so yum! My son is 2 but I think he would LOVE this! kaylaloves.com #brillblogposts
ReplyDeleteOh wow this looks so good! Peanut butter and banana cake - perfect. #brillblogposts
ReplyDeleteI love how CUTE this cake looks! It's so sweet. It was my son's birthday in March and we had a party so I made a cake and although it tasted good I'm never that great at decorating. #TheList
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea & looks lovely! I made a cake for eldest's first birthday to keep salt lower, but didn't think to do something like banana cake. #thelist
ReplyDeleteThat looks glorious! Thanks for linking up to #TheList x
ReplyDeleteI really wish I'd had this recipe before I baked my baby's first birthday smash cake. This one has all of her favourite ingredients, the peanut butter frosting looks to die for AND it has no sugar. It looks fabulous! How did the photos turn out? Thanks for linking up #MinisMeals
ReplyDeleteWe didn't do a cake smash in the end - the babies just enjoyed a slice of cake each (which did end up like little mini cake smashes to be honest! haha)
DeleteHelen x
What size is a small cake tin?
ReplyDelete