It's Sagey's first birthday!
Throughout her journey of being introduced to "adult" food, I've been really mindful of trying to give her the most whole food, flavorful options I possibly can.
My goals are to make sure she's well nourished, develops a taste preference for natural foods and is able to eat flavorful meals without being too picky.
As I've discussed in previous blogs and videos, recent research shows that ultra processed foods have addictive like properties. (1) This includes added sugars and white flours that are often used in traditional baked goods.
For all of these reasons, I wanted to create a nutrient dense, whole food, zero added sugar first birthday cake for little miss Sage that she'll also love eating!
Even while hitting all of these nutritional notes, this cake was still remarkably easy to make (and turned out super cute!).
Scroll down for my Healthy Strawberry Smash Cake for Sagey's first birthday!
Ingredient Highlights:
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is an excellent way to add moisture to the cake while also getting a boost of high quality protein and calcium. When you purchase full-fat pasture-raised cottage cheese, you can also get the additional benefit of vitamin K2 which is crucial for bone, heart and dental health.
Banana
Instead of using high glycemic load added sugar, I opted for a ripe banana. In the context of the rest of the ingredients, the banana helps provide a hint of sweetness without too much sugar.
Almond and Oat Flour
These are both naturally gluten-free and lower glycemic load. Make sure to look for certified gluten-free oat flour (or oats) if celiac is a concern. Oats are naturally gluten-free but are often processed in facilities that also process wheat.
Strawberry Smash Cake
Makes 1 smash cake
Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cottage cheese
1 banana, mashed
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons olive oil
Frosting:
2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freeze dried strawberries, blended to a powder
Preheat oven to 350F. Line two 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper and generously grease the bottom and sides.
Combine almond flour, oat flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and whisk.
In a separate bowl, whisk the cottage cheese with mashed banana, milk, egg, vanilla extract and olive oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.
Divide the batter between the two greased cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife poked in the middle comes out clean.
Remove the pans from the oven and allow to completely cool on a wire rack.
While the cakes cool, put the additional cottage cheese in a small bowl and use a handheld immersion blender to whip it until smooth. Once smooth, stir in 1/4 cup of the strawberry powder.
Once the cake is cool, lay one cake down on a parchment paper lined serving dish. Add a layer of cottage cheese frosting to the top of the first cake then place the second cake on top. Add the remaining frosting to the outside of the cake.
Sprinkle the remaining strawberry powder on the cake before serving. Don't forget the birthday candle! :)
❤️,
Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition
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