This two tiered cake is perfect for a special event, and is what I made for my baby’s first birthday party! I felt great about the ingredients, and loved knowing exactly what went into it.

It’s grain/gluten free, organic, less sugar than a typical frosting, and so delicious. Me and Dathan ate up all that was leftover after Hudson’s dig into it at the party! Read on for what I did and links to all of the tools I used!

Making Hudson’s birthday cake from scratch felt 100x more special than I imagined. It was made completely from love, and totally wasn’t perfect.

But it actually tasted amazing (we ate the leftovers!), the ingredients were great (organic, gluten/grain free), and it was just such a great tradition I’m so excited to carry on each year.

This was my first go at a “real” two tier layered cake, and while I learned a thing or two about the frosting with my next try, this was such a great turnout and the flavors couldn’t be beat!

Here are the tools I bought & used for this cake (and another one a few days later for my mama’s birthday!) All from Amazon:

Let me know if you make this cake for yourself or your little one, I would love to hear how it goes!

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A paleo, gluten free sweet potato cake spiced to perfection and topped with a cream cheese frosting. Great option for baby, or any special event!
Course: Dessert

Equipment

  • two 6" cake pans
  • parchment paper
  • large serrated bread knife
  • plastic wrap
  • cake plate or turntable for decorating
  • frosting spatula

Ingredients

For the Sweet Potato Spice Cake

  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter, coconut oil, or ghee
  • 1/2 cup apple sauce
  • 1 cup coconut sugar or maple syrup
  • 2 medium sweet potato or yam yield about 2 cups mashed
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground clove

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup grassfed butter softened
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line two 6 inch cake pans with a parchment paper circle cut to fit the bottom of the pan, and grease the sides with melted butter or a cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients until smooth: eggs, ghee, apple sauce, coconut sugar or maple syrup, sweet potato, and vanilla.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, spices, salt, and baking soda.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet 1/3 at a time, stirring until just combined.
  • Transfer the cake batter to the lined cake pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until they have risen and are golden on top, and a toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean. The cakes will only jiggle slightly when baked through.
  • Allow the cakes to cool completely, then remove from the pans and wrap in plastic wrap. Transfer to the refrigerator until chilled, so it's easy to slice the tops off. Make your frosting while the cakes cool (see below).
  • Lay the cold cakes out on a flat surface, and use a large serrated bread knife to slice the tops off so you have an even surface. Lay one cake on a turntable or decorating plate with the cut side up, and layer about 1/4" to 1/2" thick of frosting on top. Sandwich the other cut cake on top, with the cut side facing down. This will leave you with a smooth cake surface on top.
  • Use a frosting spatula to get a thin layer of frosting onto the cake, just enough to "seal in" the crumbs (I didn't do this step for Hudson's cake so it left me with some crumbs in the frosting! This is how you avoid that!)
    Transfer the cake to the refrigerator with the first thin layer of frosting until chilled, about 30 minutes.
  • Continue frosting the cake with a thicker layer of frosting this time. Use your turntable and frosting spatula to get an even, thick layer, and keep smoothing until you're satisfied (I looked up tips for cake frosting on YouTube!)
  • Once your cake is frosted, transfer to the fridge to cool and allow the frosting to set & slightly harden. Bring the cake out about 30 minutes before serving to bring it to room temperature. Enjoy!

For the Frosting

  • Whip the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with a whisk or large fork until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, and continue whipping until smooth.
  • Add the maple syrup and vanilla, and mix until combined. Adjust the flavor by adding more vanilla, sugar, or maple to your liking. Keep at room temperature until ready to frost!

For a dairy free cream cheese frosting, try my Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting! It’s super easy to make and works just as well. Paleo friendly too – no dairy or refined sugar.

Read all about Hudson’s first birthday party HERE!

Filed   baby, Desserts, Paleo