This sourdough strawberry smash cake is sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup. It’s made with real strawberry filling and homemade cream cheese frosting making it the perfect 1 year old “smash cake” with ingredients I actually feel good about!
This sourdough strawberry smash cake is sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup. It’s made with real strawberry filling and homemade cream cheese frosting making it the perfect 1 year old “smash cake” with ingredients I actually feel good about!
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This sourdough cake with strawberry filling is the perfect summer dessert.
It uses healthy ingredients and sourdough fermented grain, with a naturally sweet strawberry center.
I made this cake for my daughter’s one year old birthday party and she absolutely loved it!
HOW TIME FLIES
My daughter turned one year old this week, and I still can’t believe how fast that went by. Seems like just yesterday I was holding her in our bedroom as a newborn!
I remember being a little girl and dreaming about what it would be like having a little girl of my own. And now all of the sudden I’m throwing a little girl’s birthday party and we have my old dolls in her bedroom. How time flies!
HEALTHY ONE YEAR OLD SMASH CAKE
It’s quite trendy to do these “smash cakes” for one year old babies. Traditionally the one year old birthday is the first time the baby gets to eat cake, which is usually lined with frosting and sugar.
I knew immediately I would want to make Allison’s cake, because why not? I have sourdough, coconut sugar, fresh berries from our local farm, butter from our local dairy … that’s enough to make something delicious right there.
Plus I like knowing that what she’s eating is healthy, or at least coming from my own cupboard.
There will be plenty of times down the road when she will eat store-bought or restaurant cake. But what better way to celebrate a one year old birthday than to make a homemade cake!
This cake is on the healthy side. It’s sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup, with a cream cheese frosting that uses only a little bit of sugar compared to traditional recipes.
I felt comfortable giving it to my baby, so I hope someone reading this does too!
Why use sourdough?
If you’re a regular reader, you know that I really enjoy baking with sourdough. And if you’re new here, I’ll quickly share why I enjoy using sourdough for my baking.
Making sourdough is the process of fermenting the flour grain with water over time. This process creates those healthy live cultures and allows the good bacteria to overcome the grain.
When this happens, the phytic acid is striped away from the grain, which minimizes the gluten content.
This is why many people prefer to eat sourdough or better yet keep their own starter, so they can enjoy bread and baked goods that taste better, and are healthier for you too. Source
We started making sourdough starter when we realized how easy it was, how much healthier it is for you, and how much better it tastes! Learn how to make your own sourdough starter here.
I always have sourdough starter on hand, and since I wanted a healthy yet delicious option for my daughter’s birthday cake, I chose to make her this sourdough cake with strawberry filling.
New to Sourdough?
If you are brand new to sourdough, you’re going to love using it to make healthy treats!
You can learn how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch to make homemade bread, sourdough pizza, bagels, and more.
Put all your sourdough recipes in one spot!
Download and print off this NEW sourdough recipes ebook and keep your favorite sourdough recipes on your counter for easy, every day cooking.
Tips for Making Sourdough Strawberry Smash Cake
Make this ahead of time! I made this about two weeks before Allison’s birthday, and then froze it. You can freeze it with the frosting on, or leave it unfrosted to frost at the last minute.
Let the dough sit on the counter overnight if baking the next day, or let it sit in the fridge up to 3 days. The nice thing about sourdough is if you have time to prepare the levain one day, but no time to bake it until a few days later, you can just store the leavin in the fridge. Cover it with plastic wrap so that the air doesn’t dry it out and pull it out when you’re ready to make the cake.
You want your sourdough starter to be fed and active. This means that it’s been fed for at least 6 hours, and it’s doubled in size and bubbly. You can learn how to make sourdough starter here if this is new to you.
For the filling, you can use any berries you like. A basic berry filling recipe consists of fresh or frozen berries, chopped in a food processor. Then you add a sweetener like honey or maple syrup on the stove to create a sauce. Next use arrowroot powder to thicken it, and be patient as it takes time to thicken. Then let it cool completely before spreading on the cake.
Sourdough Cake Ingredients
Levain:
1 cup fed, active sourdough starter
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
Cake batter:
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup butter (one stick), melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
Sourdough levain
Strawberry Filling:
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped in food processor
1/2 cup water
3 TB arrowroot powder on stove to thicken
Squeeze 1/2 a lemon or lime
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Two 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
Milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached
TOOLS NEEDED
Mixing bowl
Parchment paper
Two 9″ cake rounds
Stovetop pot
Food Processor (for strawberry filling, or you could chop manually)
Cake spatula or butter knife (for frosting)
HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH STRAWBERRY SMASH CAKE
The day before baking your cake, prepare the levain. Combine the starter, milk, and flour in a bowl and let it sit out on the counter overnight. Learn how to make sourdough starter here.
The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and make the cake batter. Combine all the cake batter ingredients (except the levain) in a stand mixer on medium speed. Then add the levain. It will be thick at first, but will eventually combine after a few minutes of mixing.
Line two cake pans with parchment paper. Try to flatten the paper out so there aren’t folds and kinks around the edges that will form on your cake. Pour the batter evenly into both pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry filling. On the stove combine the strawberries, water, lemon, maple syrup, and arrowroot powder. Simmer on stove until thickened, whisking with a fork occasionally, about 20-30 minutes. Be patient as it takes some time to thicken. Let cool completely before spreading on cake.
The Process, Continued.
To make the frosting, add the cream cheese frosting ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine until desired thickness is reached. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Once the cake has cooled completely, carefully remove one half of the cake to a cake stand. Spread the cooled strawberry filling onto the top of the cake. Then layer the second layer of cake on top. Spread the cream cheese frosting all over the top and sides of the cake with a butter knife or cake spatula. Top with fresh strawberries and herbs for décor (I like using oregano from the garden for this!).
FAQ
How should leftover cake be stored?
Store in the fridge for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for 3-6 months. This cake here was frozen for about a week and a half until my 1 year old’s birthday, and then we let it thaw out the morning of. That’s what’s so great about cake, is being able to freeze it! (So Mama has time to bake it way ahead of time 😉
I’m allergic to strawberries – what other berries could be used for cake filling?
You can use any berries you like, or what is available to you locally and seasonally! Follow the same process as I describe in the instructions, using blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries. All would be delicious options – or even a mix of two!
MORE DESSERT RECIPES FROM THE HOMESTEAD
Einkorn Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Naturally Sweetened, Homemade Raspberry Ice Cream
Sourdough Birthday Cake
This sourdough cake is made with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting. Sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup, I made this delicious and healthy cake for my 1 year old's birthday "smash cake".
Ingredients
Levain
- 1 cup fed, active sourdough starter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups flour
Cake Batter
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick), melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- Sourdough levain
Strawberry Filing
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped in food processor
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 TB arrowroot powder on stove to thicken
- Squeeze 1/2 a lemon or lime
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Two 8 oz packages of cream cheese
- 1/2 stick butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Milk or cream, 1 tablespoon at a time
Instructions
- The day before baking your cake, prepare the levain. Combine the starter, milk, and flour in a bowl and let it sit out on the counter overnight. Learn how to make sourdough starter here.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and make the cake batter. Combine all the cake batter ingredients (except the levain) in a stand mixer on medium speed. Then add the levain. It will be thick at first, but will eventually combine after a few minutes of mixing.
- Line two 9" cake pans with parchment paper. Try to flatten the paper out so there aren’t folds and kinks around the edges that will form on your cake. Pour the batter evenly into both pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry filling. On the stove combine the strawberries, water, lemon, maple syrup, and arrowroot powder. Simmer on stove until thickened, whisking with a fork occasionally, about 20-30 minutes. Be patient as it takes some time to thicken. Let cool completely before spreading on cake.
- To make the frosting, add the cream cheese frosting ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine until desired thickness is reached. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, carefully remove one half of the cake to a cake stand. Spread the cooled strawberry filling onto the top of the cake. Then layer the second layer of cake on top. Spread the cream cheese all around the cake, and top with fresh strawberries and herbs for decor. Enjoy!
Notes
Note: we used this cake for our 1 year old's "smash cake". Just make sure you remove any large strawberries that could be a choking hazard before giving to a baby 😉
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