A year with Sophie… I honestly can’t believe the way time flies once you have kids; it’s unreal. We didn’t plan much for Sophie’s first birthday, but we wanted to do a little something to mark the occasion and, obviously, cake is a birthday requirement! 😉
If you’re a parent then you already know that pediatricians discourage against giving your baby a lot of salt / sugar in their first year. Because of this I decided against giving Sophie a traditional cake for her first birthday. I wanted it to still be a bit sweet, but not enough to upset her tummy and overwhelm her tastebuds! That being said, I’m not throwing shade at anyone who chooses a traditional cake for their little ones, it just wasn’t an option that I considered this year for Sophie. We’ll probably give her one next year though!
While pregnant I read “Bringing Up Bébé” and the author mentions a traditional cake that apparently just about every French person knows how to make (I guess it’s a weekly staple in many households?) and it seemed like the perfect way to celebrate Sophie as well as expose her to sweets in a gentle way.
The cake is called “Gâteau au Yaourt” (aka Yogurt Cake) and is very easy to make. It is comprised of seven very simple ingredients and most of them are measured with the [repurposed] yogurt containers. It’s often made with the help of children, so I figured it should be easy enough for me to make as I am a far cry from a master baker!
INGREDIENTS
2 containers of plain whole milk yogurt
(repurpose containers to measure other ingredients)
2 eggs
1 or 2 containers of sugar (to preference)
1 tsp vanilla
Just under 1 container of vegetable oil
4 containers of flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Crème fraîche (optional)
Toppings such as fresh fruit or jam
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Use a bit of vegetable oil to grease 9in round cake pan or loaf pan
- Gently combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix gently until the ingredients are just combined (don’t overmix).
- You can add two containers of frozen berries, one container of chocolate chips, or any flavoring you like. I think citrus like lemon or orange would be so delicious!
- Bake for 35 minutes, then for five minutes more if the cake doesn’t pass the knife test. It should be almost crispy on the outside, but springy on the inside.
- Allow to cool.
The cake is apparently delicious served with tea and a dollop of crème fraîche (recipe + serving tip are according to “Bringing Up Bébé” author Pamela Druckerman).
I love this sweet little loaf pan so much! The delicate ruffle along the edge makes it pretty enough to use for serving!
When I was planning our wedding I purchased a set of table numbers that I had intended to use in our floral arrangements, but our florist gently suggested getting table number assignments that didn’t go into the florals. I took his advice, but I ended up keeping the original table markers just because I loved them and always planned to repurpose them as cake toppers for our kids! Unfortunately, the exact toppers I bought are no longer available, but there are a variety of similar options! Just cut the holder stems to your desired length to fit on the cake to your height preference.
The recipe recommends serving with crème fraîche and fresh fruit so that’s what we did! I substituted the crème fraîche for Cool Whip this time, but I bet it would have been even better with the fancier fresh cream. Additionally, when we served it to Sophie we cut the fruit up into baby-friendly sized pieces, as seen below:
Sophie’s dining equipment:
MORE FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE IDEAS
I also considered the following options for Sophie’s first cake:
YOGURT AND RASPBERRY ICE CREAM CAKE
COCONUT CAKE WITH WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING AND BERRIES
NO-BAKE GOLDEN BIRTHDAY OREO CHEESECAKE
VANILLA OAT CAKE WITH GREEK YOGURT FROSTING
BANANA CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
APPLESAUCE SPICE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
SUGAR FREE AND GLUTEN FREE CHERRY CAKE
Thank you to our friends who came out to the wading pond at Volunteer Park and spent their afternoon with us to celebrate our girl!
I hope the little one you’re planning a first birthday party for has the best time and that you cherish these memories like I am. 🥰 They only turn one once!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie