Today I have a perfect muffin recipe to share with you if (1.) you’re sensitive to dairy or eggs, (2.) you’re out of fresh ingredients and limited to pantry staples, or (3.) you know an 11-month-old in need of a smash cake for an upcoming birthday party.
Five years ago, when my oldest son was coming up on his first birthday, I fretted about him having a cute first birthday smash cake to dig his little hands into without risking a possible reaction to allergenic ingredients that were new to him (namely, eggs and dairy). After all, it would really stink to try something for the first time on your first birthday and then break out in hives because of it!
After a bit of research, I came across a recipe for a First Birthday Applesauce Cake. So I baked it, frosted it, and had it ready for smashing at my first baby’s first birthday party. My sweet boy ended up being one of those babies who enjoyed playing with his cake more than actually eating it, but when I later sampled some of the decimated cake crumbs, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was pretty darn tasty!
From that day on, you could say that this applesauce cake became a family tradition. I ended up baking it as a first birthday cake for my nephew, my second son and, just recently, my daughter, and I passed the recipe on to countless other moms in the years in between.
But who wants to have to wait for the next first birthday party before getting to enjoy such yummy spiced applesauce goodness? It didn’t take me long to figure out that I could use this same batter to bake cinnamon-laced applesauce muffins. They’re good year-round, but I’ve always thought their flavor is particularly appropriate during the fall. And I can assure you that they make a great snack or breakfast on-the-go!
When my daughter turned one a couple of weeks ago, I wanted her to be able to try cake for the first time on her actual birthday, but I also wanted her to have a traditional smash cake for her party a few days later. So I made a double recipe of this spiced applesauce batter. Half of the batter I divided into a 12-cup muffin pan. The other half of the batter I split between two 6-inch round cake pans for her smash cake.
On baby girl’s actual birthday, I frosted a few muffins for our little family birthday celebration (frosting muffins turns them into cupcakes, right?), and she got to (let her brothers) blow out a candle before she destroyed her small, cupcake-sized smash cake.
Then on her birthday? She got to dig into the real deal.
So whether you’re craving some quick and easy muffins that taste like fall, or you’re looking for a first birthday cake recipe that’s free of potential food allergens, this recipe has just what you need. It has served my family well through three 1st birthdays and plenty of muffin munching in between. The only problem is that every time I use this recipe to whip up a batch of applesauce muffins in the future, I’m afraid I may look at my growing-too-fast babies and shed a small tear of nostalgia.
But sadness doesn’t last long when you’re stuffing your face with something so tasty, so I think I’ll be okay. 😉
Dairy-free, egg-free applesauce muffins, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, make a great snack or breakfast on-the-go. The same batter can also be made into an allergen-free first birthday cake!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (such as safflower or canola)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, heated until warm
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners (or generously grease two 6-inch round pans with nonstick cooking spray).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Alternately add flour mixture and applesauce and blend in, starting and ending with flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
- Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan and bake for 14 to 16 minutes (or divide batter between 6-inch cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes), or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for five minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Whole wheat pastry flour may be substituted for some or all of the all-purpose flour.
Melted coconut oil may be substituted for the vegetable oil.
Unrefined cane sugar (Sucanat or Rapadura) may be substituted for the granulated sugar.
DAIRY-FREE FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE FROSTING: If you bake a first birthday cake and would like to frost it with dairy-free frosting, whip 1/2 cup softened soy-free natural buttery spread (such as Earth Balance) until smooth. Mix in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time until desired sweetness and consistency is reached (around 3 cups total). Add 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Beat at high speed until frosting is light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick, you may add a tablespoon or two of rice milk or coconut milk to reach desired consistency, but the additional liquid probably will not be necessary.
NOTE: After going to the trouble of making an allergen-free birthday cake, I would have felt guilty about tinting my daughter's birthday cake frosting pink with regular food coloring. So this was my first time using an all natural, dye-free, vegetable-based food coloring. I tried India Tree and was happy with the results for attaining shades of pink, but I haven't experimented with achieving different colors with natural food coloring.
♥Five Heart Home flashback… 🙂
Baby #1’s First Birthday Applesauce Cake Smash
Baby #2’s First Birthday Applesauce Cake Smash
♥More kid-friendly treats…
Healthy Copycat Dole Whip {Kids in the Kitchen Guest Post}
Soft-Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars
Anna says
October 4, 2013 at 12:14 amSamantha, I did not have a need for a smash cake; however, I am always looking for dairy-free options. This did not disappoint! Needless to say, my 20 yr. old and 25 yr. old “babies” loved these too! It is a great recipe!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
October 4, 2013 at 1:25 amYay, Anna! I’m so glad these were a hit with you and your “babies!” With our last smash cake behind us as well now, I’m glad we can at least still enjoy this recipe in muffin form! 😉 Thanks so much for the comment…hope you’re having a great night!
Meredith says
October 12, 2013 at 4:55 pmJust found you, Thank you for the dairy free recipes, my almost 4 year old is milk protein allergy as well, she is also intolerant to soy. We made your pumpkin waffles this morning, used flax eggs in place of eggs since my husband is vegan. Can’t wait to try your apple muffins!!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
October 13, 2013 at 3:16 amI’m very happy that you’ve found some recipes that will work for your family, Meredith! I’ve found that most recipes can be made dairy-free by subbing alternative milks or coconut oil for butter. I hope that the waffles were a hit and that you all enjoy the muffins! Thanks so much for the comment…hope you’re having a great weekend!
lisa carriere says
February 22, 2014 at 1:16 pmThese were amazing! My whole family loved them!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
February 23, 2014 at 11:47 pmI’m so happy to hear that, Lisa! These muffins are quite popular at my house as well. 🙂 I really appreciate you coming back to let me know that they were a hit…it made my day to read your comment! Hope you have a great week!
Maddie says
March 30, 2014 at 8:46 amI just made this yesterday for my son’s first birthday party and it was a huge hit, and tasty enough for the guests to enjoy too, no one could believe it was free of eggs and dairy! I had the Wilton #1 cake pan and in case anyone else has it, it fits about 2x the recipe (I made 3X and also made a dozen cupcakes). Thanks for the recipe!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
March 31, 2014 at 12:34 amI’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit at your party, Maddie! Thanks for stopping back by to let me know, and also for sharing your experience with pan sizes and doubling the recipe. That info is sure to be helpful to someone else down the road. 🙂 And happy 1st birthday to your son! Hope y’all had fun celebrating. 🙂
Amy says
April 16, 2014 at 9:41 amThank you for a great dairy and egg free recipe. I added shredded carrots and raisins and it tasted like carrot cake muffins. The kids gobbled them up.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
April 20, 2014 at 1:26 amI’m so happy to hear that these were a hit, Amy…thanks for stopping by and letting me know! The addition of carrots and raisins sounds delicious…I’ll have to try that sometime. 🙂
khushi says
June 2, 2014 at 5:25 amOh my god they turned out awesome. .my 14 month old has dairy allergy and I’m always struggling with snacks.
I’m sure he’ll like this. Thank you for this amazing recipe. .hope I can find more dairy free food in your blog.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
June 3, 2014 at 12:31 amYay, Khushi…I’m glad you like these! I hope your son does, too. I had to go dairy-free for about a year while nursing my daughter, and during that time I learned that just about any recipe can be adapted to be dairy-free. I typically substitute coconut milk or almond milk for cow’s milk, and I use coconut oil in place of butter. I have a recipe for pumpkin waffles on this site that demonstrates those substitutions. If you ever need help modifying another recipe on my site, let me know and I’d be happy to make suggestions! 🙂
James says
June 4, 2014 at 10:36 amHi Samantha,
What a fantastic post! And such a cute baby. I hope you don’t mind that I posted this on Facebook today for National Applesauce Cake day. https://www.facebook.com/dairyfreed
If you’d rather not have me post this just let me know!
James
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
June 4, 2014 at 1:51 pmThanks so much for letting me know that you shared my pic, James…I’m fine with it. I had no idea there was a National Applesauce Cake Day! Maybe I need to share this recipe again, too… 😉
Tiff says
June 22, 2014 at 7:38 pmI’m so excited to try this recipe this weekend for my son’s first birthday! What are your recommendations for storage if I make them the day before with the icing?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
June 22, 2014 at 9:07 pmHi, Tiff! I always bake and frost this cake the day before and store it in the refrigerator until party time. I usually set it out at the beginning of the party for display, so it has a chance to come to room temperature a bit before it gets demolished/eaten. Unfrosted, this recipe can be kept at room temperature for a few days. Hope that helps. Happy 1st birthday to your son!
Kian says
March 26, 2018 at 7:47 pmSamantha,
Do you think a frosted cake will fare well if I froze it for later use?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
March 27, 2018 at 10:14 amHi Kian! I think you could definitely freeze the cake, but for best results, I would wait to frost the cake until after it’s thawed. Hope that helps!
Kirsten says
July 11, 2014 at 6:15 pmThank you so much for this recipe! My daughter is allergic to dairy and eggs and everyone in the family loved these muffins too! I added a cup of fresh picked blueberries today and they turned out great. I look forward to making many more variations.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
July 13, 2014 at 8:51 amYou’re so welcome, Kirsten…I’m glad that these muffins were a hit! I bet you come up with lots of yummy variations. 🙂 Thanks for the sweet comment…hope you have a great week!
Lisa Carriere says
August 5, 2014 at 6:10 pmI was wondering how to convert this recipe to fit a 9×13 pan. Any ideas? Should I just double the recipe?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
August 5, 2014 at 10:22 pmHi Lisa! I haven’t tried this conversion myself, but a 9 by 13-inch cake is typically equivalent to 24 cupcakes. So since this recipe can be baked in 12 muffin cups, I would think that doubling it would give you about the right amount of batter to fit in a 9×13. As far as baking time, I’d probably peek at your cake at around 25 minutes and then keep a close eye on it based on its doneness at that point. Hope this helps! 🙂
Annette says
September 11, 2016 at 12:05 pmHi. I haven’t tried the recipe yet but I’ve found that if I double a cake recipe that calls for a 9 inch pan, it’s just right for a 9×13 pan. Since this recipe says to split it between 2 9-inch pans, it should be good as is. Hm, I have a pot luck to go to later this week. This sounds like a good dish to bring. 🙂
Cassandra says
October 6, 2014 at 1:13 amThis muffin recipe was simple to make and turned out perfect. I just added 1 cup of raisins and increased the cooking time. I’m so glad to find this recipe tonight since I have run out of breakfast foods and needed to make something with what I had on hand. Thanks so much! I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
October 6, 2014 at 11:57 pmI’m so happy to hear that you liked these, Cassandra, and that they got you out of a pinch when you were low on ingredients! I hope you enjoy any other recipes that you decide to try from the site just as much. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment…have a great week!
Tiffanie says
October 28, 2014 at 1:14 pmI recently found out my son is allergic to wheat and dairy (among other things). I would like to make these treats for him for Halloween. Can I substitute rice flour? Is it an equal swap?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
October 28, 2014 at 1:20 pmHi Tiffanie! I’m sorry to say that I don’t have any experience with rice flour, so I’m not sure if it could be substituted in this recipe with similar results. However, I just found a pretty informative article about gluten-free substitutes, so maybe something in here will help you: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/12/baking-cooking-substitutions-for-gluten.html. I apologize that I can’t be of more assistance, but good luck!
alyssa says
January 27, 2015 at 12:42 pmdo you think it would bb plausable to sub the sugar for agave?
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
January 28, 2015 at 12:25 amHi Alyssa! I wish I had some advice for you, but I have absolutely no experience with agave substitutions. Sorry I can’t be of more help, but I hope it works out if you try it!
Cat says
January 30, 2015 at 10:43 pmJust made these muffins today, my mum has a glut of plums at the moment so I subbed the applesauce for stewed plums- yummy! Thanks for the recipe
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
February 1, 2015 at 11:08 pmSo glad you enjoyed these, Cat…and I bet they were absolutely delicious with stewed plums! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment. 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful week!
melissa says
February 11, 2015 at 8:50 pmSoooo good!!!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
February 16, 2015 at 11:19 amI’m so glad you enjoyed these, Melissa! 🙂
Greta says
September 18, 2015 at 11:14 amThank you so much for this recipe! I subbed Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking flour mix and they turned out so delicious! My daughter can’t have eggs, dairy, or gluten, so finding recipes for her that actually taste good is very difficult! Thank you, thank you!!!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
September 21, 2015 at 8:26 amI’m so glad that your daughter enjoyed these, Greta! And thanks for coming back to let us know that gluten-free baking flour mix worked well in these…I’m sure other people have wondered the same thing. Have a great week! 🙂
Stephanie says
December 27, 2015 at 3:13 pmThank you for this recipe! My twin girls are turning one in a week and one of them is very allergic to eggs. I am, sadly, allergic to gluten! So, I thought I’d share my minor tweaks in order to encourage others to make this great recipe!
-I subbed Namaste Gluten free perfect blend flour for all purpose flour
-I subbed 1/2 c melted butter for the oil (because we aren’t dairy free and I needed something extra delish to balance the GF flour- haha!) I’d love to try coconut oil next time for fun and health.
These made 13 beautiful, fluffy, light and delicious muffins! I am thrilled!!! My 5yo ate 2 1/2 before I cut him off and “oooooh” and “aaaaahhhd” over these!! He was really loving them. Actually, my hubby & twin babies loved them too! HURRAY!! Thanks!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
December 28, 2015 at 2:02 pmI’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit with you all, Stephanie! And thanks for sharing your modifications…I’m sure your tips will be helpful to someone else wanting to make this recipe gluten-free. 🙂 Happy New Year!
Carol says
November 13, 2016 at 10:48 amAbsolutely knocked me off my feet! My kids loved them and my husband even had a few! Thank you so much for this
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
November 19, 2016 at 9:45 amSo happy to hear it, Carol! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Araminta Johnson says
April 19, 2017 at 2:19 pmI am so glad to run across this recipe. I have a soon be 6 years old son with many food allergies, and this recipe will do the job. I will post the outcome! Thank you for sharing!
Kelly H. says
May 31, 2017 at 8:16 amThank you so much for this recipe! I have already made it 4 times in the past 6 weeks! I make it as mini muffins for my little guy to snack on. My husband and I love them too!!
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
June 1, 2017 at 8:43 pmYay, Kelly…so happy to hear that this recipe is such a hit with your family! 🙂
Genoa says
October 16, 2017 at 7:57 pmI made this recipe as mini muffins for my daughter’s preschool class and I just know it’s going be hit. I used half whole wheat flour and half white all purpose flour. Usually I don’t care for whole wheat in my muffins, but these are delicious. My only complaint is that they are a bit on the sweet side. Next time I’ll cut the sugar down to 3/4 of cup and see how I like it. Thanks for great allergy safe recipe!
Moonie says
October 22, 2017 at 11:00 amJust found this recipe, and OMG the perfect egg-free (for me) dairy free (for him) muffin! Light, fluffy, delicious! THANK YOU Wliwni much!
Anj says
April 9, 2018 at 4:19 pmOh, i love this recipe. Am giving a 5-star.
Alyson says
June 19, 2018 at 6:09 amThank you for such a great recipe! We have some kiddos at Vacation Bible School who cannot have eggs, milk, or nuts.
These were perfect! So yummy!!
Susan Bunting says
June 21, 2018 at 3:41 pmJust made your spiced applesauce muffins. Yum. They are fantastic and such an easy recipe. I will be making it as a cake for the vegans in my life as a substitute for the normal chocolate one I bake for them. These are the best muffins I have ever made.
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
June 23, 2018 at 8:43 amI’m thrilled to hear they were such a hit, Susan! 🙂
Kelly says
October 20, 2018 at 10:49 amI’ve made this recipe subbing butter and brown sugar (and also used an 8×8″ glass dish), which turned out great! Today I’m going to use a little less sugar… 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home says
October 22, 2018 at 8:03 amI’m glad you were able to adapt it to your needs, Kelly! 🙂