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Hi Bold Bakers!
We have a big birthday to celebrate in this house! George is turning 1! George was born in Santa Monica, the 16th of Feb 2020 at 10.35 am. He weighed 6lbs 14oz. He came into the world like he had been here before. Relaxed, super chill, and laid back. He has been a joy from day one and I’m excited to celebrate his first year by making a homemade smash cake recipe!
As a baker, a mammy, and a lover of hilarious moments to cover my kid in a cake of course I’m making his smash cake! You only need a small number of ingredients and it’s wayyyy less expensive than buying from a bakery.
What Is A Smash Cake?
A Smash Cake is an adorable tradition that is literally what it sounds like — a baby-sized cake for your 1-year-old to smash up. For most babies, this is the first time they ever taste cake, and the reaction is amazing. Lovely little ones inevitably end up with Smash Cake all over their chubby cheeks and tiny hands and making for some great photos and memories!
Smash Cake vs Normal Cake
So technically a Smash cake IS a ‘normal cake’. The only difference between this cake and another birthday cake is the size. I calculated this recipe to yield you just 2 small layers of a 6-inch cake. As far as taste goes, this is a delicious basic white cake recipe and will taste yummy no matter your age.
What You Need To Make A Smash Cake
- Two 6 inch cake pans
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Palette knife for decorating
How To Make A Smash Cake
Trust me, this recipe is so easy — and you’re going to save loads of money. Here’s how to make a smash cake (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below.):
- Grease and line two 6 inch tins (link) with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a bowl mix together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together the softened butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy. roughly 3 minutes.
- While mixing, pour in the egg and egg white, mixing well until combined.
- Next, add in the oil, vanilla extract, and milk and mix well.
- Lastly, fold in the dry ingredients until the batter comes together. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for roughly 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely, then gently turn the cakes out onto a cooling wrack.
- Place the cooled cake on a cake stand or plate. Using a palette knife spread an even layer of vanilla buttercream across the first layer of cake. Place the second layer of cake on top and repeat. Using the remaining frosting spread the frosting around the outside of the cake. Do a crumb coat, chill and then repeat the coat with more frosting until the cake is fully covered.
- Decorate as you like, I just added sprinkles and a candle. Smash within 48 hours.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Your Baby’s First Birthday Cake
- Cake flour yields you a lovely, soft crumb in your cakes. If you can’t find it in the store you can easily make your own with my recipe for Cake flour.
- I’m not going to tell anyone if you use store-bought frosting BUT if you want to make your own you can use my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.
- You need two (6-inch pans) for this cake. I used these pans.
- Bake off the 2 cakes in advance and freeze them so all you have to do to prepare is to decorate them.
- Make and decorate the cake the day before so you have it completely ready for the party.
How do I store a Smash Cake?
Store the smash cake at room temperature if you are frosting it with buttercream, however, if you are using fresh cream to decorate it then I suggest keeping it in the fridge. The cake will be fresh for up to 3 days.
Make More Cake & Puddings!
- Pound Cake With Sprinkles
- Citrus Olive Oil Cake
- Best-Ever Chocolate Cake with Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Best-Ever Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
Homemade Smash Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (7½oz/213g) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (4oz/115g) butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup (8oz/225g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (4floz/115ml) whole milk
- ½ recipe vanilla buttercream
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) then butter and line two 6 inch tins with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. This should take 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in the egg and egg white, mixing well on medium speed until combined.
- Pour in the oil, vanilla extract, and milk and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until the batter is formed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Let cool completely, then gently turn the cakes out onto a cooling wrack.
- Once the cakes have cooled place them on a cake stand or plate. Using a large palette knife spread an even layer of vanilla buttercream across the first layer of cake. Place the second layer of cake on top and repeat. Using the remaining frosting spread the frosting around the outside of the cake. Do a crumb coat, chill and then repeat the coat with more frosting until the cake is fully covered.
- Decorate as you like, I just added sprinkles and a candle. Smash within 48 hours.
Happy Birthday George. It was really nice seeing his pics and clips from earlier. Loads of love little guy, you’re growing up so fast 💕
& to Gemma and Kevin, thanks for making us a part of this special day.
Happy Birthday George…!!🎉💖🎂🎈🎊🎁🎈
Loads of love to the cute,sweet and adorable little champ❤
Shamima
I made this recipe for my son’s first birthday last year and we plan to make it again for his second birthday next month! We loved how moist the cake was and it went well with my homemade whipped cream! We buttercream between the layers, whipped cream on the outside and buttercream for decoration details. Last year was dinosaur themed! So excited to use this recipe again!
It came out lovely. I was concerned about the sugar, and it was not too sweet at all. Thank you for this recipe.
Did not make enough batter for two 6” pans. I have uneven tiny layers. Had to make a second batch and put the entire batter into the pan
Hi Gemma. If I would bake this as cupcakes. How long should I put it in the oven and what temperature?
Hi!! How long would I bake it if I made them in two 4” pan?
Hi Gemma
Every time I ask for help you never answer my question ! All its says on the reply email is “your comment has been approved” don’t know what that means in reply to my question about the Smash Cake !
Regards
Hi my grandsons 1st birthday is in March but he is dairy free so can you suggest a cake recipe or what I should swap in this recipe to make it work? Thank you in advance ☺ any help would be appreciated.
Hey Gemma, if I wanted to make a regular cake for the adults as well following this recipe, would I just double?