Fast take: Cake Smashes shouldn't just be for a one year old! Why? I love watching kids grow and doing it at their birthday gives you a great opportunity to get images year after year. It's hysterical to see a one year old come back as a two year old. My favorite recent two year old slowly picked all the sprinkles off of her cake before using a spoon to carefully spoon cake into her mouth. It was a far cry from her handfuls of cake just one year earlier. In my humble opinion, almost any time is a good time for cake.
Living and photographing families on Long Island and getting to watch those families grow is the reason I became a family photographer in the first place. A first birthday cake smash is special though. First of all, year one is HARD. Parents need as much of a celebration as their little ones do. And I know, many parents look forward to this moment, the baby's first sweet treat. Being a Nassau County based family photographer I find tons of parents who want to make sure their little ones are eating the most natural and organic cake, without added sugars, tons of processed food or synthetic dyes. The best part is - have a great time and leave the mess to me! I can't tell you how many moms feel "guilty" leaving my Manhasset studio a mess. I promise, that's what I am here for and it is truly a pleasure to give Mom something she's not responsible for cleaning up!!
So today I am letting you in on a little secret. My two go-to organic cake recipes that I use for my Long Island cake smashes! I've got you covered with two different recipes depending on the season and your preferences of course. They're both actually really easy to make and can be made in a cupcake form, if you don't want baby having a cake all to themselves! The first is for all my health-conscious mamas! I make it with a cocktail of fruit which sweetens the cake and a whipped cream frosting with just a little maple syrup finishes the cake beautifully without any processed foods or sugars (or dyes!). The second is a strawberry cake which becomes a beautiful pink color once baked. For a more "blue" color, just substitute blueberries or blackberries.
For cake smashes in my studio I almost always go with a white cake although sometimes I do dye my frosting with organic dyes to match a theme. If you have a little one about to turn one, please do inquire here for more information on my cake smashes and how you can have a cake smash for your littles (no clean-up or set-up required!!).
Enjoy!
Healthy Smash Cake
Cake:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or regular)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 banana, very ripe
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Frosting:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp maple syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350F and butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
Place the banana, strawberries and applesauce together in a blender and mix on high until completely pureed.
In a small bowl, whisk together the fruit puree, milk, egg and vanilla extract. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and carefully stir with a large wooden spoon until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely.
To create 2 layers, use a long knife to cut the cake horizontally across the middle. Cake can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store, unfrosted, in an airtight container in the refrigerator. No longer than 4 hours ahead of serving, make the frosting.
Pour the whipped cream and maple syrup into a large bowl, and beat on high with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
Frost the bottom layer of the cake first, then follow with the top layer. Decorate as desired (I think sprinkles are always very festive and with the bright colors, I find kids LOVE them!). Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
Strawberry Smash Cake
Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter,, softened
4 eggs
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, (could also be made with cake flour)
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk, (I used whole milk)
1/2 cup strawberries, pureed and strained
Frosting:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch pans.
Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together over medium speed for 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Combine the flour and baking powder in a medium sized bowl.
Alternate adding half of the dry mixture and then half of the milk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Beat until just combined.
Pour mixture into prepared baking pans and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cakes cool completely. Can be made up to 3 days in advance - store unfrosted in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
No longer than 4 hours ahead of serving, make the frosting. Pour the whipped cream and maple syrup into a large bowl, and beat on high with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
Frost the bottom layer of the cake first, then follow with the top layer. Decorate as desired. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
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