Home > Recipes > Dessert > 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe
byAshlyn Edwards on Aug 22, 2014 (updated Dec 5, 2019) 164 comments »
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4.95 from 101 ratings
Celebrate your little one’s first birthday by making a fun and yummy smash cake! It’s easier than you might think to make one at home, especially with this simple vanilla cake recipe.
My precious girl turned one last weekend! I seriously cannot believe how fast the past year has gone by. It seems like it was just the other day that we were bringing her home from the hospital, and making a pit stop along the way to pick up a big box of hot malasadas to celebrate. 😉
Have you ever had a malasada before? I’d never had one until we moved out here to Hawaii. They are basically fried pieces of delicious sugary dough. Uh-mazing! But I digress…
We decided to keep her actual birthday pretty low key and just stayed at home to let her play with her new toys, which my son and I were SO excited about. Probably more than her. 😉
He was excited to have presents around to open and play with, and I was excited about GIRL presents! She got her first Cabbage Patch Doll, which I couldn’t wait to get for her since I loved mine when I was little.
Plus, Babyland General Hospital (where the Cabbage Patch Dolls are born) is just a little ways up the road from my hometown in Cleveland, Georgia. I’m SO looking forward to taking my kiddos there one day!
We are having a birthday party for her in a couple of weeks with a luau theme, since she’s our little Hawaiian-born baby.
I decided that I still wanted to do a little something special for her actual birthday, and I really wanted to try my hand at making her a smash cake. I had never made one before, and I had never really decorated a cake before either, aside from slapping on some icing with a spatula and going shake crazy with some sprinkles. 😉
I was ready to give it my best shot, though, and I ended up being pretty proud of my work! It actually isn’t that hard at all, and while my cake certainly isn’t anywhere near the quality of a professional’s, I was still very happy with it, and so was our little birthday girl.
How to make a Smash Cake
1. If you want to make a two layer smash cake (like I did), search your cabinets for two small, round, glass pyrex bowls. The ones I used were one quart each. You can use two small casserole dishes or other kinds of bowls as well, just so long as they are oven-safe! Grease and flour them both well.![1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (3) 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (3)](https://i0.wp.com/belleofthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_6957.jpg)
![1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (4) 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (4)](https://i0.wp.com/belleofthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_7010.jpg)
recipe and added a little pink gel food coloring. Spread a thin layer on the top of one of your cakes, then turn the other cake upside down and place on top.
![1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (6) 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (6)](https://i0.wp.com/belleofthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_7019.jpg)
![1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (7) 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (7)](https://i0.wp.com/belleofthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/img-7034.jpg)
![1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (8) 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (8)](https://i0.wp.com/belleofthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_7039.jpg)
![1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (9) 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (9)](https://i0.wp.com/belleofthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_7049.jpg)
![1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (10) 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe (10)](https://i0.wp.com/belleofthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IMG_7054.jpg)
And now you’re ready to snap some photos of your little one enjoying their special cake! Here’s one of our little princess:
I hope this helps you a bit if you’re interested in making a smash cake for a special little one in your life! It’s really not hard at all, and is actually a lot of fun! Like I said, mine is not perfect. My icing decorating skills could probably use some improvement, but overall I was happy with it.
If I can make one that looks somewhat decent, then I know y’all can, too!
Oh, and here’s the recipe for the simple vanilla cake! Enjoy. 🙂
4.95 from 101 ratings
Recipe: 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins
Total Time: 55 minutes mins
Celebrate your little one's first birthday by making a fun and yummy smash cake! It's easier than you might think to make one at home, especially with this simple vanilla cake recipe.
This recipe makes two small smash cakes.
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Ingredients
- 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 1/2 cups milk, (I used whole milk)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour baking pans, or line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together over medium speed for 5-8 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 the dry mixture and the milk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Beat until just combined.
See AlsoRecipe: Tiramisù PiePour mixture into prepared baking pans. See notes below for baking times.
Once baking time is complete, transfer baking dishes to a wire rack to cool. Once completely cool, remove cakes from baking dishes and frost with Easy Buttercream Frosting and enjoy!
Notes
*This recipe is enough to fill two (1 quart) Pyrex baking bowls, as well as 12 cupcakes. It is also enough to make one 9x13 cake. Bake the two small cakes for about 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick in center is clean. I baked both of mine together on a cookie sheet. Bake cupcakes for about 18-20 minutes. I have not baked the 9x13 cake, but think it would probably be about the same as the two small ones. Just keep an eye on your cakes and check them periodically.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Ashlyn Edwards | Belle of the Kitchen
Calories: 425kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 98mg, Sodium: 38mg, Potassium: 219mg, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 600IU, Calcium: 102mg, Iron: 1.8mg
Did you make this recipe?Let me know! Mention @TheBelleoftheKitchen on Instagram or tag #BelleoftheKitchen.
If you like this 1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial, then you might also like:
Pineapple Sunshine Cake
Skinny Funfetti Cake
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Dessert Holidays
originally published on Aug 22, 2014 (last updated Dec 5, 2019)
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164 comments on “1st Birthday Smash Cake Tutorial + Simple Vanilla Cake recipe”
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Katie — Reply
Loved this recipe for the small cake and cupcakes in one, but it’s definitely missing salt.
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Zori — Reply
I love it. After I discovered your recipe I been using it for all my family birthdays .and I impressed myself making cakes , how easy your recipe makes it and what I like the most is that is not over sweet. It is just perfect. Thank you for sharing .
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Sara — Reply
So I’m making this now but where does the milk come into play?? No where other than the ingredient list
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Ashlyn Edwards — Reply
Hi there, it’s mentioned in step 4 where you alternate adding it with the dry mix.
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Amanda — Reply
Hi! I did a test run of the cake for my daughters 1st birthday. I used 3 6×2 round cake pans. And the cake is delicious and moist, but the bottom was so dense. Any recommendations?
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Shannon — Reply
This was just the right amount of batter for two 4-inch cakes layers and 12 cupcakes. Made a smash cake out of the 2 layers and the cupcakes were for everyone else to enjoy.