Her First Smash Cake (And Cupcakes for Us!)
We celebrated Ella’s first birthday and she got to try cake for the first time ever! Here’s how I’ve made smash cakes for all 3 of my kids’ first birthdays! Here’s the recipe I use:
Recipe: https://sugarspunrun.com/vanilla-cake-recipe/
And you’ll need these cake pans (affiliate): https://amzn.to/4emV56Z
Ingredients
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
½ cup (120 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil¹
1 ½ cup (300 g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs room temperature preferred
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour²
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup (300 ml) buttermilk room temperature preferred
1 batch stabilized whipped cream frosting: https://sugarspunrun.com/stabilized-whipped-cream-frosting/
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Mixing bowls (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/2C47vQx
2 4" round cake pans (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/4emV56Z
Large scoop (for portioning batter) (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/3Vj4tQ0
Instructions
00:00 Introduction
00:29 Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and prepare two 4" round cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly greasing the sides. Set aside.
00:40 In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer) cream together the butter, canola oil and sugar until creamy and well-combined.
01:02 Add eggs, one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined after each addition.
01:10 Stir in vanilla extract.
01:20 In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
02:00 Using a spatula and gently hand-mixing, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined after each addition. The batter should be thoroughly combined, but there may be some small lumps in the batter and avoid over-mixing (and do not use your electric mixer or stand mixer for this step).
02:42 Evenly divide batter into your prepared cake pans, and bake on 350F (177C) for 25-30 minutes. When the cake is done, the surface should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
Vanilla Cupcakes:
04:10 The leftover batter will make approximately 14-15 vanilla cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners no more than ¾ of the way full. Bake on 350F for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
04:48 Allow cakes to cool in their cake pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack to cool completely before frosting (for the cupcakes, remove to a cooling rack after 5 minutes).
05:25 Frost cake using my stabilized whipped cream frosting: https://sugarspunrun.com/stabilized-whipped-cream-frosting/
Notes
¹Cooking oil
You may use any neutral cooking oil instead of vegetable or canola oil. I generally don’t recommend olive oil, which is heavier and has a distinct flavor that could affect the end taste result of your cake.
²Cake Flour
You may substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Use 3 ⅓ cups or 375g of cake flour.
Frosting Options
Here are some great frosting options for the cupcakes:
Chocolate Frosting: https://sugarspunrun.com/chocolate-buttercream-frosting/
Buttercream Frosting: https://sugarspunrun.com/buttercream-frosting/
Cream Cheese Frosting: https://sugarspunrun.com/cream-cheese-frosting/
Raspberry Frosting: https://sugarspunrun.com/raspberry-buttercream-frosting/
Swiss Meringue Buttercream: https://sugarspunrun.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream/
I’d love to see what you’re making! Tag me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugarspun_sam
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