Easy Recipe That Your Baby Will Love

This smash cake is made with airy angel food cake, fluffy whipped cream frosting, and juicy berries. It’s an easy, relatively low-sugar cake recipe that’s perfect for a baby’s first birthday.

How To Make a Smash Cake

Let’s walk through each step of this recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible.

I’ve also shared a video and a list of the tools/equipment I used to make this smash cake. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything on hand, you can always improvise with what you have.

Two 6-inch cake pans or 1 8-inch cake pan
Parchment paper or rounds
Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
Rubber Spatula

Step 1: Make the Angel Food Cake Batter

Preheat oven to 325 F / 162 C and line two 6-inch or one 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. DO NOT GREASE THE PANS!! If you accidentally did, wash out the grease and dry them before adding in the parchment paper.

Add 5 egg whites, 1 Tbsp of warm water, and 3/4 tsp of cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on a low speed for 1 minute to combine the ingredients.

Gradually add in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar into the egg mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until soft peaks have formed and the mixture has quadrupled in volume.

Sift 1/2 cup cake flour, 2/3 cup powdered sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt into the egg white mixture, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites.

Mix just until you can’t see any streaks of flour (it’s ok if there are some small lumps).

Step 2: Bake the Cake Layers

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth out the batter with the back of your rubber spatula.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned.

Place the cake layers upside down on a metal cooling rack and let the cake layers cool fully in the pan.

Don’t worry, the layers won’t fall out of the pan! Once they’re fully cooled, run an offset spatula around the edge of the pan to carefully loosen the layers.

Remove the layers from the pans, then set them aside while you make the whipped cream frosting.

Step 3: Make the Whipped Cream Frosting

If possible, chill your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 30 minutes to help this whipped cream frosting whip up better. Note: If you want to fully frost the outside of the cake, make a double batch of the frosting.

Then, place 1/2 cup (4 oz.) of cold cream cheese into the chilled mixing bowl and mix at medium speed until smooth.

Add in 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and mix on low at first to avoid powdered sugar clouds/explosions.

Increase the speed to medium high once the powdered sugar is incorporated and mix for about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed throughout this process.

Add in 1 tsp of vanilla extract, then turn the mixer to a medium high speed and gradually pour in 1 cup of cold heavy cream. I like to do this in about 3 additions and focus on pouring the heavy cream down the side of the bowl to prevent it from splattering.

Watch the mixture closely once the heavy cream is fully mixed in. It should thicken and take shape shortly after this.

Take care not to over-mix this whipped cream frosting!! It will become soupy, and sadly, you won’t be able to fix it.

As soon as you see the frosting start to take shape, turn off your mixer and do a quick whisk test. Dunk your whisk attachment into the frosting, then take it out and flip it upside down. The frosting should keep its shape and form a nice peak.

If it doesn’t, continue to mix the frosting on a medium-high speed for 30-second intervals until it does.

Once it passes the whisk test, cover the whipped cream frosting with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Step 4: Assemble the Smash Cake

Build this smash cake on a greaseproof cake board or flat plate using a dab of whipped cream frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.

Spread a thick layer of whipped cream frosting on the cake layer and top with a layer of fresh berries.

I recommend smashing blueberries if you use them because they can be a choking hazard to babies. Repeat with remaining cake layers.

Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining berries, then enjoy!

This cake is best assembled the day of, but the cake layers can be made up to a month in advance and frozen in an airtight container, and the whipped cream can be made a week in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

Can I Make This Recipe With a Hand Mixer?

You can make the angel food cake layers and whipped cream frosting with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer.

But to be totally transparent, using a stand mixer works a lot better than a hand mixer. It’s easier and faster.

A hand mixer can work, but it takes a lot longer to get soft peaks. The peaks also never seem to form quite as well as when I use a stand mixer.

My main tip if you use a hand mixer is to be patient, especially when making the whipped cream frosting.

I also recommend thoroughly scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to help the hand mixer whip everything up properly.

How to Decorate This Smash Cake for a Themed Party

If you want to decorate this cake or frost the outside like a normal cake, I recommend making a double batch of frosting.

If you need to color the frosting, you can use either natural powders like matcha or freeze-dried strawberry powder, or you can use a small bit of gel food coloring.

I used matcha powder and a bit of green gel food coloring to make my baby’s frog smash cake. I recommend coloring the whipped cream after you’ve filled the cake to minimize the amount of food coloring you have to use.

Substitutions and Swaps

While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all of these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

• Cake Flour – I don’t recommend substituting all-purpose flour for cake flour in this recipe. Sadly, the texture just doesn’t turn out as fluffy.
• Gluten-Free Flour – I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work as long as you use a good blend like King Arthur’s GF flour. Just be sure to let the batter sit for about 30 minutes to absorb some of the moisture in the batter.
• Vanilla Extract – This can be omitted if needed.
• Berries – You can use pretty much any fruit in this cake! It’s the perfect canvas for whatever fruit you have on hand or is in season and safe for your baby.

Making This Smash Cake in Advance

I don’t recommend assembling this cake in advance because of the fresh fruit! It can sit for a day in the fridge, but the fruit will start to get pretty sad after that.

You can make these angel food cake layers in advance, though! Store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or at room temperature overnight.

This whipped cream frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container. I recommend using it when it’s cold, straight out of the fridge.

Tips for Making the Best Smash Cake

• If you want to frost the outside of the cake fully, make a double batch of the frosting.
• Use fresh egg whites, they whip up best! Separate the eggs when they’re cold, then let them come to room temperature before whipping them.
• DO NOT GREASE YOUR PANS! The batter needs to be able to stick to the pans a bit as it bakes to maintain its structure as it bakes up.
• Note that this cake recipe bakes at 325 F, not 350 F! Be sure to set your oven to the right temperature.
• Sift the dry ingredients. It’s important in this recipe because it helps aerate the ingredients and makes them easier to fold into the egg whites.
• Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the whipped egg whites. You don’t want to over-mix and deflate the batter.
• Let the cake layers cool fully in their pans to help them maintain their shape, then run an offset spatula around them to help get them out.
• You can use this recipe to make two 6″ or one 8″ cake layers. If you want to make a larger cake, I recommend using my layered angel food cake recipe.
• You can also make cupcakes with this recipe! Fill your liners 3/4 full and bake at 325 F / 162 C for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this smash cake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating or comment below.

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