My Vanilla Smash Cake is perfect for your baby’s 1st birthday cake, with two layers of moist cake topped with fluffy frosting and sprinkles.
This easy Cake Recipe is ideal for early birthday parties. It takes a traditional Vanilla Cake and shrinks it down for your little one to smash and squish!
Sabrina’s Smash Cake Recipe
This mini, double-layer cake the perfect size for your baby’s first birthday. It has a classic vanilla batter and buttercream frosting, so it’s sweet but not a sugar overload. The colorful sprinkles and decorative piping make it picture perfect right before you let your kiddo go to town smashing and eating the cake with their hands. It’s a great opportunity for fun photos and precious memories, and the simple flavor is one that most babies will love!
Ingredients
Smash Cake:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Vanilla Frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Smash Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter two 6" inch cake pans then lightly dust them with extra flour (or spray with baking spray).
- In a stand mixer on low speed mix together the butter and sugar, on high speed, for 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and vanilla then add it to the stand mixer on low then medium speed until just combined.
- Finally, add in the milk and sour cream carefully and stir it in by hand until just combined (do not turn on the mixer, it may splash on you).
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and add it to the stand mixer on the lowest speed setting until just combined.
- Pour half of the batter into each of the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes then remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Vanilla Frosting:
- Beat the butter on high speed in your stand mixer for 2 minutes.
- On the lowest speed setting, add the powdered sugar and milk, alternating them ⅓ at a time and finally add the vanilla in last.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more milk.
To Finish:
- To your cake stand add a spoonful of frosting.
- Level the cakes with a large serrated knife and discard the cake pieces.
- Brush off excess crumbs.
- Add the first layer of the cake to the cake stand.
- Top with ½ cup of frosting, spread evenly.
- Top with second layer of cake.
- Top with ½ cup of frosting, spread evenly.
- Add 1 cup of frosting, coating the outside of the cake.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow to harden.
- Frost the cake with half the remaining frosting.
- Pipe swirly mounds onto the top of the cake.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with sprinkles.
Notes
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
Nutrition
Calories: 514kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 744IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg
Hi! I had a couple questions about the recipe. In the first instruction it states to “butter and dust with cocoa powder” the 6” cake pans. Because this is a white cake, won’t the cocoa powder show?
And in third instruction you wrote to whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla before adding into standing mixer. In that same instruction you wrote “finally add milk and sour cream….” Are we to divide the milk?
Thanks so much
Hi Jennifer, thanks for asking. We have updated the recipe card with corrections. Please take a look and if you try the recipe please let us know what you think 🙂