Tips For Your Baby's Cake Smash

Once upon a time, a genius idea was to take the words “cake” and “smash” and put them together… giving us this seriously adorable first birthday tradition! 


A cake smash session includes:

• 1 outfit for “clean” portraits.

• Cake smash on a custom-designed set ( or client pick from my backdrop options )

• Matching bath splash!

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR SESSION


WHAT I PROVIDE:

My prop stash is always growing, and what I can provide will depend on the theme and color scheme that you have chosen for your session. But generally speaking, this is what I typically have on hand.


  • Styled background and white floor
  • A cake stand and wooden spoon
  • Small pieces of decor like florals, lights, and decorative boxes to dress up the set
  • A selection of optional outfits from my growing client closet( or client can bring there own )


WHAT YOU PROVIDE:

  • The cake
  • Baby’s outfit and headpiece
  • Small treats that baby likes
  • A water cup
  • A towel





TIPS TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR CAKE SMASH SESSION


  • Scheduling: If you’d like to use your portraits to display at baby’s birthday party I recommend having your session take place when baby is 10 1/2 - 1 1months old. This will give you time to make prints and order any products that you’d like to display.
  • Bring snacks: Bring some small snacks that baby likes! This is a great little trick to help us get some great images even if baby does not want to smashing … we just put them right back of the cake ! We still can get some eating pose. Also, have a sippy cup or bottle nearby in case baby gets thirsty or needs a break.
  • Avoid getting a chocolate cake. It looks… gross. I also suggest avoiding cakes with a lot of red icing and red insert. trust me it's does not looks good.
  • Cake prep: If you’re picking up your cake the day before your session please remember to take it out of the refrigerator a few hours in advance so that the icing can soften. A hard, cold cake is no fun to smash!
  • Be prepared to participate! Some babies don’t quite get the hang of the smash right away so you may need to get your hands into the cake to help them get started.
  • Leaving siblings at home if possible. Siblings, especially those under 4, don’t understand why they can’t have cake too. This session is a special for your little one, so we want to make this day all about baby!
  • This is going to be messy. Really messy. So be sure to bring an extra outfit for baby and possibly one for yourself!
  • Clean up: I do have baby soaps and towels at the studio to help you clean baby after the cake smash, but if there is a particular soap and Towels that you prefer to use on your little one please feel free to bring that with you. Icing can be very greasy so soap is almost always a necessity!


WHERE TO GET A SMASH CAKE


Because there are so many different food allergies out there these days (dairy, wheat, sugar, etc) I always ask that my clients provide the cake. This gives you full control over what’s inside of the cake! I highly, highly recommend getting a smash cake from a professional bakery. Homemade cakes can be beautiful but they’re often very dry and the icing is hard. We want a simple cake with soft icing. A “naked cake” with white icing is always a great choice for any theme!


For size, a 6-inch cake with 2-3 tiers is ideal. If it is too big it won’t fit on a cake stand or between baby's legs. Also, you’ll want to make sure that the cardboard base isn’t massively bigger than the cake itself. The base should be no more than an inch or so wider than the cake itself.


Again, don’t forget to let the cake sit out for a few hours prior to your session. A cold, hard cake will be difficult for baby to smash and won’t feel good on their little hands.

And remember… no chocolate cake or red icing! Also, fondant is beautiful but you’ll need to keep an extra close eye on baby during the smash because fondant is difficult to chew and could present a choking hazard. (This also goes for any decorative details on the cake, including things like toothpicks and wooden dowels.)


Some of my local favorites are:

Grocery Store: HEB , Whole Foods Market( you can always pre-order your cake from grocery baking center it's a great place to get naked cake )...

Baking shop