Cake tips for Cake Smash

Hi friends! Cake smash sessions are one of my favorite type of sessions. I'm here to give you some tips about the cake smash. Whether you are a photographer, a mom with a little one turning one soon, a client of mine, or anywhere in-between, I’d love to share some of my tips and tricks.

First of all, and most importantly, I let baby lead the show. I take time to read baby’s mood. Is the baby shy? Are they walking yet? Are they curious? Not all babies like cake. Be fully prepared for the birthday boy/girl to hate touching, looking at, or being near the cake. I typically start with portraits, then bring out the cake and capture baby’s approach. Some dive right in, some want nothing to do with it, some touch it and immediately regret it. All of these reactions are PERFECT, and all about the baby in that moment.

Before your cake smash session, have baby try cake! The day before your session, give baby a cupcake/piece of cake to try. This will let them practice and try the sweetness of cake in their comfort zone. It’s also a great opportunity to make sure baby doesn’t have any reactions to the ingredients in the cake (and give us time to come up with a plan B if they do have a reaction).

Six tips for Cake Smash

Choosing a cake. I have my clients bring the cake, for several reasons, including potential allergy issues and to make sure parents get the cake they truly want. It’s also great because my clients can choose what works for their budget, and I give a range of recommendations for local bakers. I have a few recommendations as far as the cake goes.
Avoid chocolate and red frosting. Chocolate frosting and chocolate cake can look a bit like baby got into a dirty diaper during smash (especially with those close up images, where the context of the cake smash are removed). Red frosting/filling looks like a massacre.
Pastels or no dyes in the frosting is ideal. Deep colors in frosting tends to dye baby’s skin, which will be difficult to wash off for the bath portion of the session.
OVER SWEET frostings. It tend to shock baby. Cakes from the grocery store are often made with super sweet frostings, if possible, ask for a whipped frosting or something less sweet.
Avoid fondant, decorations on cake/etc. These things can be choking hazards, so best to leave them off. Buttercream frosting seems to be best.
Refrigerate your cake the night before. If you refrigerte your cake the night before your session, be sure to take it out of the fridge a few hours before your session. Babies tend to prefer room temp cakes, and the frosting is much easier for them to get into.

Cake tips for CAKE SMASH