Ollie&Fletch

So, your baby is turning one (a milestone in itself).  Like most parents, I wanted some pictures to commemorate the fact that I had managed to care for my son for an entire year, and needed living proof of this. CAKE SMASH was everywhere I looked on social media, or very cute kids sitting on suitcases with the number one.  I felt the cake smash was more us.

I contacted the photographer that we used for Ollie’s first photo session when he was just ten days old, lucky for us cake smash was something that she did.

Here’s a little behind the scenes pic for you.

The photographer gave me some fab tips for the shoot itself. Mainly when I was in a supermarket the day before frantically looking and searching for the perfect cake.

So let’s start from the beginning, the tips are short and sweet but so so useful.  I’m just so grateful that my photographer was so full of knowledge and patience for a frantic mother running around the supermarket, with a nearly one year old staring at her with the look of ‘what the heck are you up to?’

So the basic tips for the cake.  I know some people get them made which is great, but my budget and my money saving Mammy mode just wouldn’t allow for this.  I then thought I will make the cake, after all I am the best Mother on the planet.  Then I realised it would be far less stressful to buy the thing.

I bought a medium sized victoria sponge about 7 inches (this may seem small but remember you are putting cream on the cake and your baby is only small, you don’t want the Gandalf and Frodo affect in your photoshoot). I then bought whipping cream, thank goodness I was told to put back the squirty cream that I had picked up.  Apparently the squirty cream just dissolves when it’s played with, and it’s a bit of a washout for the pictures.  I didn’t want the whipping cream to be white so I bought some blue dye – this was a genius off the cuff purchase which I’m so glad I did.  I also bought some large white chocolate buttons to decorate.  Please note the colour of the chocolate buttons WHITE!!.  Do not use anything that is a chocolate colour for anything because yes you’ve guessed it, we start to play the ‘is it chocolate or poo game’. Not the iconic lasting family picture of your baby that you were after.

I put the cream on the cake and decorated it with giant white chocolate buttons on the morning of the photo shoot,  and placed it in the fridge.  I put it on a cake stand thinking oh that will be pretty in the picture. This is where I failed, as the photographer had their own stand for the cake that was far better than mine and safer than my inherited glass cake stand from my grandmother.  What was I thinking……….

So in summary,

1. Don’t use milk, dark, or anything chocolate coloured for the sponge, cream or decoration as it will look like poo.

2. If you want to save cash, buy a cheap plain cake like a victoria sponge, and cover with copious amounts of whipped whipping cream.  When you think you have enough, put more on!!  Believe me more cream equals good messy cute pictures.

3. Buy the right cream.  It has to be whipping cream, you know the one, it comes in a liquid and then you whip it, and whip it, and whip it until your arms fall off,  but it’s ok because you can achieve fluffy soft peaks that Nigella and Mary Berry would be proud of.  Make sure the cream is quite stiff as it will be easier for your little one to grab in clumps and mess up his face, his cute outfit, and anything else within a 10 feet radius (including you!).

4. Muslins and baby wipes galore.  You know why, I don’t need to explain this one.

5. Some Photographers do a bath tub shot at the end which is very very sweet, so have some towels to hand for your precious bundle.

I hope this information has helped anyone who is thinking of doing a cake smash for their little ones.  GOOD LUCK.