More like Frosting Smash!
- T. Fazio
- Mar 14, 2017
- 2 min read
Above all else, this was the event I was most looking forward to when my daughter turned one. The ever-so-adorable cake smash. It marks a turning point for the baby as being able to consume sugary goodness and also being considered a toddler. Is someone cutting onions?
The backstory behind the session is that there was a little back-and-forth with the details on my part because I needed to pin point the mood I was going for. A white background would have been too plain for a celebration, so I picked up this deep copper crushed velvet from a fabric store near where I work. When I set it up I knew right away that it was too bold for a subject so young. I couldn't let it be and changing the color in post-production is a last resort. I still had time.
Back to the fabric store I went and picked up this amazing embroidered fabric that reminded me of a classicly-decorated wedding cake. The ivory tone wasn't too bold or washed out-it was perfect. I am so glad I second-guessed myself.
The pedestal was made by gluing a square sauce container upside-down to the bottom of a square plate that is probably meant for hors d'oeuvres. The cake stands at the party store (I'm sure you can guess which one) were very large and not in the best condition.
I made the cupcake batter from scratch because it was easier to cut the recipe in half knowing that I was only going to bake it for this session. I also only had boxed red velvet cake in the pantry and I was given a warning about red dye and possible allergic reactions. Red velvet cake is made with an entire bottle of red food coloring so I thought it was best to avoid it.
The frosting had to be unique, I thought, it had to stand out so multi-colored cream cheese frosting it was. If you ever want to do this it's a piece of cupcake: spoon out some frosting into as many bowls as you have colors. Add coloring whether it be liquid or gel, and spoon the colors into a pastry bag (with the tip and coupler already attached) stacked up one at a time. Make sure to spoon the colors in a line down the bag so that there's less chance the blend gets muddled. When you twist the pastry bag to push out the frosting it will come out something like this. I found a video on the method if you are more of a visual person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7osrDuO_j8
With everything in place, there was only to take the wrapper off, put the baby in front of the cupcake, and watch the magic happen. It turns out she really liked the frosting. The cake only received a couple of stars, but the important thing is that there was frosting all over her face and hands.
That's my girl.
