Giant cupcake cake smash

[PandaEyes2]

Hi all,

I have my sons cake smash this Sunday (8th). I have practiced his cake once and it wasn't too bad. I've got the right recipe and cooked well last time.

However I've just done another practice run just to be sure and it seems worse than last time (exact same recipe). I am putting the oven on 160c and on my oven I have a setting that's apparently good for cakes (the picture for it looks like just 2 lines 1 above the other, whereas the normal fan oven has a fan in the middle). I'm wondering if I should just cook it using the ordinary fan oven setting as I've found this time that the sides are cooking long before the middle.

Doesn't anyone have any words of wisdom. I know it will be smashed up but I can't take a cake this is raw in the middle. I feel I have a good recipe so I'm prepared to stick with it.

I'm cooking the bottom first and covering with foil around 20 minutes in so the top doesn't burn and takes around an hour and pretty much the same for the top.

It's not about affecting poverty. It's about showing off about wasting food when you know full well that there are people in the world without any. It's distasteful and you can bark as much as you want that it's your money and you can do what you want with it! It still doesn't stop the fact that you are rubbing this horrible event in the face of those with no money. Forget the money and price of the photographer. It is morally wrong! You can't justify this in any way whatsoever. Anyone with a heart or morals wouldn't want to waste any kind of food for the sake of wasting it like this.

Exactly hate.
It's wasteful and show offy.

If people didn't waste so much food we'd be able to (comfortably) feed everyone in the world let alone just the country.

The earth has a finite amount of resources. We should respect that because our children will live with the consequences when we don't.

Always thought the point was baby gets to enjoy their cake how they want- Like birthday finger food

I'd enjoy doing it. Would probably just use my phone for snaps, but if you can afford it and want professional ones why not

At 1 babies will probably enjoy the mess and sugar as much as any presents they open

Fuck me rigid people like to go over the top don't they?! Please stop with the sanctimonious bullshit

Bloody hell, she asked for cake advice not if you liked cake smashes

Do you all loom over your DC when they eat their dinner making sure they finish everything because we can't waste ANYTHING.
In the grand scheme of things, it's just a bit of cake.

Tacky wasteful and bloody awful. Get yourself to netmums

Just make sure it's not chocolate cake, for Christ's sake or your photos will look like your child is smeared with shit like my cousin's ones who hasn't forgiven me since I burst out laughing when I saw them

Hard to say without seeing the whole recipe and size of tin, but I agree, 160' seems low if not on fan setting. I would use the fan setting.

Are you cooking it in two halves and then putting them together?

Cooking deep sponge cakes is an issue. You could divide it into two tins and then sandwich together. But I would still use the fan setting.

I think lots of people hate staged photos and especially staged with outfits, cakes and all the other things that you get.

I think the wasteful part is just an excuse to look down on them.

“Doesn't anyone have any words of wisdom”

Yes. Do something else instead. Make a cake that people want to eat, not destroy. Slice it up, put it on plates and hand it round.

“It would be nice to look back on the photos from his first birthday”

Really! . Personally I find pictures of toddlers smeared in food rather icky.

Quite frankly they are tacky and a ridiculous trend. If you are going to ruin a perfectly good cake (what a waste) then just buy a cheap and nasty supermarket cake. No-one will care.
I do a fair amount of baking and would be really cross and disappointed if someone had asked me to bake a cake that is going to be wasted like that.

“Are we not all grown ups here?”

Yes. Which is why we think the idea of a cake smash is just silly and wasteful.

Oh my god. Why are people so rude!!? She didn’t ask if it was wasteful. It’s her son and her bloody cake! She’s not asking you to pay for it or even for your opinion!
I have heard of it. Did one in our garden for DS birthday! It was just a bit of fun!!
You are doing it properly so I would be interested to know how that goes?!
I would say try the oven on a bit higher but keep an eye on it. Think I did DS on 180 but was full of fruit so more moist.
I’m afraid I’m lost on the fan oven thing so if no help there!
Good luck OP and happy birthday to your little one

People who find toddlers smeared in food ‘icky’... do your kids not eat?!??
What a stuck up, appalling attitude to have towards children.
And just by the way OP there are some names I notice on here who have been rude on other threads for no apparent reason so I would totally ignore them.
2014...I’m looking at you. I believe someone already asked you if the new you was going to be nicer than the old one?! It would seem not.

Well, it is a silly thing to fo.

Wow, this is actually a thing?! I have a baby, and I can't imagine anything stupider to do for his birthday personally. It's like those newborn shoots where they contort the baby into weird positions with stupid headbands on, but hey ho - to each their own, I suppose.

Your oven is on too low.

Tacky and vulgar. And the pictures will look so dated like those Anne geddes ones do now.

Anyone who is thinking of doing a cake smash should really be registering with net huns now.

If nobody has any helpful comments about baking then what are you doing on a forum about baking? Thank you to those few of you who have actually given some helpful advice and I will take that on board.

As for the actual cake smash, it's happening and I refuse to justify myself anymore. There far worse things going on in the world than my son smashing a bit of cake up!

If you have nothing helpful to say about baking please don't comment.

Aw come on OP. We are allowed to comment on anything................

I can't help with your baking query as I have an Aga.

I don't think you get to say who can comment op
You must have known lots of people dislike this cake palaver there have been enough threads about it.

Baking tips for a cake smash cake. Whatever next.

I would do it on about 160 for about 40 mins I think. I've not done one for ages. They do tend to cook too quickly on the outside before the inside is ready. If you see the top looking like it's getting overdone, put foil over the top and it stops it catching. Do the two halves of the cupcake separately as there is so much less mixture in the top half.

Oh but I have a suspicion my oven is hotter than it says so yours might have to go a bit higher!

Thank you @Justgivemesomepeace I think I'll do 160c on the fan oven setting. Hopefully it'll bake much more evenly and not too fast, I have been foiling it and it's such a good idea! And yes I always cook the 2 halves separately (after 1 failed attempt at trying to do it together). Thank you for your help!

Ffs, OP not everyone has opinions this strong about cake smashing. My parents put my 1st bday cake in front of me nearly 30 years ago and I stuck my hands in it & smeared it everywhere, cue photos that we've laughed at for years. Not everyone is a snob.

It's not snobby (in some cases) not to like it. I think it's just a bloody (and messy) waste of cake, and know that I would be picking bits of cake out of DSs hair for days afterwards (very thick hair).