Description

Craft the perfect first-birthday milestone with this technically engineered yellow cake, designed for a soft, yielding texture that is easy for little hands to smash. This two-tiered miniature cake uses a high-ratio sugar formula to ensure a moist, tender crumb that collapses beautifully for the cameras.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups cake flour
½ cup unsalted butter, softened (68°F)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup milk
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla frosting
Sprinkles

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease one 6 ½-inch pan and one 4 ½-inch pan thoroughly.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl to aerate and prevent clumps.
In a large bowl, cream the sugar and softened butter with an electric mixer for 3–5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined, followed by half of the milk; repeat with the remaining halves.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean; 20–25 minutes for the small pan and 35–40 minutes for the large pan.
Cool completely on a wire rack for 1 hour before frosting the sides, rolling in sprinkles, and stacking the layers.

Notes

To ensure the best photographic ‘smash’ result, always serve this cake at room temperature so the butter-based crumb and frosting remain soft. If the layers feel too fragile during assembly, a short stint in the refrigerator can help stabilize them for stacking, but remember to take the cake out at least two hours before the event to let the structure relax.

Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American