Sunday, September 20, 2015

baby first birthday carrot cake (with applesauce instead of sugar) smash cake with handmade fondant bunting


My friend Irene has a son named Aaron, who recently just turned one! For his first birthday party, Irene asked me to make a few goodies, one of which was a carrot-cake smash cake for baby! To decorate, we decided that I would make a fondant blue bunting with his name on it, along with a big fondant number "1" for the cake topper.

About week before the party, I started making the topper, so that it would have enough time to dry. I basically took a big hunk of white fondant, rolled it out to about 3/4" thick, and then cut the number "1" out with a paring knife. (I did it this way, instead of shaping it, because I wanted the nice sharp edges).


To help smooth the fondant out a bit, I used square-edge handle on a fork, along with some cornstarch to prevent sticking.


Next, I started on the blue fondant bunting. After tinting my fondant a pretty shade of blue, I rolled it out really thin, and then used a pizza wheel (and a ruler) to cut out my triangle shapes. Then I used white royal icing to pipe letters onto each triangle of fondant (not pictured).



For the cake itself, I started on it two days before the party (I typically give myself one day to bake and cool the cakes, and then one day to frost and decorate). Irene wanted a cake without sugar in it, so I found this recipe from Natasha's Kitchen for an applesauce carrot cake. However I omitted the honey, and added a few squirts of agave instead, and I also made homemade applesauce instead of store-bought.


I also bought organic carrots to grate into the carrot cake (only the best for baby!).




I baked the cakes in four 6-inch round cake pans, and let them cool before filling and stacking them with freshly whipped cream.



Then I covered the tops and sides with cream cheese buttercream (crumb coat, chilled for 30 minutes, and then then final coat).



To finish off the cake, I used a Wilton #7 tip to pipe little beads of frosting along the top and bottom of the cake.


To secure each bunting triangle, I piped a small dot of frosting on the back of the triangle, before placing it on the cake.


And the final touch - the big fondant number "1"!


In the next few posts I'll have more on the rest of the goodies that I made, but in the meantime here's a picture of the birthday boy as he investigates his cake! He's SO cute!!!


Happy First Birthday, little Aaron!

11 comments:

  1. My first thought was that this was all fondant it's so smooth. Well done!

    How was the cake received? For my son's 1st I tried making a healthy cake and he turned his nose up at it. I ended up giving a regular cupcake instead! Ha

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    1. thanks @Tiffany! it's a HUGE compliment that you thought it was fondant! :)

      so, the birthday boy didn't even get to the inside of the cake! he played with the frosting for a while, a very long while actually, and then i guess he got bored because he pushed the entire cake off of the tray and it fell on the floor :( oh well at least we got good pictures of him and the cake ;)

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    2. @Tiffany - oh and i made a separate tiered cake (regular cake) for the guests to eat. will be posting it soon, stay tuned! :)

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  2. This is the perfect cake to make for first birthdays!

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    1. Great recipe!! What are the measurements that you used to make a 3 layer cake? Did you triple the recipe? I would love to try it.

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    2. thanks @Lia ! i actually used the applesauce carrot cake recipe exactly, and it made a 4-layer, 6-inch cake. hope that helps, good luck! :)

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  4. Hi Michele! I made this cake for my little one's 1st birthday, and it was AMAZING! My little one is now turning 2, and I'd like to make it again but bigger. I was hoping you had instructions for a 9 inch" cake. Can you tell me how to do this please?

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    1. hello! i'm so glad it came out great! for 9-inch cake pans i would bake it at 350 for 30 minutes.

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