Dr. Seuss – smash cake

March 2nd, 2011 by justJENN

First birthdays are about excitement and new adventures and smash cakes are a big part of the celebration, and for a lot of kids, it’s often their first taste of sugar. My oh my, you’re in for a ride.

Aptly named the ‘smash’ cake is to be SMASHED at the party, and they are often tiny, about 4″ – 5″ in diameter. I made this one to look like the Cat in the Hat‘s red and white striped hat. The mom wanted it to be very frosted, lots of fluff, perfect for smashing.

For this particular 1st birthday it was a Dr. Seuss theme – so fun, and how fitting that today is actually Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel’s birthday!

ingredients:
brown sugar cake (baked in a 9×13 pan)
vanilla buttercream
red food gel dye
thin black licorice

Divide the vanilla buttercream into two bowls, dyeing one with the red food gel dye. Set aside.

Using a 5″ round cutter, cut out three circles of cake. Stack the cake with a thin layer of frosting in between.

Frost a thin crumb coat with the vanilla buttercream, then alternate the red and white stripes around the cake.

Thin black licorice makes a good separator between the stripes, not only does it cover mistakes but it give the cake a clean, animated look.

To top it off, I printed out the Cat in the Hat himself, with a little message to the birthday boy.

I’d say by the looks of it, this cake was definitely loved and smashed to smithereens!