Smash Cake Session

A smash cake made for a photo shoot for a one-year-old boys 1st birthday!

Q. My colleagues with babies talk about making a "smash cake" for the baby's first birthday. What exactly is a smash cake? I never heard of this when my kids were small.

A. Kids love to stick their fingers in the icing of their birthday cakes, and parents always have to keep their little hands away. But, hey, it's their birthday -- why shouldn't they get to touch their cake if they want to?