Watch as this Up Smash Cake takes flight with edible balloon toppers made from just a few ingredients. Your little birthday boy or girl will love diving into this sweet treat—while the whole family cheers them on at their birthday party.
Not only is this smash cake fun and colorful, but it also serves as a fun reminder to guests that “adventure is out there!” Ellie would certainly be proud.
For more Disney•Pixar fun, check out this Up-Inspired Photo Backdrop:
Up Smash Cake
Ingredients
- TOOLS:
- Mini water balloons
- Wooden dowels, straws, or popsicle sticks
- Styrofoam or grated cooling rack
- Scissors
- 4-inch cake pans
- Pastry bags
- 6-inch cake board or plate
- Offset spatula
- BALLOONS:
- Shortening or butter, softened
- 4 packets powdered gelatin
- 4 Tbsps cold water
- Red, blue, green, yellow, pink, orange, and purple gel food coloring
- CAKE:
- 3 (4-inch) layers of cake
- 3 Cups frosting
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- Blue, white, pink, yellow, and lime green gel food coloring
Helpful Tip
All cutting should be done by an adult.
Directions
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BALLOONS: Blow up balloons to about 2 inches in diameter. Tie them around the end of a wooden dowel. With your hands, gently grease the balloon with softened butter or shortening. Wipe off excess. Set aside.
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In a small bowl, mix gelatin with water and let stand for 5 minutes. Separate gelatin amongst 7 separate bowls. Stir in gel colors (red, blue, green, yellow, pink, orange, purple) into each bowl. To return gelatin to liquid form for easier stirring, microwave for 5-10 seconds.
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Dip balloons into warmed gelatin until fully coated. Place dowels in a piece of styrofoam or a grated cooling rack to allow gelatin to dry. Reheat gelatin for 5 seconds and dip balloons in for a second time. Allow balloons to dry and harden overnight.
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To remove balloons from their fully hardened gelatin shells, use scissors to cut the part of the balloon wrapped around the dowel. The balloon will shrink and fall out while the gelatin shell stays intact. Keep away from moisture.
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CAKE: Bake 3 layers of cake in 4-inch cake pans.
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Separate 1/4 cup of prepared frosting in 6 bowls to create the house colors (brown, blue, white, pink, yellow, lime green). Add the cocoa powder to 1 bowl and mix to create a natural brown color. Continue with the rest of the colors into each remaining bowl. Transfer colored frosting into 6 pastry bags. Snip off a small corner of each.
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Build and frost the cake layers with blue frosting.
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Using the edge of an offset spatula, carve the outline of the Up house into the cake. Using the piping bags filled with colored frosting, pipe and fill in the outline. Be sure to add white frosting for the balloon strings.
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Add the gelatin balloons to the top of the smash cake, securing each balloon down with frosting from the pastry bags.
