Wedding Day Advice | Cakes and Catering

Wedding cakes have a long history. At first, they were associated with fertility and good fortune. In Roman times, a cake made from oats and barley was broken over the bride’s head to ensure her ability to produce viable offspring. Guests would scramble for the crumbs, in an effort to secure some fortune of their own. Out of this, grew the tradition of providing guests with cake.

Photo courtesy Ruffled, Photographer Ashley Rose Photography

As the years passed, wedding cakes became gradually more elaborate. The French took wedding cake design to new heights, designing the multi-tiered, white-iced fruit cake which has become an iconic feature at weddings. In the days when only the very wealthy could afford such expensive ingredients as white sugar and fruits, such cakes were a demonstration of wealth.

Nowadays, wedding cakes remain a firm favourite on the wedding celebration menu, albeit that a wide variety of different types and styles now exist to suit all tastes and palates. But when confronted with such bountiful choice, where to begin?

Start with your budget…
Budget, unfortunately, seems to be the determining factor for almost all aspects of your wedding celebration. Generally, the larger and more detailed the cake, the more expensive it will be. Discuss your budget with your baker and ask for suggestions on how to keep costs down by keeping things simple.

Finalise the guest list…
The number of people attending your wedding reception will determine the size of the cake and therefore the cost.

Get inspired…
Creating a mood board or look book is always a helpful way to pull together your ideas and communicate what you want. For ideas, browse through bridal magazines and websites. Think about your wedding theme and colour scheme, as well as the time of day that your reception will be held.

Find a speciality baker…
They are a speciality, so be sure that you seek out a baker who focuses on creating wedding cakes. Such professional cake bakers are referred to as pâtissières, and he or she has completed lengthy training. Ask family and friends for referrals, and look at printed and online wedding directories and bridal magazines. Once you’ve sourced a few names, give them each a call and make an appointment to meet with them. Ask to see photos of previous wedding cakes, enquire what their particular specialities are, and whether they have any recommendations, suggestions or ideas about your particular wedding. If you have a particular style in mind, enquire whether they have direct experience in that style. And remember, they are the experts and should be able to provide creative input and advice.

Do the Taste Test…
The best wedding cake pâtisseries host cake tastings, usually by appointment only. Always enquire about a tasting prior to making your final decision. While you want your cake to look great, you want it to taste great, too.

Place your order…
A wedding cake should be ordered at least six months in advance, particularly if you’re getting married in popular wedding months like March, April, May, August and September. When it comes to baking, traditional fruit cakes are baked up to a month before the wedding to allow for maturation, while other types are usually baked a couple of days before the wedding date. Good wedding bakers will deliver and set up your cake at the venue and provide the cake stand and cake knife, for a fee.

Bear in mind…

• A cake with one flavour is less expensive to bake than one with several flavours
• Square cakes serve more people than round cakes of the same dimensions
• Decorating a cake with real flowers, rather than decorative ones crafted from edible ingredients like chocolate or marzipan, is more cost-effective and just as beautiful
• Ribbons of solid colours or of eye-catching designs, like polka dots, are an inexpensive way of decorating the cake
• Polystyrene dummy tiers can be used to give the illusion of the cake having more tiers than it actually does
• Butter icing melts rapidly in the hot summer months, so ensure you book an air conditioned venue.

Five Hot Wedding Cake Trends

1. The Cupcake – Opting for individual cupcakes instead of a wedding cake is gaining in popularity. Cupcakes can be beautifully arranged on tiered trays, as part of the table arrangements or wrapped as wedding favours for the guests to take home.
2. The Deconstructed Wedding Cake – the classic stack cake is deconstructed and each layer is presented separately on floating cake stands of various heights
3. The Chocolate Cake – move over, traditional white wedding cake! Chocolate is the new black (or should that be white?)…
4. The Something Old Something New Cake – mixing sleek, contemporary styling with olde-wolde lace work icing is very en vogue. While the background icing colour is a muted white or pale pastel and of smooth texture, the lace work is overlaid in stark contrast, in a black or chocolate colour, and adds texture.
5. The Shapely Cake – octagonal or hexagonal, the offbeat shapely cake is perfect for unconventional, laid-back weddings.

Wedding Cake Checklist
Complete this checklist to help you determine exactly what sort of cake is perfect for you, then take it along to your cake baker and discuss it with him or her…

STYLE
Which style best describes the vision you would like to create?

[ ] Contemporary
[ ] Dramatic
[ ] Country
[ ] Pretty
[ ] Elegant
[ ] Ornate
[ ] Retro
[ ] Simple

SHAPE AND STRUCTURE
Given the style chosen above, which shape represents it best?

> Shape
[ ] Square
[ ] Round
[ ] Hexagonal
[ ] Rectangular
> Structure
[ ] Cupcakes
[ ] Tiered
[ ] One tier (level)
[ ] Cone (pyramid)

FOR WHAT WILL YOUR CAKE BE USED?
[ ] For show
[ ] Primary dessert
[ ] Secondary dessert

FLAVOURS AND FILLINGS
[ ] Fruit (traditional)
[ ] Carrot cake
[ ] Chocolate
[ ] White chocolate
[ ] Vanilla
[ ] Mocha
[ ] Mousse
[ ] Ice-cream

COLOURS
[ ] White
[ ] Baby Blue
[ ] Pale Green
[ ] Lavender
[ ] Peach
[ ] Baby Pink
[ ] Cream
[ ] Baby Yellow

DECORATIONS
[ ] Chocolate shavings or sheets
[ ] Fresh flowers
[ ] Fresh fruit
[ ] Marzipan flowers
[ ] Marzipan fruit
[ ] Marzipan ribbons, polka dots, weaves
[ ] Marzipan motif (to match your theme)
[ ] Gold or silver leaf
[ ] Pearls
[ ] Toppers

NUMBER OF SLICES
[ ] 0-25
[ ] 25-50
[ ] 50-100
[ ] 100-150
[ ] 150-200
[ ] 200+

YOUR CAKE BUDGET
Wedding Cake budget:_____________

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