Confectionary perfection doesn’t happen by chance. The artistic masterpiece of deliciousness is a result of careful planning for the details that tastefully convey the theme. Whether you dream of stately tiers or keep it simple, your wedding cake will take the stage on a pedestal where it will be central to your reception. These tips will help you plan your wedding cake and avoid disaster.
Wedding Cake Style
Just like fashion, your wedding cake will have style. The style of the cake should coordinate with the style of your event. The tasting is where the journey to finding your style begins. Envision the invitations, colors, flowers, wedding dress and linens for your wedding day. Bring those elements to the table for a cake tasting and incorporate them into your wedding cake. The designer will be able to determine why you have an affinity to certain cakes, such as ones that share a common quilting or ribbon. The embellishments and the topper are important elements that can draw you to one cake over another. Creating a picture board or collage of images can help you share your vision with the designer. This will also help the designer determine your wedding cake style.
The Size of the Cake
You will need to decide more than the frosted banding and sugar flowers. Before you go too far with the design of the wedding cake, you should think about how much cake you will need. The guest count can help you make decisions about the size of the cake and the number of tiers. A six-tiered cake with a twenty inch base could feed up to 300 guests. Three tiers on a nine inch base could feed up to 50 guests. Having a larger cake creates the wow factor that you might want to evoke at a smaller wedding. It is possible to utilize dummy tiers to create the illusions, while saving on the amount of cake. However, bakers reveal that dummy tiers do not always create a significant savings, since there is still time and materials involved in the making. It is important to share your budget goals and creative goals so that your baker can help you make decisions for both.
Budgeting for the Wedding Cake
Baking a wedding cake is a labor-intensive project. The size of the cake and the details will affect the cost. A larger cake is more expensive than a smaller one, since there are more materials, and it takes more hours to bake and design. Fondant is more expensive than buttercream. The cost of a wedding cake is commonly calculated by the slice. The average cost per slice is $8 to $10 per slice. There are also fees associated with transportation.
Choosing a Cake Designer
Scrolling social media is the easiest way to get inspiration, but finding the cake designer with the skills to sculpt your masterpiece is not always as simple. Unless you want the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you probably want an experienced baker. Your wedding venue should have a list of experienced cake designers. You will be investing too much in this perfect day to risk the wedding cake to an amateur.
Deigning the Wedding Cake
Wedding cakes come in different shapes and sizes. You might want a traditional round, but you might be dreaming of a modern square or hexagon. Tasting cakes is the sweetest part of planning. You will have the opportunity to sample flavors and fillings. Some cakes have different flavors and fillings on different tiers. Imagine all of the details of your wedding day in a cake. Beading creates a beaded border, like a string of pearls along the cake’s edge. Cornelli is a lacelike pattern. Basket weave uses horizontal and vertical lines that are interwoven to create the look of a basket. Latticework are crisscross patterns. Dragées are round silver or gold sugar balls used as decorative accents. Gum paste is an edible sugar paste used to create realistic molds of flowers and fruits. Pillars are the separators between tiers of a cake. Piping is a technique that uses a metal tip on a pastry bag to create leaves and borders. Swiss dots are tiny dots that resemble Swiss dot fabric. Create a small picture board of ideas to share with your cake designer.
Icing on the Cake
Choose the icing that will work best with your vision to create the aesthetic and the taste. Buttercream is a delicious butter and sugar blend that is easy to cut and shape; however, it will melt and disfigure at warm temperatures. The designs will never be perfect, but it is a perfect trade to get the cake look. If you are choosing buttercream, consider your weather conditions and be realistic about your expectations for design. Fondant is a sugar and gelatin mix that is rolled out for a smooth and firm finish. This is better for decorating and holds up in warmer weather. You will sacrifice the flavor for the look with fondant. It is not as delicious as buttercream, but is best for sculpting cake art. You can request that your baker place fondant over buttercream to have the best of both.
Crystal Ballroom on the Lake
Crystal Ballroom on the Lake creates fairy tale celebrations in a ballroom designed just for you. Bring your vision for your wedding day and custom cake design to Crystal Ballroom. This all-inclusive venue combines the elegant furnishings, luxurious décor and extraordinary banquet services to create an absolute fairy tale. Bring your cake designer or choose Crystal Ballroom cake designers to create your cake art. Plan your magical moments at Crystal Ballroom, where dream weddings come true.
