Choosing your wedding cake can be one of the most fun parts of planning your wedding. Grooms and mothers- in- law are often eager to be involved, especially when sampling delicious cake. But with such a wide variety of wedding cakes now available, it can be a little daunting knowing how to decide and where to start. The 3 key things to consider are flavour, design and size.
Flavour
The flavour of the cake rarely affects the design on the outside, so there is no problem if your dream wedding cake is layers of indulgent, rich chocolate cake with a classic white iced finish. Ideally, arrange with your cake maker which flavours you would like to try prior to the tasting and try as many as possible. They may also be able to make other flavours on request for you. Remember a fabulous tasting cake should always be made with real butter.
Serving your cake as dessert is often a budget friendly option. If you are having a separate dessert however, choose a different flavour for your cake. It is lovely to have at least 2 different flavours to cater for different tastes, or even a different flavour in each tier. Nowadays many wedding cakes are served in the evening, buffet style, when guests may be getting hungry again. If you are inviting extra guests for the evening, a lovely way of involving them is to invite them at a set time for the cake cutting.
Size
the number of guests effects the size of your cake to some degree, however if you want a large cake but have fewer guests, there is the great option of adding some false tiers for affect. A tall pedestal stand will also add height and drama to a cake. If your cake budget is not so large, a smaller 3 tier cake with extra cutting cake is more budget friendly than one large decorated cake. Most cake makers allow for finger size portions however you may require larger portions if serving the cake as dessert. Make sure your cake maker knows how you plan to serve the cake.
Design
if you would like the design of cake to match the style of the reception, it is advisable to choose the flowers and reception details first. This is very helpful to your cake maker if you are having a bespoke wedding cake design, and do take all these ideas and colour swatches with you to your cake tasting. The design of your cake may focus on your wedding dress details, invitations or reception flowers. Go with your gut instinct on what you like. You may have quite a traditional style wedding but want a themed wedding cake that is very personal to both of you. It is your cake, so don’t be afraid to go against tradition.
Many wedding cake designs incorporate flowers. Sugar flowers are very fashionable right now and are so stunning when expertly crafted. Fresh flowers are beautiful too and if you want a lot of flowers on the cake they are usually a more cost effective option. If you really don’t like icing, you may wish to choose a patisserie style cake; un-iced naked wedding cake or with a butter cream finish. Fresh flowers and fruit work well with these and the buttercream can be coloured to match your colour scheme. When choosing a bespoke design, ask your cake maker to send a sketch of the finished design to you.
Ultimately, your wedding cake should look and taste beautiful and provide a fabulous centrepiece and talking point at your reception.