Here we are at the start of the wedding season and I'm already excited about the 3 weddings I am making cakes for this season. So I thought I might share a few thoughts about wedding cakes for prospective brides and grooms to help you make a decision about what cake to have and who to buy it from.
Why do we have wedding cakes: Originally it was a fertility symbol; ancient Romans baked a wheat cake and broke it over the bride's head as a symbol of her fertility. This ritual changed into a pile of small cakes that the bride and groom kissed over - tyring not to topple the cakes - a precursor of the cupcake tower me thinks. Then the fruit cake became dominant because it was a distinct sign of luxury.
Stacked and fancy iced cakes were popular from the 50's onwards once post war rationing stopped and iced confections rivalled the size of the wedding dress. The top tier was often kept for the first baby's christening. Now anything goes, have exactly what you fancy, towering chocolate ruffles with fresh berries, a traditional fruit cake, cupcakes galore or a continental croquembouche. The important thing is to share the cake as a gesture of bounty and goodwill with your guests.
Choosing your cake baker: Make sure you have tasted their cakes! At Deli Cakes we offer a free tasting for the bride and groom to ensure you are going to be delighted by the taste and not just the visual impact of your cake.
How much to spend: OK if money is no object then off you go to Mitch Turner and you can have a cake costing thousands, however, if you are not as rich as Gordon Ramsey and you would like a beautiful, delicious, very personal cake to grace your table then seek out local talented bakers that will work with you to design a cake that suits your wedding style and your budget. Decide if you want generous portions or just a small taster per person, and if you choose a luscious chocolate cake with berries it can double up as the pudding! Sponge cakes and cupcakes are generally much cheaper than rich fruit cakes. Minimum spend will be about £2 per person - unless you do it yourself.
Making an Impression: Your cake will take centre stage on your buffet table or it will be a prominent feature on its own table and it will make a beautiful backdrop for the cake cutting photographs.For this reason most couples choose a tiered wedding cake as height is impressive and gives the cake decorator scope to create an impressive vista on the sides as well as on top. If having cupcakes make sure they are perfectly stacked so they look replicate a tiered cake.
Bespoke Designs: Its a good to have a starting point but let the creative process flow when you are discussing your cake, the decorator will know what works well and what doesn't and should find out from you special personal things about your wedding day that will make your cake not only unique but perfect for you both.Remember to mention the colour of your flowers for the bouquet or table decorations, as these can be replicated in icing, maybe have details of the dress such as diamante or pearls and ribbons featured or maybe you would like a caricature topper.
Two stage weddings: If you are having a meal during the day and an evening party either cut the cake in the evening or have one of the tiers kept uncut and have a separate topper for it so the evening guests feel included as they get to see you cut a cake.
Bride or Grooms Choice: Sometimes it feels like the bride calls all the shots and the cake is no exception. so have you thought about having a smaller wedding cake and a separate grooms cake? This solution means the bride and groom can go with two distinctly different styles on the big day and is especially useful if there is a daytime and evening reception.
If you have any questions about wedding cakes email me at
delicakesme19@googlemail.com and I will be happy to help.
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Underneath this wedgewood blue and white rose teapot is a firm and fruity cherry genoa cake. Its a light fruit cake made with orange juice, glace cherries and sultanas and covered in marzipan it keeps very well. A thick slice of this cake goes perfectly with the aforementioned Earl Grey tea or maybe a glass of champagne to celebrate something special. I made this cake for Mothers Day but it would be a fantastic cutting cake for a tower of Rose topped Cupcakes especially if you are having a tea party or vintage theme for your wedding.
For those rich flavours like caramel, chocolate and even coffee walnut cake try Darjeeling as it has a strong clean flavour and quite a lot of tanin which works with the rich creaminess of buttercream. So it would be ideal to serve with this box of 18th Birthday Cupcakes
A cup of slightly floral Lapsang Souchong would be perfect with a raspberry macaroon, in fact any macaroon that lets the almond flavour through so probably not too good with chocolate or coffee or caramel.
