Ah, the wedding cake, the culinary staple of the wedding party. You’d be hard pressed to find a guest the night of your wedding who hasn’t spent at least a few minutes drooling over the beautiful confection waiting atop a dessert table for them.
Of course, we want to impress our guests with a beautiful cake and be delighted with a delicious, sugary treat on our big day. But how do you make sure that you pick out the right wedding cake for your ceremony?
Here are some things to consider when picking out a wedding cake.
Hold off on picking out the perfect cake just yet.
Before you start to scroll through Pinterest and settle on a design or style for your cake, plan the other elements of your wedding first. You’ll want to pick out a dress style, the venue, and the reception décor before deciding on a design for your cake. You want to make sure that the cake fits in with the style of your wedding and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
You have to go to a tasting.
Perhaps you and your partner begin to drool just thinking about a marble cake or maybe you’re both chocolate fanatics. Either way you want to be sure to actually taste the cake you’re going to be eating before you settle on a single flavor. Before booking a tasting, you can always narrow down your selection to a few flavors that you’d like to try, but keep in mind that you just might fall in love with a quirky flavor you would have never imagined for your wedding cake. Keep an open mind and be open to trying something new.
When you book a tasting, you’ll be able to sample cake flavors, frostings, and see a portfolio of the baker’s work. That way you’ll be sure that you’re picking the right bakery for you and your tastes as the cake goes way beyond just the flavor.Remember that every baker has their own individual style. Do you like simple cakes? Elaborate cakes? These are all things to keep in mind when picking a baker.
How do you choose between buttercream and fondant?
Buttercream icing and fondant are the two most common frostings for wedding cakes, but the two are vastly different. Fondant is used to create the beautiful sculpted cakes you see on TV and in magazines, but it’s not very tasty. In fact, most people don’t like the taste of fondant, so they will eat around it. On the other hand, buttercream is softer and tastier, but it will never look as polished as fondant. It’s up to you to prioritize what is most important to you, taste or form.
Finalize your guest list before you order the cake.
In order to make sure that you have enough cake to go around, you need to take a look at your finalized guest count. Avoid the temptation to choose the size of your cake before then. An experienced baker can help you determine just how large your cake will need to be so that every guest gets the taste their creation.However, the general rule of thumb is that three tiers can serve between 50 and100 guests while five layers can serve 200 or more.
Consider the cost and budget for your cake.
Wedding cakes are usually priced by the slice or number of servings. The complexity of the design will also determine the cost of your cake. Remember, that design elements like sugar flowers and intricate details and colors may be beautiful, but they are also expensive. If the budget for your wedding is significantly lower, you may want to consider keeping the wedding cake simple. In addition, if you’ll have other desserts at your reception, you may be able to get away with having a smaller cake.
