Having cake at a wedding is a long-standing tradition that is not going anywhere any time soon. Sure, there are other desserts you can opt for instead, but many couples choose to serve those in addition to their wedding cake. Here are some things to keep in mind as you choose your confection:
All Cake is NOT Created Equal
As a wedding planner I have eaten more than my fair share of cake, both at weddings and at preliminary tastings. There is a huge difference in taste depending on who you hire, so be sure to set up a tasting and to interview several before choosing one.
The Cost of Sugar
Wedding cake is generally charged by the slice, and this can lead to major sticker shock if you are not prepared for it, as those slices add up quickly. There is also a misconception floating around that cupcakes are a more economical alternative to the conventional wedding cake. The truth is they are simply a different style. A quality cupcake will be about the same as a slice of cake and sometimes a bit more since they require individual attention when decorating.
Give Yourself Time
Don't drag your feet on ordering. Sure, the cake may not actually be made until right before your wedding, but the best cake designers tend to book up months in advance, some up to a year or more.
Fresh vs. Frozen
Baking a cake, then freezing it, then icing it, then freezing it again, then thawing it right before it is time to serve used to be the norm in cake making. This method is slowly falling to the wayside (hallelujah) as many designers are opting for fresh. If you have no strong feelings over fresh versus frozen, and opt for a baker who freezes, check references of past clients. I was at a wedding recently where parts of the cake were not yet thawed. (I happily ate my still frozen piece, but I wasn't a guest, so I counted my blessings in receiving a piece at all.) Make sure you hire someone who will give your cake plenty of time to thaw out so that your guests aren't stuck with icy slices.
Taking the Top
Another tradition, freezing the top layer and eating it on your one year anniversary, is also seeing change in the way it is being played out. Many bakers now include a complimentary anniversary cake so that you don't have to eat year-old cake. Ask your cake designer if they offer this. If not, or if you are a traditionalist, the ever-fab Laura at Soiree Special Events has two great posts about how to freeze the top layer and how to unfreeze it so that it is not dried out and stale a year later.
Anyway You Slice It
Not everyone likes cake. Sacreligious, I know. Combine that with the fact that many people are full after dinner (think about it - how often do you order dessert when you go out to a restaurant?) and you will most likely have a lot of uneaten cake. Very rarely is an entire wedding cake consumed with no leftovers. Since you order a wedding cake by the slice, I recommend ordering anywhere from 5-10% less cake than your guest count. Of course, if your cake is being sliced and served per table, this can get tricky as you usually will not know ahead of time who will or won't be eating cake.
Making it Pretty
If you plan on having a fresh flowers on your cake, be sure to ask both your cake designer and your florist who will be putting these on. Some cake designers defer to the florist as they are better at arranging and prefer to be the one to add the flowers, while some florists drop their florals off and leave. It is important that these two vendors have clear communication between each other on this issue.
Real life scenario to further prove my point: I once had a wedding where I was hired to do day-of coordination. With day-of coordination, the planner is usually hired after all the other vendors and sometimes (read: usually) winds up working with vendors who are not the best fit for your wedding. This case was no different. I received the contracts ahead of time and was excited to see that the cake was being made by one of my favorite vendors. On the day of the wedding, the florist dropped off the arrangements and left. The cake arrived and when my assistants and the cake delivery guy went to put on the arrangement for the top, they couldn't because the florist had arranged the the flowers using the lid from a spray paint can as the container! To make matters worse, they had arranged the flowers in Oasis foam (the green, wet floral foam) inside the lid. The weight would have caused it to sink down to the second tier. It was a serious WTF? moment for all of us. Fortunately, we are quick thinkers and came up with a plan B and the bride and groom (and their moms, who were our real concern) never knew there was an issue. Moral of the story? Hire good vendors (ask a planner for customized recommendations, they usually will offer this as an a la carte service) and make sure they communicate with each other exactly what their expectations and needs are.
{photo by Cherie Chavez Photography}
5 comments:
I'll take fresh any day! Speaking of Fresh...so glad you are doing the 30 days series! It is fun to check back daily to get your point of view on preparing for a wedding...what will you come up with next?? You certainly have set the bar high for yourself :)
Your cake story cracked me up! Seriously WTF!!! Had that baker E.V.E.R baked a cake before? Like one to be eaten?
Another great 30-day post! You rock!
oh, the cake baker rocked, I love working with them! I don't think the florist had ever done flowers for a cake before.
Just LOVE those "Day Of" jobs, huh? They certainly come with their challenges...But in the end, a planner who is a quick thinker (like you!) will always SAVE the DAY! Another GREAT post, Liene! :)
There are a handful of methods to cake making...properly freezing for a brief period does not have a detrimental effect on cakes, though I understand that having one still frozen at the reception would be pretty unforgivable. There are reasons the cake is frozen...it's about the cake being properly prepped for decorating, and freezing is a method still accepted and taught in quality baking and pastry arts programs. One of the other methods (if you think freezing is bad, this will really give you the willies) is letting the cake simply "dry out" for a couple days. Neither of these methods hurt the cake or make it "gross" or unpalatable, but to the average consumer, who may not be aware of pastry and cake creation standards, it certainly sounds funny. Both of these methods are, indeed common and accepted in professional pastry creation. You may note on cake vendor websites, that when they say "we never freeze" your cake, they don't mention the alternatives. So how exactly are they prepping their cake to make it stable for the next step of the process? Your guess is as good as mine...it is good to ask questions of your cake vendor, but it is just as important to understand what you are asking, and what they are telling you.
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