Confectionary perfection requires careful planning. Your wedding cake should be an epic masterpiece of delicious details that tastefully conveys your theme. Whether you dream of stately tiers or something simple, your wedding cake will be an important part of your wedding day. These tips will help you plan the wedding cake of your dreams.
Find Your Wedding Cake Style
Find your style before sitting for a tasting. Think about your invitations, colors, flowers, wedding dress and linens. All of the elements of your wedding day should inspire the design of your wedding cake. For this reason, you should wait until about five to six months prior to your wedding to plan the cake. Create a small picture board to share with your cake designer. Traditional wedding cakes are white, and accent with a ribbon, dots or quilting to create texture. Some cakes are three dimensional sculptured cake art that convey a whimsical theme with extravagant and colorful designs. 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. Think about your embellishments and whether you are a minimalist or want frosted banding with patterns and sugar flowers. You might even want to design with real flowers. Imagine the type of topper you want. You could choose flowers, something vintage, traditional or a custom topper that looks like you and your fiancé. Once you know your style, it is time to find a baker to design it.
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. Beyond the architecture of the cake, you need a talented artist. This will require tasting several flavors and fillings, and exploring a gallery of samples. You will be investing too much in this perfect day to risk the wedding cake to an amateur. The most important thing to consider is whether the baker can create your vision for your wedding cake. Your wedding venue will probably be able to recommend cake designers from a list of preferred vendors.
Jack of All and Master of None
Avoid the jack of all trades. This creative task requires a master. Your caterer might serve the finest cuisine, but that does not make them an expert baker and designer. A boutique baker or a custom cake designer is the best place to design your wedding cake. If you want something custom, avoid the commercial baker and seek out a custom wedding cake designer in a small bakery.
Designing the Wedding Cake
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. Do not settle for a cookie cutter cake designer. Make sure you can create a custom design that is as unique as your relationship. Envision your wedding theme, colors, invitations, centerpieces and wedding dress. 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.
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 at Veranda
Crystal Ballroom at Veranda 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 bring your vision to life. Plan your magical moments at Crystal Ballroom, and experience the fairy tale.
