Anatomy of a Wedding Cake

The traditional wedding cake calls for a tiered, white cake with butter cream frosting. But today, just about anything goes. Wedding cakes come in all different shapes, styles, flavors, colors and decorations. Your wedding cake should be individually designed to your match own personal style and taste (pun intended) as well as the wedding decor and color scheme. So, let’s start with the basics.

Shapes & Sizes - The traditional shape of the wedding cake is either round or square. But, don’t let your imagination stop there. Many shapes are now available to enhance and give a unique look to your cake. Many bakers offer oval, hexagon and heart shapes - just to name a few.

Square shaped cakes can be decorated in the style of gift boxes in beautiful designs with cascading ribbons. A creative baker can create a magnificent castle or a lighthouse, for a “seaside” wedding. But, keep in mind that a square or round cake can be cut and served more quickly, easily and will likely serve more guests.

Fancy Flavors - Having trouble choosing a flavor for your cake? Choose a multi-flavored cake. They come in so many yummy varieties from vanilla to chocolate, marble, lemon, carrot, spice and even cheesecake. The fillings get even more tempting with raspberry, coconut, strawberry, lemon, mocha and white chocolate cream.

Icing on the Cake - Most cakes are covered in a soft white or ivory icing but sometimes pastels like pink or peach can be used to match your wedding colors. You can choose a traditional white, butter cream, cream cheese, white chocolate icing, or rolled fondant. As the name implies, rolled fondant is icing that is rolled over the layers of the cake for a completely smooth and very elegant look.

Another option that looks great for summertime or outdoor weddings, is the basket weave. This is usually more expensive because the baker has to actually hand weave the fondant.

Dazzling Decorations - Here, your choices are almost endless. Some brides like to take a particular element of the wedding decor and design the cake around that theme. Bakers can decorate cakes with the look of embroidery, lace, appliqué or elegant drapes or swags. For instance, some brides will use the lace or detailing from their wedding gown as a design for their wedding cake. Bring in a picture of your gown and talk to your baker if you would like to incorporate the lace or pearl beading detail into the cake design.

Some choose cascades of fresh or confectionery flowers or satin ribbons that coordinate with the wedding color scheme. Some bakers are even painting designs on the cakes for a truly exquisite look. Cakes can even be decorated to match the bride’s china pattern using this “painted on” technique.

Fresh Flowers - When choosing decorations for your cake, fresh flowers are always a very popular choice. In addition, fresh flowers are often a less expensive alternative than confectionery flowers because there is less labor involved.

Roses, pansies, petunias, Easter lilies, tiger lilies, daisies, and orchids are often used. Choose your flowers for the cake carefully. Roses can wilt very quickly when they are not placed in water. The cake is set up and arranged sometimes an hour or more before your guests will arrive. By the time you cut your cake these flowers may not look as beautiful as when they were first arranged on the cake. Consult with both your baker and your florist for the best choice of flowers.

The Tiers - The tiers of your wedding cake can be displayed in a variety of ways including three or more tiers, one on top of each other or set on solid or clear pillars. You can be creative when it comes to pillars and use champagne glasses filled with flowers. Some elaborate designs even include bridges or a real fountain. One current trend is to unstack the cake and display each layer separately at different heights on a satin-covered table. Use flowers and greenery to complete the effect.

The Top - Many brides are foregoing the plastic figurines of the bride and groom. Instead, a popular choice is fresh or silk flowers, candied flowers, sugared fruit, or frosting flowers. You could also try a cake top decorated like a gazebo - very charming.

On the Side - Most cakes are delicious enough to stand alone, but who can resist a delicious raspberry sauce, fruit sorbet, or chocolate covered strawberries? A nice touch is to place chocolate covered strawberries around the base of the cake. Some couples may chose to feed each other a chocolate-covered strawberry rather than the slice of cake.

Your wedding cake should be as individual as you are. Choose your baker carefully - because your wedding should taste as good as it looks.