7 New Trends for Wedding Cakes
April 30, 2009 by Wedding Ideas
Filed under Reception Ideas
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By Cori Russell
Brides.com
Much more than a sweet finale to the reception meal, wedding cakes are a major style statement. And trends in wedding cakes, like all other wedding details, evolve with the times. The wedding cake presents a perfect opportunity for creative brides to play with shape, color and embellishments. For those of you who need a little inspiration, consult this list of top trends for wedding cakes in 2009
Back to Buttercream
Buttercream was once the traditional frosting for wedding cakes, but sleek cakes came into favor, and rolled fondant became the frosting of choice. Not any more – thanks to advanced tools and techniques that allow buttercream to look as smooth as fondant, cakes iced in buttercream are again the norm. We love this trend, since buttercream frosting tastes better, has natural ingredients, and costs less than fondant. Now you can literally have your stylishly sleek cake – and eat it too.
Chocolate Face
Brides have bucked the traditional white wedding cake for the last few years, but today´s brides are no longer hiding decadent chocolate behind a shield of white frosting for appearances sake. Dark chocolate is now front and center on the face of the cake, as chocolate or mocha cakes are appropriately decked in chocolate mousse or whipped chocolate frosting. The result is a full blown chocolate dessert that tastes as good as it looks.
Blue Rules
Shades of blue dominate the 2009 wedding décor palette, and your wedding cake is a perfect canvas to incorporate this hot shade. Consider a cake saturated in turquoise, periwinkle, or even navy, and embellish it with complimenting colors like silver, white, grey, lavender, or yellow.
Square Mini Cakes
Cupcake towers in lieu of wedding cakes have been around for awhile, but brides are making cupcakes interesting again by playing with shape and size. Brides are stacking square shaped mini-cakes (slightly larger than cupcakes) adorned with flowers or dressed as presents for a completely different take on the cupcake frenzy.
Think Pink
Pink – the perpetual hot color for weddings – had begun to fall out of favor as brides experimented with more non-traditional hues like browns, grays, orange, and even black. But pink is back in a big way, and brides are incorporating the hue into their wedding cakes. Pink instantly freshens-up classic white: Tone down an all pink cake with white floral or lace details, or dress up a white cake with pink embellishments.
Scripted Text
Wedding cakes adorned with calligraphy-style motifs and writing is one of the year´s hottest trends. Create an antiqued look with black writing on a white or ivory cake, and get creative with the text. Some options? Write a favorite poem or verse, your wedding vows, or words representative of your wedding theme – such as names of flowers for a garden wedding or types of shells at a beach wedding.
Groom´s Cakes
The old Southern tradition of the groom´s cake is shedding its regional trappings and growing in popularity throughout the nation. And no, it doesn´t have to be the iconic red velvet armadillo from “Steel Magnolias.” Today´s grooms cakes, now just as elaborate as the wedding cake itself, often reflect the groom´s interest in a dramatic and whimsical expression; a deer grooms cake for an avid hunter, shaped like a race car for an diehard Nascar fan, or decked with his favorite sports team logo.
Cori Russell is editor for Elegala.com and Gala Weddings Magazine. Elegala.com is a complete Weddings, Wedding Planning resource with a national directory of wedding venues and services, how-to guides, photo galleries, checklists, and expert advice to walk brides through every step of the wedding planning process. View the complete sitemap to find everything you need to plan your wedding.
Visit Swanky Tables for some awesome jewelry inspired wedding cakes ideas.
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Wedding Cakes and the Guests Who Love Them – Buying Tips to Protect Your Wallet and Tastebuds
January 21, 2009 by Wedding Ideas
Filed under Reception Ideas
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by Jim D. Kim
Wedding cakes…a brief overview.
As a young lass (or lad) growing up, you’re probably used to cake at parties. After all, a birthday party without cake and candles is really just a get together in my book. That said, for the grandest of your parties, you must have the grandest of all cakes!
I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about what a wedding cake is. If you don’t know that by now, you have problems too big to solve through a web article.
But simple as they are, here are the FAQs most couples have when purchasing.
Are they expensive?
Yeah. They’re a lot of dough! Sorry. Couldn’t help it. On average, Americans spend $575 on their wedding cakes and average around $3 per slice.
Why do some wedding cakes taste really bad? Are they frozen or baked fresh?
Ever been to a really great wedding, eaten a delicious meal, and had it topped off with a something that tasted like styrofoam wrapped in stale butter? Chances are good that the cake you ate was baked the night (or two) before and frozen until ready for serving. Not all frozen cakes are bad. They are baked to be frozen, and most good bakers know how to bake in a way to preserve the moistness and flavor you expect (and pay a fortune for).
Most bakers are reluctant to tell you whether your cake will be baked fresh or frozen beforehand. But you’ll get a good ideas based on how many weddings they can do in a weekend. If they’re serving cakes for 10+ weddings in a single weekend and it’s a small one-shop operation, there’s a pretty good chance the cake is being frozen beforehand. Otherwise, it’s mathematically impossible to bake 10 huge cakes in one morning.
How do bakers set their price?
One of the big cost drivers is the number of levels of your cake, or in cake parlance: “Tiers.” The higher the number of tiers, the more baking there is to do. Not only that, wedding cakes become more fragile as you add tiers. This adds to the complexity when delivering and will increase your pricetag.
Also, you should consider whether the cake tiers should be stacked right on top of each other, Big Mac-style. Or if you want small columns separating the layers of the cake.
Should I get fondant vs. buttercream frosting?
In my opinion, this decision comes down to one of taste vs design. People who make wedding cakes love fondant because it frees up their design possibilities. You can color fondant to any shade (think Tiffany blue!), mold it to any shape, and it’s easy for the baker to work with.If you plan on an elaborate design, or prefer an untextured look, fondant is for you. Be warned, however, that many people don’t like the way fondant tastes. It has a thick waxy feeling to it and is very sweet. It’s something to be tasted before purchased.
Buttercream frosting is when your focus is on taste. Hello people?! It’s got the word “butter” AND “cream” in it. The word alone tastes delicious! Buttercream is more of a traditional frosting style for wedding cakes, because of it’s white color and universal taste appeal. It can be used for almost any cake flavor (fruit filled, chocolate, vanilla, etc.).
What flavors do wedding cakes come in?
It used to be that you could have any flavor as long as it was vanilla or chocolate. But…oh how the times have changed! These days you can fill your cake with just about any type of fruit, liquer or cream center. You can even mix the cake layers so some are different flavors from others. A surefire way to find the first compromise for a newlywed couple! Be warned, however, that some bakers will charge you extra for having multiple flavors in the same cake. Definitely ask upfront if this is the case with your baker.
What fruit fillings go in wedding cakes?
If you decide to go with a fruit filling (and I highly recommend that you do, and then invite me to eat the leftovers), you should always be focused on picking a fruit that is in season at the time of your event. Remember that wedding cakes are ordered well in advance of the wedding day, so the fruits in season at the time of order may be different than what’s in season on the wedding day.
Ordering out of season fruit generally increases the cost, and adds risk that your cake won’t taste as fresh baked.
How does a cake that big fit into the backseat of my Civic?
Great question. It doesn’t. It fits into the back of your baker’s cargo van, and sometimes they charge you for this service. Make sure you ask if there are delivery fees associated with the cake. This can be hidden, so be sure to ask. Also ask how much decorating the baker will do when they drop the wedding cakes off. Will the dress it with flowers? Or leave it on the door step for someone else to “deal” with?!
What about the cake provided by the wedding reception site?
What about ignoring it? That cake is being outsourced to a baker skilled in the creation of wedding cakes, then it’s being brought to your wedding and added to your bill with a nice profit markup for the reception hall. There is almost no instance when it makes sense to order this cake over one you can get direct from a baker.
Be warned, however, that some reception facilities will CHARGE you for bringing in a different cake. They will refer to it as a “plating” fee or some other such nonsense, but it can cost over $1 per person if your facility charges such a fee. Better to ask upfront to avoid any surprises to your budget.
How many cake pieces do I need?
All you need is this formula: # of Guests – 10 = Number of Pieces needed.
Are wedding cakes coordinated with the reception flowers and other decorations?
You bet they are. In fact, wedding cakes are often the centerpiece of the décor for many weddings. Your baker will be familiar with his/her role as it relates to dressing up the cake for the wedding. But you should always discuss specifically what the baker will do upon delivering the cake. Sometimes the florist decorates the cake, but many bakers are happy to use the flowers that are being used for your wedding. But that means the florist needs to set aside some flowers to be used as cake decorations, and that means the flowers need to be delivered before the cake is delivered. See how that all ties together?
Keep in mind too that when using fresh flowers as cake decorations, be sure that none of them have been sprayed with pesticides or other inedible chemicals.
What do I do about a cake cutter?
Traditionally, couples pulled out a fancy cake cutter (like Excalibur or something) to make the ceremonial first cut of the wedding cake. The cake cutter then became another memento from the big day. If budget is an issue, we suggest you add a cake cutter to your gift registry as an item a guest might provide for you.
Alternatively, bear in mind that the reception halls almost always have a decorative cake cutter you use for your cake cutting. That prevents you from having to buy your own.
What is the groom’s cake? And do I need one?
Traditionally, the groom’s cake was a dark fruitcake and was sometimes served by the groom during the rehearsal dinner. Sometimes the groom’s cake was a few small cakes that were individually wrapped and handed out to guests to take home. The female guests would tuck these cakes under their pillows that night and dream of the man they would one day marry!
Today, the groom’s cake is still popular at southern weddings but in other regions it is seen as a completely optional way to add some extra flair to the wedding. It’s the one opportunity the groom has to show his affection for football with a cake shaped like a football helmet! Usually the cakes are dark (outside and filling), and there’s a good chance if you order it from the same place making the wedding cake, you can get a pretty significant discount on it.
Looking for more cheap wedding cake ideas? Then, be sure to visit us here!
Jim Kim, Contributor
http://www.wedding-budget-tips.com
