The one thing most guests remember from the wedding – aside from the first dance – is the wedding cake. This is one of the focal points to any special day, and you can guarantee that your cake will make an appearance in many of the photographs. Deciding on what wedding cake to have can be very difficult; there are so many shapes, styles and colours to choose from now. Here are a few things to consider when choosing your perfect cake.
Style of cake
When people picture wedding cakes, the most common image is that of a three tiered, pillared white or ivory cake. However, your wedding cake does not have to be like this anymore – unless you want it to be of course. There are so many options available, you could opt for a traditional pillared cake, stacked tiers, round, square, cupcake towers, or even a novelty sculpted design. Occasion cakes can now be designed to suit the theme of your wedding and your personality.
Cake filling
Once again there is the traditional option of a heavy fruit cake with marzipan, but more and more people are opting for a Madeira sponge, chocolate sponge, coffee sponge, lemon sponge or even rainbow coloured sponge! A good cake baker should be able to create any type of wedding cake filling you want. Remember that not all tiers have to be the same so you could always choose to have each tier with a different type of cake.
Icing & decoration
White or ivory royal icing is obviously the most common type of decoration, but you can let your imagination run wild. Simple and elegant might consist of ivory icing and piping with a coloured ribbon, or perhaps sugar roses cascading down the tiers. Many people are now opting for icing and decoration to match their wedding theme – perhaps a romantic red cake would set the mood.
How many people do you need to serve?
Wedding cakes are all about making a statement and so the actual eating of the cake is often compromised for the design. If you are looking for a cake to serve a lot of people, a popular choice is to request an extra ‘cutting cake’ to ensure there is enough to go around. Also, if you have a smaller guest list but still want a stunning cake, ask your baker for some fake or dummy tiers.
Toppers
There are countless different types of wedding cake topper available nowadays, whether you would prefer a standard bride and groom, or a novelty one, there is something for everyone. Most couples choose to search for their own cake topper but you could always request for your cake decorator to provide it.
Whatever type and style of wedding cake you decide to go for make sure that you book it well in advance as wedding cake bakers can often get very busy especially during the summer period.
