One of the most fun parts of planning a wedding can be choosing the wedding cake. Having a white wedding cake is one wedding tradition that seems to have endured through the ages, and cutting the cake is often one of the first things you do together as a married couple. At the risk of sounding patronising, choosing the cake and going to tasting days can also be a good way to get the groom involved in the wedding planning- I know my groom has as many opinions on our cake as I do!
Professional vs Home Made
Most couples choose to get a cake made by a professional baker, as even if you are a keen baker yourself, nerves can get the better of you, and there may be difficulties in assembling, storing and transporting the cake to the venue. Your bakery / caterer will be an expert in these things so choosing a professionally made cake may take some of the stress out of your day. However, it is by no means impossible to make your own wedding cake! Lots of couples are increasingly choosing a tower of cupcakes as an alternative, (pictured below) and these would be a lot easier to make and transport to your venue.
Choosing your cake style
A fruitcake with marzipan icing is the traditional wedding cake in England, but this seems to be going out of style. It's rich, and isn't to everyone's taste, but keeps well. A common alternative is the traditional sponge cake, filled with jam and cream. A new trend in wedding cakes is the cheese cake- not a traditional cheesecake, but a cake of cheese disks piled on top of each other (pictured below). This allows for the layered effect but can often work out cheaper.
Increasingly common in the USA is the inclusion of a 'groom's cake'. This is an additional cake, usually smaller, and more 'fun' in that it isn't the traditional white colour or sponge flavoured, but more commonly chocolate. For our wedding, we are having the wedding cake chocolate, with a fudge bottom layer, with white icing, as we're both chocolate fiends but like the aesthetics of a traditional white cake.
Decorating your cake
This is often where you can really get creative with your cake. Most couples still opt for the traditional white icing, but a quirky alternative is the 'naked' cake, where the cake sits un-iced, its fillings on show (pictured above). This works well for a rustic themed wedding. Other popular ways of decorating a wedding cake range from the use of flowers, fruit, bunting, to a variety of cake toppers. Cake toppers can be a fun way of incorporating some of your personality into your wedding day. I should be doing a separate post on these so look out for that soon.
How many are you feeding?
Don't forget your guest list- numbers are crucial in knowing how large to order your cake. Make sure there's enough cake to go round, and don't forget to include yourselves! I've included a handy cake sizing chart below to help you to size your cake. It's always better to have too much than too little cake- don't short change your guests, especially if you are serving your cake as pudding, rather than in addition to a pudding course, as we are!
For more cake inspiration, check out my Pinterest board here!
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