WEDDING NOTES™ – Cake for Dessert

As a part of the wedding celebration – rich in lore and tradition – the wedding cake is a strong and symbolic centerpiece.  There are boundless opportunities to create a cake and cake cutting tradition that can be uniquely yours.  

You can choose the traditional, tiered, all white wedding cake with a bride and groom gracing the top layer.  You can order from a wide range of cake flavors – chocolate, banana, carrot, sponge, almond or lemon.  You can get creative with fillings and frostings – ganache, mousse, mascarpone, cream cheese, butter crème or fondant.  You can select from a variety of shapes.  Squares, rectangles, pyramids and ovals are replacing the standard 3-5 tier round wedding cake.

Some brides are choosing to have many smaller wedding cakes rather than one big one – usually placed as the centerpiece at each guest table.

Some couples on a budget are choosing a smaller display cake that they will cut for photos.  Guests then dine on sheet cakes cut in the kitchen and served to guests from the cake table, buffet or passed by servers.

You can select a groom’s cake to complement the wedding cake.  It can be flavored or have special filling or be a special shape to reflect his interests.

Some couples have chosen to eliminate the wedding cake itself and offer their guests multiple dessert choices from a separate dessert buffet.  Other couples are replacing the traditional wedding cake with frosted petit fours and/or cupcakes or cake pops.

Ice cream cakes are a favorite of some couples.  While they may be a fun idea, cutting and serving these cakes requires patience and speed.

Cake tops are inventive and lovely.  While the standard bride and groom are available, they are frequently replaced by fresh flower arrangements in colors to compliment the wedding theme, porcelain or glass flower arrangements that will be kept for in home display, figurines from personal collections, a tiara filled with fresh flowers to match the bridal bouquet, or frosting flowers which reflect the fabric or design of the wedding gown itself.