10 Helpful Tips for choosing your Wedding Cake

Photo by: Marco Vegni

Choosing Your Wedding Cake

If you bumped into this blog post, chances are you are getting married soon, and at some point you will be choosing your wedding cake. Cutting the cake is one of the most iconic moments on your wedding day — it will be pictured and remembered by you and your guests for years to come, not only for its look but also for its taste. The wedding cake is the focal point of your reception, much more than a random dessert. This is why you should research a lot when choosing your wedding cake.

Follow our guidance and we’ll help you make sure you’ve got the taste, size and style on point.

1. Take Inspiration from Your Wedding Mood and Venue

It doesn’t need to be a perfect match, but keeping it consistent in terms of styling and colors will make it look more elegant and refined, and also provide a nice guidance when choosing your wedding cake.

2. Consider the Classic Italian Millefoglie

The typical Italian wedding cake is the millefoglie (millefeuille), usually a plain square or round shape composed of many layers of puff pastry filled with custard and covered with powdered sugar. You can consider that too.

3. Fondant vs. Buttercream

Nowadays many pastry shops all over Italy are very skilled at cake design. Whether it is pure American style using fondant, or more genuine and covered with buttercream, they will be able to achieve it. Fondant icing is more sleek than buttercream and is better if you want molded shapes, but it is less delicious.

4. Ganache

You can also opt for ganache — a rich frosting with a fudgy texture, usually made by mixing chocolate and cream. White chocolate can be dyed in basically any shade, based on your taste and preferred look.

5. Swiss Meringue

Don’t forget Swiss meringue either, made by whipping egg whites together with sugar. Even though it’s not very common, it has a fuzzy appearance that can make the cake look whimsical and romantic, and it pairs perfectly with fruit-based fillings like lemon and berries.

Always remember that apart from the look, the cake is also supposed to be eaten by your guests, so you want to make sure it tastes good. As you look for ideas, take note of the design elements that catch your eye — hand-painted accents, buttercream details — to understand what you gravitate towards.

6. Decorations: Fresh Flowers, Sugar Paste or Fruit

Decorations can be made edible and composed of delicate gum paste or sugar paste flowers, which are constructed by hand — more expensive than fresh fruits or fresh flowers provided by your florist, but they make the cake look timeless and classic. Incorporating flowers is one of the most classic wedding cake looks. If you have floral invitations, consider matching your floral design to the invitation suite and other custom wedding items.

7. Small Weddings Don’t Need a Big Cake

With the rise of micro-weddings and elopements, many couples feel they can’t justify ordering a big cake. This shouldn’t stop you. Part of the cake can be a fake tier, and couples don’t need to serve a full tiered wedding cake in order to make an impact.

8. Surround the Cake with Smaller Desserts

Many of our clients have followed their mood and decided to go for different smaller desserts surrounding the wedding cake, making it look more abundant and rich. Guests highly appreciate the variety of flavors.

9. The Cake Table and Topper

Remember that the cake will probably be on display for a few minutes before you cut it, on a designated cake table in the best backdrop possible. A round table is usually suggested for round cakes, but a rectangular table works just as fine. Always ask what the options are and whether there is an additional fee. Don’t forget to customize the table with candles, drapery or other unique decorations. You can decide to skip the topper, but many couples like to design a special one with their names or monograms.

10. Plan the Cake Last

The best approach is to deal with the cake after making all decisions about style and reception décor. These elements will serve as a blueprint for the cake design. Choose a cake that is in tune with the venue, the season, your gown, the flower arrangements, the colors and the menu flavors. The wedding cake is the sweet ending to your special day, so be wise when making your choice.

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