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| Designing your wedding cake and going to a wedding cake tasting can be one of the funniest parts of planning your wedding, not to mention one of the tastiest. The importance of the wedding cake is different for every bride and groom. Some care more about how a cake looks, others more about how a cake tastes and for many the cost is the prevailing factor. When I got married, it was very important that my cake be very delicious, big surprise, right? I lucked out and found an up and coming pastry chef in my home town of Napa. Her prices were reasonable and her cakes were fabulous. This is the best picture of my that I have. Many of my guests said that it was the best wedding cake they had ever had....that comment is one of the inspirations for my cake business today...the best wedding cake you have ever had. |
| Choosing Your Wedding Cake |
So now it's your turn....what do you want? What is most important to you? Know what you want Before you start shopping for your cake look through bridal magazines or on the web for wedding cake pictures. Cut out or print the pictures of cakes you like and save them for you appointment with your chosen baker. There are so many options. Here is some bakery terminology to help. Cake Shape: Round , Square, Petal, Oval, Hexagon to name a few or a combination of shapes for a unique look. Cake Style: Tiered - Cakes are stacked with spacers in between each tier. The space in between tiers can be just enough for a few roses up to several inches. Stacked - Cakes are stacked directly on top of each other with no space in between tiers. Floating Tiers - Cakes are placed on stands that either have the illusion of not being on a stand or are on stands so the cakes are not directly on top of each other. My tiffany box cake is on a floating tier set. Treatments: Frosting: a traditional frosting such as a buttercream Fondant: a sugar dough that lends a cake an ultra smooth and refined finish, also more stable for warm weather or long delivery drives. Discuss with your fiancé what flavors you would like to have. Many bakeries allow you the option of having a couple of different flavors. You will also have to take in consideration the time of year you are having your wedding and the climate that your cake will be exposed to. For example, fresh strawberries may be an expensive option in December and whipped cream potentially disastrous choice for an outdoor wedding in July. If you choose more than one cake flavor, consider that some will want to try each flavor. If they are quick enough this may leave some of your guests with no cake at all. If you don't want that to happen and don't want to order extra cake, stick with one flavor. Finding a Bakery Once you have an idea of what you want, you are equipped to make a few phone calls. You can call local grocery stores and bakeries. Your wedding coordinator may have some additional suggestions. Also a quick search on the internet might turn up a small business like mine that has high-end quality cakes and lower prices than a well known bakery. When you call you can get different kinds of information. If you have a strict budget, start with asking what their base pricing is on wedding cakes. Wedding cakes are usually priced per serving, a standard wedding cake serving is usually 1" x 2 "x the height of the cake. Keep this in mind especially if you are planning just a "cake and punch" kind of reception or if you would prefer to serve a larger slice of cake, you may want to order more cake. If you are familiar with the bakery and what they produce you can provide the following information to get a more accurate quote or to schedule an appointment. Date and time of your event Number of Guests What shape and style of cake Delivery or Pick-up An Example of what you may say, "Hi I am planning my wedding for Saturday, June 29, 2009. My reception starts at 11am and I am expecting about 150 guests. I am looking for a stacked cake that has at least 3 tiers, covered in fondant and fresh flowers. It will need to have that delivered to Anywhere, CA before 10am. Do have that date available and can you give me an average per serving price for something like that?" The above example will allow the baker to check their schedule to see if first they have availability to not only make the cake but make sure they can get it to where you want it at the time you want it. They should also be able to give you at least a per serving price or a range of prices for their wedding cakes. If the price is within your budget you can set up a tasting and/or design appointment. If you know you want them to make your cake inquire about the next step. Deposits are usually required to secure a date. For some bakeries securing your date can be more or less critical. For example, I am a one woman show and strictly limit my orders. If I have a very large cake on a Saturday, it can not only book up that day but the entire week and weekend. You just never know when someone else is going to call and order a huge cake and book up your day. I have told a customer just checking availability that I was free on a given day and then before I heard from them again, someone else called and placed an order. I had to say no when she did call back. If you have your heart set on a particular baker, do what you need to do to save that date in their schedule as soon as possible. Once you have narrowed down your list, the next step is to make an appointment to have a cake tasting. Not all bakeries/bakers require an appointment, so make sure to ask. Tasting and Design Appointments I have to admit that I personally have only gone to a wedding cake tasting once, for my own wedding. I have observed parts of several tastings on T.V. wedding shows, like Bridezilla or Whose wedding is it anyway? So I only know how I run my tastings. Before the actual appointment I like to have a conversation with my bride over the phone. I like to have a rough idea what they are looking for, if they even know. Some couples come to me with no idea, which is OK too. I offer two kinds of appointments, one is a what I call a design appointment. For this, there is no charge. I sit down with the couple, look over their designs and then they get to taste whatever assortment of cakes that I have on hand. The other kind of appointment is a Wedding Cake Tasting. I usually allow my couples to pick 2-3 specific cake and filling options to try. For this sort of appointment that requires me to bake special cakes I require a $25 fee that is applied towards their order if they choose to order through me. Bring any pictures of cakes you have collected, swatches of fabric or ribbon to match colors, their event address and contact information....and don't forget your checkbook for deposits. After deciding on the cake flavors we move on to design. Often it's the bride that has a picture of EXACTLY what she wants. That makes it easy and I just need to go over the design step by step to make sure my interpretation is the same as the brides. If the couple doesn't know what they want I let them browse through my many books and have them point out the cakes or elements of cakes that they like. By the end of the appointment, they have a sketch of what they want along with a detailed order form listing all the details, price, deposit and payment info as well as delivery information. After that, we are done. Sometimes I hear from my brides again to change little details or to confirm their order. If nothing changes I usually call a couple of weeks before and make sure that there aren't any changes that weren't communicated. Sometimes I never hear about a cake again after it is delivered which is kinda sad. After all I devote so much loving attention to my cakes that I become "attached" to them. I like to know if others enjoyed gazing at them and eating them as I much as I enjoyed creating them. I hope the information on this page helps you. May your day be touched by magic and remember to enjoy every moment!! |
Sweet Moments Dessert Company Corona, California 951-847-0326 |
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| Soroptimist International of Riverside "Battle of the Bakers" |
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