The Perfect Cake For You

Juniper Cake Company

Cake is the traditional wedding dessert, with everyone waiting with baited breath to see if the groom is going to smash the cake all over his new wife’s face, but there is no rule anywhere that says you must serve cake. Many couples who want to serve a wedding cake alternative, yet still want the traditional cake cutting, will order a small cutting cake for the reception.

Not really a cake person? Serve pie. Love ice cream? Set up a make-your-own sundae bar. Remember, this is your special day, everything about it should reflect you and your fiancé.

THE CONSULTATION

As you browse Pinterest and wedding sites looking at cake designs, start to gather inspiration. Take a close look at the cake designs that resonate the most with you. Are you in love with the idea of a rustic buttercream cake decorated with fresh flowers, or does an ornate cake covered in fondant make you sigh?

To help you decide which bakeries to visit, look at their websites and social media to see what aligns the most with what you are looking for. When you meet with the bakers, bring along pictures of the designs you like, and even pictures of those you don’t.

We recommend booking your cake designer about six months before your wedding. If you are feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list, you can wait until up to three months before. The best bakers will fill up months in advanced, especially during the busy wedding season.

Designers aren’t mind readers and this will help them get a clear understanding of the look you’re going for. Don’t expect them to copy the design outright. Allow them artistic license to incorporate your personalities and their creativity into the final product.

HOW MUCH CAKE DO I NEED?

Wedding cakes are typically priced per person and serving sizes are typically 1” x 2” in size. Work with your baker to determine what you’ll need, but these numbers will give you an idea of what to expect based on the number of people on your guest list. SQUARE CAKES

6”: 18 servings 8”: 32 servings 10”: 40 servings 12”: 72 servings ROUND CAKES

6”: 10 servings 8”: 28 servings 10”: 42 servings 12”: 56 servings

Not at all! If you don’t want to serve cake at your wedding, follow your heart and don’t. Whether it’s to keep costs down, because you don’t have a sweet tooth, would rather serve up doughnuts instead or really any other reason, it’s your celebration. There’s no reason to designate a chunk of your budget toward something you don’t see as a crucial part of your wedding day.

The great thing is, skipping the wedding cake doesn’t mean your party has to be a dessert-free zone. The sky is the limit when it comes to desserts for your wedding. Serve yourself dessert and popcorn bars are quite popular, or bringing in a local confectioner to make custom treats on the spot is a great idea and always a crowd pleaser.

Don’t think you have to miss out on the traditional cake-cutting photo opp just because you aren’t serving wedding cake. Slice into a pie or share bites of your favorite cupcake. If that’s not your style, swap it out for a celebratory toast, linked arms and all. Find something that reflects you and your fiance. QUESTIONS TO ASK making wedding cakes, and will you be the one creating our cake? cake plates, flatware, etc.? rentals or extras? What if something gets damaged? stand/pillars? Arguably, one of the most fun parts of planning a wedding is the cake tasting appointment. (Appointments if you’re lucky!)

When you meet with prospective bakers, you will get to taste lots of flavors and filling combinations. The most important thing about your cake is that it tastes good. There’s no possible way you’ll please everyone at your wedding, so focus on cake flavors that make your mouth water, and don’t let others’ preferences drive you insane.

If you can’t decide (or agree!) on just one flavor, there is nothing wrong with mixing it up and having different flavor layers in your cake. This may even surprise and delight your reception guests who will want to try a bite of everything! You don’t want to pair things that are too wildly different, but talk with the baker about your preferences.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with Texoma’s best bakers at

How much experience do you have

Can we schedule a tasting?

Do you lend, rent, or sell cake knives,

What is your policy on returning any

Are we required to provide the cake

tbgvendors.com/cakes Will you deliver and set-up? Is there an extra charge for this?

What is the cost per serving?

How far ahead do we need to order our cake?

What is your deposit policy?

When is the balance due?

Can you make a groom's cake?

Will you provide a written contract for us to sign outlining the costs and details of the cake?

As you browse the cakes online, take note of some of the different styles that you like. Bakers can do amazing things when it comes to decorating cakes-- a simple and elegant white frosted cake with white details or an elaborately carved cake covered in fondant with jewel embellishments made from sugar and gumpaste flowers that look real. Your imagination, and budget, are the limits!

Simple cake designs are the least expensive. The more complicated the cake design, the higher the price tag. Fondant icing is more expensive than buttercream, and if you want elaborate molded shapes, vibrant colors, or handmade sugar-flower detailing, you’ll pay for the cake designer’s labor. Also consider the weather and time of year. If you’re having an outdoor reception, stay away from whipped cream, meringue and buttercream becasue they melt easily. Ask your baker about summer icing options. Here are some of the more popular types of frostings and how they are used:

Bite Me Bakery

BUTTERCREAM Buttercream frosting can be made in a variety of flavors and is usually piped onto cakes using different sized and shaped tips. A layer of buttercream is applied as the base, and then decorations are added on top. It does not do well in the heat, and works best on cakes that are a simple shape.

Sug-Ah Sweets & Confectioneries

FONDANT Fondant is a very smooth, matte icing that givescakes a flawless, porcelain finish. It is also used for ribbons and swags, and can be cut into different shapes to be used as appliqués or textured using a variety of different tools. It is usually more expensive than buttercream and not as tasty.

CUTTING THE CAKE

Cake cutting is one of the highlights of the wedding reception. It usually is the first act performed as a married couple, and the beginning of your new life together. Along with the symbolism, the cutting of the cake traditionally serves as a segue from dining to dancing. Older guests will usually wait until after the toasts and cake cutting before saying their goodbyes.

When it comes time to cut the cake, the bride stands closest to the cake with the groom behind her. With both of your hands on the cake knife, cut a small wedge out of the bottom tier of the cake and place it onto a plate. Remember to cut the bottom tier because the top tier is too unstable for a good first cut and you may topple the cake! Speaking of the top tier, it’s a long-standing tradition for the bride and groom to save the top tier of their wedding cake for their first anniversary. Let your baker and caterer know of your plans in advance so it doesn’t get served.

Most couples opt to slice the groom’s cake immediately after cutting the wedding cake, and serving slices alongside pieces of the wedding cake so guests have a choice of flavors. If both cakes are large enough, you could offer a plate with slices of each cake, or place one flavor on each plate and let your guests choose what they’d prefer.

A detail that is often overlooked is what happens to the cake after you and your new spouse cut it. Make sure you know who is going to be responsible for cutting and serving the wedding cake after it is cut. It could be your catering staff or wedding coordinator and it’s usually complimentary, but not always.

Don’t forget to make sure there are additional plates and silverware for serving your guests!

Cake:The Frosted Shoppe Photography: Gingersnap Stuidos Venue: Rustic Grace Estate

Satisfy your sweet tooth with Texoma’s best bakers at tbgvendors.com/cakes

Did you know that the groom’s cake is mostly a Southern tradition? That’s right…go to a wedding up north and you may not see a groom’s cake. That can be a bummer, because often the groom’s cake is chocolate!

Here’s a fun bit of useless trivia: In the mid-1800’s, cake was sent home with guests as their wedding favor. Female guests would put their piece of cake under their pillow and dream of their future hubby. That’s the reason this is called a groom’s cake.

In our modern times, the groom’s cake is usually a gift from the bride to the groom and designed to represent the groom’s career, personality or interests.

As with all aspects of your wedding, this tradition is completely optional, so don’t feel pressured to order one. However, we love it when the bride surprises the groom with his own special cake. WAYS TO SAVE ON THE COST OF YOUR WEDDING CAKE

When it comes to ways to save money on your wedding cake, there are two options that come up most often. The first is to have the cake of your dreams made with fake layers. Essentially, your cake will be made of foam and only a tiny part will be real cake for the cutting ceremony. Since the cost of your cake is determined more by the decorations on the outside than the cake on the inside, this really isn’t going to save you much in the long run. You’re still paying for the labor required to decorate the cake.

The easiest way to save on the cost of your wedding cake is to order a small, elaborately decorated cake and several sheet cakes. You will display and cut the small beautiful cake, but after the cutting ceremony, the cake will be removed to the kitchen and the cut sheet cakes will be passed among your guests. Once the cake is cut, it all looks the same so no one will be the wiser.

Custom Cakes Iced Sugar Cookies Cake Pops And More

(903) 328-9928 1226 South Austin Avenue Denison, Texas 75021 www.TheFrostedShoppe.com

facebook.com/Bitingmeatthebakery krazykakesbykris@yahoo.com FORMERLY KRAZY KAKES BY KRIS

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