Your Wedding Cake

Your wedding cake will be a focal point and highlight at your reception. With the many choices today, there is a limitless selection in variety, flavor and styles.

The size of the cake will depend on how many guests are invited. It is normally matched to the color and theme of the wedding.

Do remember to include extra portions for guests who could not attend your wedding, but who would appreciate being sent a slice.

You may wish to serve your cake as the dessert, or have it given as a take-home treat for your guests.

Today's cake does not have to be the traditional tiered cake, it could be sculpted, a single layer, round or square, heart shaped or stacks of cup cakes, or any design that you could think of.

Discuss the style with your baker to see if they can do the designs for you. There are so many flavors to choose from, so when you go shopping for your cake, be sure to do a taste test. Some of the flavors on offer are:

Pound cake with lemon filling

Carrot cake with cream cheese

Chocolate cake with mocha mousse

Cheesecake

Genoese sponge with white chocolate icing

Mud cake

Sponge cake with passion fruit

Choc cherry

Marble

White or dark chocolate

Coffee or orange poppy seed

Butter cream fillings

Continental tortes

Chocolate rum truffle

More Wedding Cake Flavors

What Kind?

Your cake can be any flavor. Consider the shape and type of special decorations that you would like. Is the cake to be a traditional fruit cake? Or a more modern one made of sponge cake, profiteroles or chocolate?

You can have the cake made professionally or you may choose to have a friend, relative or yourself make it. If you can't decide on a flavour why not have them all, ask to have each layer to be a different flavor.

You may wish to go with tradition and keep the top tier. In this case make the top tier a fruit cake as it will keep longer. The tradition of keeping the top tier is to cut it on your first wedding anniversary or for the christening of your first child.

Types of Cakes, Styles and Flavors

Today there is a good choice in styles and designs. The best thing that I can suggest is to look in magazines that specialize in wedding cakes, as well as the internet and visit cake decorators to get an idea of the styles that are available.

See the Wedding Cake Search page for a list of sites that have wedding cake picture gallery pages. I hope that this will save you some of your valuable time and help with a wedding cake idea or two.

Ordering your Wedding Cake

Organize an interview with your cake maker. Things to take with you, things to discuss and to remember:

Picture of your wedding flower

Sample of brides dress material

Sample of reception decor, ceiling height, temperature, lighting

Picture of any cake you have seen and would like the baker to design

Have an idea of the flavor of the cake

Take any special decoration or center piece you have chosen

If there is anything specific that you would like to have incorporated into your cake - it may be a family wedding cake decoration - tell the cake maker

Cake Size

Number of tiers

Guest numbers

Date of the wedding

Avoid going over your budget

Cost

Deposit Amount

Date and time of pickup, or for delivery give the reception address and time

Budget Tips

Order a small wedding cake to show your guests, but have another cake out in the kitchen to serve to your guests, they will never know.

Have foam layers added to your cake for a bigger looking cake which costs less

If you have the top tier made in foam and decorated, you will have a lasting memory of you day

Keep the icing work simple.

If using flowers consider silk flowers these will cost less and look just as nice.

Ask for butter cream or chocolate icing instead of the traditional fondant icing

Use your cake as a dessert along with some fresh fruit it will save you some money.

Instead of cake serve your guests small blocks of chocolate, or have a chocolate fountain set up so that guests can pass their own selection of skewered fruit.

Ask if your reception venue charges a fee for cutting the cake. This could end up costing more than the cake itself. Have your bridesmaids do this.

The more intricate the icing work the more the cake will cost.

Have your cake icing plain and use your bridal bouquet on top.

Bride Idea

If you want to cut down on costs, have a baker make a tiered cake with only plain or pastel icing. Then have someone that you can trust and count on, to decorate it nicely at the reception, with fresh flowers (secure the flowers on the cake with tooth picks) and ribbons, or lace. You could even use your bouquet on the top of the cake.