Category: Wedding Cake

7 Tips For Choosing Your Wedding Cake Maker

Published / by Jenny WIlson

A wedding cake has been part of weddings for a very long time, and it is one of those things that you have to put a lot of emphasis on when planning your wedding. Unlike with other things in a wedding, it is easy to plan for a perfect wedding cake. This can only be achieved by choosing the right cake maker. There are very many bakers out there, but not all of them can make you that perfect cake that you have always dreamed of. To ensure that the cake does not ruin your perfect wedding you should consider the following seven tips for choosing your wedding cake maker.

1. Decide the type of cake you want The kind of cake you want for your wedding will play an important role in choosing the right cake maker for your big day. There are very many types of wedding cakes you can choose from and different makers have specialized in making various kinds of cake. Even if you are unsure of which cake you prefer you should at least have an idea.

2. Ask friends and relatives for recommendations When you are planning a wedding, you should be open to receive ideas from family and friends who got married recently. Ask them who they used for their wedding cake and if they liked what they got. If your friend was pleased with the cake maker, then this shows that the make is good at what he or she does, and they will probably leave to your expectations. If you receive more than one recommendation, you should set aside some time to meet each one of them.

3. Always go for the one with the best reputation This is probably the first time you are working with the cake maker, and also there is no way for you to tell if they make good cakes or not. Their reputation is the only thing that you can rely on as a source of information. If a baker makes good wedding cakes, then they will have a good reputation. By going for a reputable baker, you will avoid taking chances with bakers who have not been in the industry for long enough.

4. Their qualification and training matter a lot It is true that one can become an excellent baker without undergoing formal training, but this happens on very rare occasions. Due to this you should always go for a professionally trained baker who has many certifications. You might not be able to tell how trained a pastry chef is but if he is well qualified, he will probably let you know. Furthermore, you can always check their profile on their website if they have one to find out more about their qualification.

5. Arrange for a cake tasting session Tasting the wedding cake sample will help you judge on a firsthand basis what the cake maker is capable of making. Most pastry chefs will always invite you for a taste session where they will give you different samples of their cakes to taste. Before choosing your cake maker, you should try and taste as many cakes as possible from different makers. When visiting the cake makers, you should also ask to see pictures of their past creations. If you like what you see in the photos provided and you also like the taste of the cakes, then you have yourself the perfect cake maker.

6. The delivery process also matters Making a fantastic wedding cake is one thing and getting it to your wedding or reception venue is another. No matter how good a wedding cake maker might be if they cannot deliver the cake in good time and the right condition then the maker will not work for you. Ask to know how the cake will be delivered and if you will have to cater for any extra cost. This will help you avoid unnecessary delays during the wedding day, and you will also be able to include any delivery cost to your cake budget.

7. Cost of the cake When planning for a wedding its is always about staying within the budget as there are very many things that you will need to plan for. Due to this you have to know how the cake is priced. Some cakes are priced per slice and complexity of flavors and fillings. Before choosing a cake maker, they should make all this information available to you. Cost might be an important factor to consider but if you want a good wedding cake, you should be prepared to pay more as the best cake makers are also the most expensive ones.

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Posted In Wedding Cake | Wedding Cake Maker

A Brief History of Wedding Cakes

Published / by Jenny WIlson

The history of wedding cakes goes all the way back to the Roman Empire. During the ceremony of Ancient Romans, the bride and groom were fed morsels broken from a wheat biscuit or roll. The remainder was crumbled over the bride's head as a symbol of fertility. The concept caught on, passed through the centuries, and was adopted by the various cultures of the civilized world. By the time the custom reached Elizabethan England, the wheat cake, a symbol of sharing and fertility, had become more than just tradition. The Elizabethans stacked the rolls high and placed them on their reception tables as centerpieces, for all their guests to admire and enjoy.

The wedding cake, as we know it today, was the brilliant idea of a genius of a French cook who was traveling through England. Stopping for a while in London, he noticed the inconvenience of piling hundreds of small spice cakes into one mound, and he conceived the idea of mounding them into one solid mass. During the middle ages, guests brought small breads and stacked them up. The high stack of cakes symbolized prosperity, and the groom and bride had to kiss over the pile of “cakes” to bring them good luck in their marriage. Only recently did wedding cakes as we know them come into existence.

The wedding cake as we know it today-with its fancy frosting and festoons-had its origins some hundred years later, in a confection that commemorated the marriage of one of Queen Victoria's daughters in 1859. The tradition of the white wedding cake was also introduced in Victorian times with the affluence of wealthy families. For a white icing, only the finest refined sugars could be used so the whiter the cake, the more wealthy the family. A white wedding cake also emphasized the bride as the main focal point of the wedding, since she typically wore white as her own symbol of purity. Even today, the link between the bride and the wedding cake are reinforced when many couples request their cake to match the color and design of the wedding dress.

Early American wedding cakes were fruit cakes, part of a tradition that the Pilgrims brought with them to America. It wasn't until the advent of white flour, baking soda, and baking powder in the 1800's that white wedding cake, as we know it, became the norm. The tradition of fruitcake, however, has withstood the test of time (and is still popular in many parts of our country), and is the cake that later became popular as the groom's cake. At the reception, it was cut, boxed and given to the guests as a favor. According to legend, single guests who placed the boxed cake under their bed would dream of their intended. So, it became popular as dreaming bread. Traditionally, the groom's cake is placed beside the bride's, and today, it may come in any shape or any flavor that the groom desires.

In the 1930's, however, with the onset of World War II, often a bride would be forced to choose a more practical outfit rather than the typical fancy white wedding dress and the icing would be tinted a color to match. Perhaps the most well known tradition of wedding cakes is the task of cutting. In an effort to be the utmost gentleman, the groom “assists” the bride with cutting the first piece of cake and symbolizes their first task as a couple (not to mention an important photographic opportunity).

Originally, this duty rested solely with the bride, but over time, cakes became larger and the task more daunting. In addition, the larger cakes had stronger, more rigid designs and the task became one of necessity. Immediately after cutting, both the bride and the groom feast on the first slice to show their commitment to each other. Did you know that cutting the first piece of cake together represents your commitment to share whatever path life takes? Also, feeding each other a piece of cake is a symbol of love, honor and respect. Therefore, it is considered very poor taste to smash the cake in your spouse's face.

Through all it's changes, the wedding cake remains an important part of the symbolism of the wedding ceremony. As bride and groom cut the cake together and feed each other, they symbolize the joining of their lives and their commitment to each other. And in sharing with the guests, the groom and bride bring their friends and family into the covenant of mutual support and love.

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Posted In Wedding Cake