Wedding Tactics

Have you ever wondered why traditional wedding cakes are several tiers high and what some of those wacky designs are actually made of?

Way way way back in time, wedding cakes were actually thrown at the bride. This was supposedly a tradition celebrating the couple’s fertility, at least according to this story in The Wedding Gazette.

Modern day tradition has been slightly modified from the horrifying sugar-coated experience of having a cake thrown at you to something far more decent, socially acceptable and simply put, cleaner. At most modern weddings the bride and groom cut the first slice of cake together and feed each other a piece. This symbolizes the support they will provide for each other throughout their many years of marriage. Isn’t this just so much nicer? Often times you will see a bride and groom smash the cake in each other’s faces which is also just tradition, but more and more, brides do not want that and *beg and plead with their husbands-to-be to NOT follow that aspect of this tradition.

Wedding cakes have become quite the show piece. They come in all colors, flavors and shapes. Sometimes they don’t actually look like a cake. A friend of mine who got married last June had a cake that looked like a stack of suitcases to go with her wedding theme of a destination wedding where most guests had to travel to Florida for the event. This creation is all cake and totally edible. And I’m getting kinda hungry just writing this entry.

Sometimes choosing a cake a little daunting because the baker is tossing out terms like “$5.00 a slice” and “chocolate ganache with marzipan flowers” which can make a novice cake connoisseurs’ head spin. I’ve listed a few common terms below to help you understand the different kinds of icings so that you can be familiar with cake terminology when you visit bakeries.

Buttercream Icing: Traditional icing. The kind you find on all grocery-store birthday cakes. It is rich and creamy and easily colored and flavored. It is used for some decorations like shells, and basket weaves. It is made with a butter base so it tends to melt in higher temperatures, so it is not recommended for an outside wedding.

Fondant: A Martha Stewart favorite … this icing is smooth and stiff, it is prepared with gelatin and corn syrup and rolled out in a flat sheet and applied to the cake. It is not as tasty as other icings but it looks very classic and sleek. It is ideal for a beach wedding because it can withstand warmer temperatures than a butter based icing.

Royal Icing: Made of a mix of confectioner’s sugar and milk and egg whites it dries to be shiny and hard and does not need refrigeration. Commonly used for decorations like dots and latticework.

Ganache: This is a chocolate icing made with heavy cream. It is very dark and has the consistency of store-bought icing in a jar. It is commonly poured over a cake for a glass-like chocolate finish and also frequently used as a filling between layers. It holds layers together very well. However, this should only be used on a cake that will remain indoors because heat and humidity cause the icing to literally, slide off the cake. Eeek!

Whipped Cream: Totally the most delicious, but also very fragile. This kind of icing isn’t common with wedding cakes because it needs constant refrigeration and wedding cakes are usually on display for a few hours during the reception.

Before you visit a bakery to choose your cake be sure to look at photo galleries online to have an idea of what you want. Most bakers can also make a cake with different size tiers depending on how many people you need to feed. Be sure to have a rough number available to tell them and also discuss with them how far in advance of the wedding day you can make size changes.

*This is one of those postings that I really hope Marc reads and GETS the hidden meaning.

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