Your Rochester Wedding Cake
Your wedding cake will stand on its own table. It should be both tasty and beautiful.
Your Rochester Wedding Cake
Your wedding cake will stand on its own table, for all of your guests to admire. It should be both tasty and beautiful.
When to Begin Looking
Begin checking bakeries about six months before your wedding. As with a caterer, you will need an estimate of the number of guests you will be feeding.
What to Look For
Bakers should be able to provide you with photographs of wedding cakes they have previously made, or actual cakes which are available. They should provide you with some samples to taste, so that you can compare the quality of different cakes..
Flavors
There are always the traditional ones: white or yellow cake. But you may wish to be a little different. Other choices may include chocolate, rum, carrot, pound cake, marble, or even cheesecake. There are just as many choices for fillings. These may include butter cream, jams, pudding, custard or fresh fruit. The fillings come in different flavors, too. Your choices may include raspberry, orange, lemon, chocolate, mocha or amaretto.
Another non- traditional choice would be cheese cake, which also comes in a variety of flavors. Cheese cakes can be displayed as they are, or can be frosted to appear more traditional. (You can also ask if the cake can be made crustless, which also gives it a more traditional look). In addition to flavors being swirled into the cheese cake, you an also accent the plate with a variety of fruit sauces, or chocolate sauces. Fresh fruit is also a great addition to the plate… artistic and tasty!
Colors
In general, wedding cakes are frosted in white whipped cream or butter cream frosting. Carrot cake is usually frosted with a cream cheese frosting.There is usually an accent color, generally a pastel. This accent color should be the color of your attendants’ dresses, to help coordinate the cake with the rest of the wedding.
Shapes
Again, the sky’s the limit. Round, tiered cakes are the most popular for weddings. But there’s also heart-shaped or square. You may also opt for one large cake, with smaller cakes at each side connected by bridges or ribbons.
Decorations / Accessories
Decorations can be made out of almost any material. The rosettes on the cake can be real, or made of frosting. Decorations can include flowers, bows, leaves, fruit, lights, or beads. And don’t forget the bride and groom on top! There are also accessories that can be used around the cake. Rather than the layers of cake laying atop one another, they may be separated by columns or small statues. They may also be displayed on stands of varying levels giving your cakes a cascading look, or individual stands arranged however you’d like, either of which would allow you to display different varieties of cake.There may even be a fountain below the cake. Or, as mentioned above, there may be more than one cake, connected by bridges.
Ordering Your Cake
Once you have determined every detail of your cake, it is time to order it. A contract should be signed, outlining all of your requirements exactly. Remember, once you see the cake, it will be far too late to make any changes. The contract should include such things as: cake flavor, shape, size, icing, fillings, design, and any accessories. It should also state the date, time and place of your reception. The contract should outline the amount of deposit, the balance due, and the date the balance is expected to be paid.
Additional Cakes
There are other traditional cakes, besides the wedding cake. These include:
- Groom’s cake. These are dark fruit cakes, not served at the reception, but put into boxes for your guests to take home. Make sure you order the boxes from the baker at the time you order the cake.
- Cookie cake (sweets table): These are an assortment of cookies and candies, usually piled high on a tray to resemble a cake. Your guests may eat them at the reception or take them home.
(Some bakeries suggest a special cake for the parents of the bride and groom.)
The Cake at Your Reception
Your wedding cake will occupy a place of honor - usually on its own table, or on the buffet table. It can be surrounded by greenery or flowers. You may also display pictures on this table, or even the ever festive champagne bucket with goblets. The emcee at your wedding will announce the time for cutting the cake (usually about half-hour after dinner has been finished). The bride holds the knife in her right hand, the groom places his right hand over hers, and together they cut the cake. They traditionally feed the first slices to each other.
Preserving the Cake
Some people choose to save the top tier(s) of their cake for their first anniversary. This may not be realistic. Bakers suggest that the cake will not remain edible for that long, even in a freezer. They suggest eating the cake on your first month anniversary. You should ask the baker if your cake will hold up for the year. The best way to preserve the cake is to freeze it. First wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in layers of aluminum foil. Then seal the package with freezer or put it in an air tight container. You should then make sure it is stored in the back corner of the freezer.
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