Planning a Perfect Wedding Cake
When it comes to creating a perfect wedding cake there are so many options it become confusing without a bit of chef insider knowledge. Rebeccah May Wedding cakes are made by Rebeccah, a fully qualified patisserie & confectionery chef so you can be sure that you will guided by an experienced wedding cake maker. At Rebeccah May Wedding cakes Jersey, and Rebeccah May Wedding cakes London and the UK the creative process normally starts with a design & tasting meeting, click here for more details.
Please consider the following hints and tips for choosing your wedding cake….
What’s your budget? Consider how many you want to feed, if the cake is going to be both dessert and cake, or a stand alone cake. Portion sizes for stand alone cakes are smaller than if you are serving for dessert. When designing with Rebeccah she will give you different options so that you can make the most of your budget without the cake taking over! For a general price guide please click here.
What time of year is it? Please consider the weather! A pure chocolate decorated cake in July and August or times of high humidity may not be feasible as it may melt and spoil quickly.
What venue will the cake be presented in? If you are having your wedding in a marquee it is not advised you have a pure chocolate tiered cake in high summer fully presented until time for cutting. You will need to ensure you have a large empty fridge available for storing the cake until it’s ready to be moved for presentation.
Pate a Chou? Croque en Bouche or a tier of Choux Swans will be assembled at the venue and require kitchen facilities. Fresh cream is rarely used, normally Creme Patissiere, both may be flavoured with chocolate, fruit or alcohol combinations.
A word about chocolate… Chocolate creates stunning cakes, however it is an expensive ingredient and a chocolate cake can be surprisingly costly.
Cake as a dessert? Rebeccah’s cakes are rich, moist and make beautiful dessert experiences. If served as dessert, we recommend serving them with berries or coulis. Stunning French Patisserie celebration confections such as Choux Swans or Croque en Bouche as well as rich chocolate cakes that are perfect for cutting and serving as cake and dessert are available.
Fresh flowers versus Wired flowers? Whilst fresh flowers look stunning, many are shown in error in cake images. Only a few last over 4 hours, most without water wilt within 30 minutes which is not attractive. Also many flowers and foliage, to a greater or lesser degree, are toxic. For flowers to match your bouquet or theme that may be unsuitable to go on edible items sugar flowers may be created which are exquisitely beautiful and may be kept, if stored correctly, for many years to come.
What size of cake? If you desire a cake design that will produce too many portions for your guests, display cakes may be incorporated into the design so you don’t compromise on the final result. Conversely, you may have a large scale event where one over all cake design will be impractical to serve everyone, in this situation cutting cakes may be provided for the kitchen.
Lots of flavours! Tiered cakes may be made in different flavours to cover all your guests preferences, the same applies to individually iced cakes or cup cakes, a variety of flavours may be produced to combine into one order.
How is it presented? Don’t get squished round the back of a wedding cake that has been popped in a corner ‘out of the way’ of the main event, this means the cake that you have given so much thought is difficult for you to cut and difficult for your photographer to take that perfect photograph and often not seen in it’s full glory by your guests. Think about the cake as a centre piece of the food and perhaps give the cake it’s own table. Decorating the table with flowers, tea lights, table confetti, rose petals, herbs, ribbons, feathers…there are endless possibilities that Rebeccah will take you through to ensure your cake has it’s own unique setting.
Do you want some to take home? Traditional wedding cakes were made of fruit cake which, given careful looking after can last many years. Today’s brides tend to go for sponge which has a shorter shelf span. If you want cakes to take to people who may not have attended the main event or to take into work, Rebeccah will bake these for you just before you need them, or when you have returned from honeymoon, so anyone eating a piece of your cake will have the best flavour experience possible.
Christening cakes, the traditional option: If you would like part of the wedding cake to keep as a Christening Cake please bear in mind the heaviest layer needs to be at the bottom of the cake so having sponge as 2 bigger layers and one fruit as the top tier won’t work as the fruit layer will sink….Rebeccah makes fruit cakes on a regular basis that are kept and fed over a period of years. She can discuss with you the best option for keeping and creating a ‘top tier’ that she will help you maintain during the time before future Christening parties.
