SELECTING THE BAKER FOR YOUR WEDDING CAKE

Your wedding cake is the center of your reception and it should look beautiful as well as taste delicious.

Your cake will either be supplied by the hotel, restaurant, caterer, or by a bakery. Your best bet is to order your cake from a bakery or from someone that specializes in wedding cakes. You should begin interviewing bakers 3 to 4 months before your wedding and order your cake 6 to 8 weeks before the  actual date.

Three suppliers to source your cake from:

Caterer or Reception Site

¨                Caterers or reception locations will sometimes provide your wedding cake. However, since they are not experts in making or designing wedding cakes be sure to ask to see pictures or taste a cake you may be considering.

¨                They may or may not be limited in the designs they can create.

¨                They usually include the cake-cutting fee in the price while other sources may charge extra to cut the cake.

Commercial Baker

¨                Mostly commonly used.

¨                They specialize in wedding or special occasion cakes.

¨                They produce cakes in large quantities and while they have a variety of styles and designs to choose from, they may not be able to accommodate your uniqueness.

Non-commercial Baker

¨                Normally works out of his/her home or may rent a kitchen somewhere.

¨                They specialize in unique creative cakes.

¨                They are normally true artists that love to create spectacular cakes.

¨                The trend to use this type of baker is growing although they may not be as easy to find as the others.

¨                They may be less expensive due to their low overhead or more expensive due to their unique and elaborate designs.

Locating a Baker:

The best way to find a bakery is to:

¨                Ask for recommendations from family, friends or a wedding consultant.

¨                Ask reception site coordinators.

¨                Check with your florist or photographer.

¨                Search for pictures for cakes in bridal magazines.

¨                Attend and visit their booths at bridal fairs or shows.

Interviewing Bakers:

You will want to look through bridal magazines for pictures of cakes you like and take these with you when interviewing bakers. Use spreadsheet “Cake Comparisons” and “Questions To Ask The Baker” to take along with you when you interview the bakers. Be sure to ask to see pictures of wedding cakes they have already created for other weddings and ask if you can have a sample taste of their cakes. Discuss with them the style, flavor, icing and filling, size, and shape of the cake as well as the cake set-up.

Flavors and Fillings:

A traditional wedding cake has 3 tiers that are either laid on top one another or are separated by columns.

The traditional flavors have been white, yellow or chocolate. However, the trend is to use a variety

of flavors or fillings. The most popular of these flavors are: Carrot, German Chocolate, Chocolate Mocha, and Chocolate Mousse. These may be frosted with butter cream or freshly whipped cream. You may consider having tiers of these different flavors or fillings. However, keep in mind that your guests may want to try more than just one flavor of cake so be sure to order extra so you won’t run out.

The following is a brief list of icing and filling options:

Butter Cream:

Most popular frosting for wedding cakes. It’s both an icing and a filling that consists of real butter, sugar, and eggs. It ranges from ivory to a pale yellow.

Dagees:

Gold or silver decorative balls made of candied sugar. They look like BB’s.

Gold and silver leafs:

Edible gold and silver used for tinted flowers, leaves, and as final touches on iced cakes.

Fondant:

Icing that is poured in liquid form onto small cakes or rolled out in a sheet, then cut and wrapped around the cake. It’s a perfect surface on which to apply decorations. It holds up well but is not as luscious as butter cream.

Marzipan:

Ground almond paste that can be rolled like fondant to cover the cake or be used as a base for the fillings between the layers.

Modeling Chocolate:

White or dark, it can be rolled out like fondant and used to cover the entire cake or decorate a frosted cake with bouquets of chocolate flowers or other designs.

Gum paste:

Ideal for realistic reproductions of fruits, flowers, and other moldable decorations.

Pulled sugar:

Sugar syrup that is pulled into bow and flower shapes.

Royal Icing:

Egg whites beaten with confectioners sugar and lemon juice, then piped with a pastry tube to make lace, trellises, or miniature buds. It’s very sweet and hardens quickly.

Spun Sugar:

Strands of caramelized sugar thrown to create a veil over a cake. Does not hold up well for a cake you intend to display for several hours.

Whipped Cream:

Used as either a cake filling or icing. It must be refrigerated.

Shapes:

Today there are many cake shapes used for the wedding cake: round, square, rectangle, and heart shaped. Of these, the round shape is the most popular.

Decorations:

Your cake decorations may consist of fresh flowers or greenery, ribbons, edible leaves; flowers shaped from icing or molded sugar. Flowers should mirror your bouquet makeup or table centerpiece. If you will be using fresh flowers make sure that they have been grown specifically to be eaten. If not, use the flowers only as a garnish around not on top of the cake since the flowers may have been sprayed with pesticides. Crystal or porcelain cake tops have replaced the plastic bride and groom decorations. These can be heavy so ensure that your baker has anchored these down into the cake. Fruit such as berries, grapes or pears dipped in egg whites and covered with sugar is another option for decorating the top of  the cake as well as using the couple’s newly shared surname piped onto the border of each tier.

Displaying your cake:

Your cake should be displayed in a well-lit area and in full view of your guests. It should be displayed on its own table decorated with flowers or greenery.

Prices:

Prices for your cake will normally be calculated per number of servings. Prices can range from $1.50 for a simple cake from a local bakery to $15.00 from a non-commercial baker with an elaborate design. Unless the reception site is providing your cake, be sure to ask what the cake delivery and set-up fee will be   along with any cake cutting fees. The cake-cutting fee is normally charged for each slice of cake they cut.

Ordering your cake:

When ordering your cake, keep the following items in consideration:

v  Order the cake 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding.

v  Leave a deposit and be sure to get the receipt.

v  Have a signed contract in hand listing all the particulars such as the day of the wedding, time of cake delivery, along with the style, flavor, icing, filling, size and shape of the cake. In addition, the location of delivery, the total price including extras and the balance due.

Saving the top layer of the cake:

Normally the top layer of the cake is saved and to be eaten on your first wedding anniversary. If this is something you will want to have done, be sure to have this layer of the cake removed before the cake is cut. Have the layer securely wrapped and immediately frozen. An alternative is to order a small cake of the same flavor for your first anniversary.

Groom’s Cake:

Having a groom’s cake in addition to the wedding cake is an old Southern Tradition. It’s usually a dark fruitcake or a chocolate-layered cake made in a variety of shapes representing the groom’s favorite sport or hobby. The cake is either cut into pieces and placed in boxes for your guests to take home or its cut and served along with the bride’s cake. Whether you have a groom’s cake or not is totally your preference.

Money Saving Ideas:

v  Decorate your cake with fresh flowers or borrow a cake topper.

v  Borrow or rent a cake knife and serving set.

v  Purchase toasting glasses through the mail or borrow them.

v  Order a small cake to be displayed and additional sheet cakes to be stored in the back. Then, after you and the groom have cut the cake on display, it can be whisked away in the back to be sliced out of sight along with the sheet cakes.

	Baker #1	Baker #2	Baker #3
Name:
Address:
Cake: Size: Shape: No. of Tiers:
Cake Flavors:
Filling Flavors:
Icing Flavors:
Decoration:
Groom’s Cake:
Total: Wedding Cake: Groom’s Cake: Stand Rental: Knife/Server: Deposit Due Date: Balance Due Date:

Questions to ask:

◻                                               How long have you been baking wedding cakes?

◻                                               May I see photos of some of the cakes you have done for other weddings?

◻                                               Will the cake be frozen or fresh?

◻                                               Do you have a specialty cake?

◻                                               How many flavors or fillings do you offer? Which of these do you recommend?

◻                                               Are tasting samples available?

◻                                               What will be the cost per serving?

◻                                               Do you make Groom’s Cakes?

◻                                               How far in advance should I place my order?

◻                                               How will the cake be delivered?

◻                                               Will there be a delivery or set-up fee?

◻                                               Where will the cake be assembled and what will it be assembled on?

◻                                               Is there a cake pillar or plate rental fee? If so, is this fee refundable upon the return of these items? When must they be returned?

◻                                               Will there be a charge for slicing the cake? (normally charged per slice)

◻                                               Will a cake cutting knife be provided? (if not, you will need to purchase or rent one yourself)

◻                                               What is your payment and cancellation policy?