Even when the economy is in the dumps people still get married.  When there isn’t as much money flowing around people look for creative ways to save money on their wedding, and the cake is one of the biggest expenses.  Should you bake your own wedding cake?  Maybe you shouldn’t do it, but if you can get someone close to you to do it (Mom? Grandma? Aunt?) you can save an incredible amount of money.  In this post I’ll offer some tips for being successful with this big project.

The first thing that you have to have is a plan.  A wedding cake is a big project, and if you forget something on the big day a whole lot of problems are going to stem from that.  First, figure out how much cake there needs to be.  Most wedding cakes are tiered, which allows you get a lot of cake without taking up too much space.  That means that you need the cake pans, the tiers, and the wedding cake stands.  Round cakes are the norm, but square wedding cake pans are also available, they are also a bit easier to decorate if using fondant.  Baking the cake isn’t the tough part, but it can still be stressful.

There a lot of people that think that they can bake, and will offer to bake your cake.  They key is to sit down and have that person bake a test cake for you, decorated and all.  It’s not important to go as far as to put together all of the tiers, but one level that’s completely decorated.  It will help you get an idea of how good your cake is going to turn out, and it will help the “baker” get a feel for how your cake is going to turn out.

Baking your own wedding cake is a great way to save money and with some planning and practice it will turn out great.  Just remember to work out all of the kinks before hand, rather than waiting until game day to find out that your cake is a disaster!

Wedding cakes no longer have to be a multi tiered fruit cake. Brides and grooms today are choosing from a multitude of various flavours such as chocolate mud, banana, carrot and lemon just to name a few.The wedding cake is coming in a range of different shapes and sizes from a single layer through to an eight layer masterpiece. The cakes can be decorated with fresh or sugar flowers, ribbons and crazy cake toppers. Your imagination (and your budget) is your limit when deciding what kind of wedding cake you want.

The wedding cake has broken with tradition – the pristine, iced, white fruit cake topped by a militant bride and groom figurine no longer sets the standard. Here we take a look at the latest trends in wedding cake design and show you how to individualize your cake.

Another thing which has become increasingly popular is to have a cupcake tower, so each guest gets an individual cupcake instead of a standard piece of cake. This can be a great option if you have guests with food allergies, you can get special cupcakes made for those people so they don’t miss out.

The cupcake towers often have a small cake sitting on top so the bride & groom can still perform the cutting of the cake for photos and guests.

Many times the couples who opt for a cup cake tower instead of the traditional wedding cake can save money by using the cup cakes as their wedding favors. You can buy individual cake boxes to place the cup cake in and give to each guest as they leave. This idea is especially great if your wedding reception menu includes a dessert course.

Like our taste in art or the way we choose to decorate our homes, cake decoration comes down to personal style. For many couples, wedding cakes reflects their wedding theme, repeating colours, fonts used in their invitations, and/or flowers featured in the bridal bouquet. Others view their wedding cake as light relief from the more serious aspects of the wedding and give it festive touch by choosing bright, bold colours comical figurines.

Some couples choose to celebrate their heritage by deciding on a traditional European wedding cake, such as the croquembouche, or by incorporating a design or ornament of cultural significance.

Other popular themes for personalising cakes are shared interests, such as sports, or maybe the couple’s professions. At the other end of the spectrum, a new and growing trend is the minimalist cake – generally, a plainly iced cake with little adornment or embellishment. With ‘less is more’ as its abiding rule, a minimalist cake may be adorned with a single flower or, for a unique point of difference, plainly iced tiers may be alternated with subtly embellished tiers. Cakes decorated with the bridal couple’s initials have also become fashionable.

Sizing it up

While the circle has been the favoured cake shape for some time, Thea of Cake Couture says the square is making a comeback, but with a modern twist. Instead of stacking the squares directly on top of one another, today’s trend is to place the squares at different angles to each other, creating an interesting visual symmetry. Another popular wedding cake shape is the heart. Anita of Auckland Cake Art takes many orders for her popular funky hear-shaped cake.

Cake

The wedding cake is the grand centrepiece of the wedding feast, so it’s worth splashing out on it. Alternatively, you may have a relative or friend with a flair for baking and decorating, who want sot make a special contribution to your day, or you might even like to try making it yourself?

All things cake….

Who’s going to make the cake? How many people has the cake got to serve? Do you want a fruit or sponge cake – or something (such as chocolate profiteroles) that can double as a dessert?

What shape and decorations do you want? When will the cake be delivered? Who will arrange it at the reception venue?

Look on the bright side

When it comes to wedding cakes, white is the obvious choice. But many modern brides are abandoning tradition and choosing cakes in every colour of the rainbow – from pastels to brights to a multi-coloured creation.

Most cake decorators are adept at adding colour to wedding cakes. Whether it’s a bold striking blue or the merest hint of pink, your decorator can colour your cake to your requirements. Either the sugar-dough icing will be coloured before it is set over your wedding cake, or the cake can be airbrushed with colour after it has been iced. Similarly, decorations such as sugar flowers can be hand-coloured, made from coloured royal icing or tinted using an airbrush.

Homeopathic dosage

If you’re not ready to give up on the traditional white cake, but want something a little bit different, you can add some pizzazz to your design with small touches of colour – a couple of pink blooms or a few pastel icing spots should do the trick. Who said you couldn’t have your cake and eat it too?

Made to measure

Your decorator can colour-match your cake to the exact shade of your dress, your bridesmaid’s dresses or flowers, so make sure you give your decorator a swatch of fabric or a bloom from your bouquet to ensure colour accuracy.

When one is not enough

Your wedding cake doesn’t necessarily have to be one entire colour. You can alternate the colour of each tier or ask your decorator for a swirled, marbled effect. Cakes with stripes in pink, blue, lemon and candy colours are perfect for outdoor summer weddings.

All the rage

Regal colours such as rich navy, burgundy and forest green are always popular wedding cake colours, particularly if decorated with gold or silver piping.

Colour trends of the moment include strong hues such as lime green and fuchsia pink, while soft pastels and multi-coloured cakes are also popular.