Finding the perfect wedding cake
By Marcy Blum and Laura Fisher Kaiser
 

For many people, a wedding cake is a major part of their reception. The cake may be the only thing you get to sit down and eat the entire day, so make sure it’s delicious.

Take into account the following points as you scope out bakers and their wares:

Even if the cake is included with your menu, ask if you can talk to the baker about options. You’re bound to get something more suited to your individual tastes this way. Ask to see photos, and tell them how long and where your cake will be on display so they can advise on the type of icing.

How many people are you serving? Are you having another dessert? Is it a complicated dessert or just berries or sorbet? Cakes are priced per slice and you may not need to order a full slice per person if you are having a second dessert.

Ask to taste cake flavours at the same time as you taste the desserts you are considering. Seasonal possibilities, such as light lemon cakes filled with fresh strawberries in the summer, or chestnut puree in the fall, will complement seasonal menus.

Consider serving a small wedding cake as a part of an extravagant dessert table rather than as the main dessert.

Individual wedding cakes for each guest are in vogue. They are sometimes displayed on round platters in wide tiers to resemble a large wedding cake.

Consider a cake composed of different flavours on each tier and serve a few slices of each flavour to each table.

Excerpted from Wedding Kit for Dummies, IDG Books Worldwide Inc., 2000, distributed by CDG Books Canada Inc. for Canada