THE MANY WEDDING CAKE OPTIONS

You’re getting married and along with all of the other items on your to-do list is ordering a wedding cake.  A tiered wedding cake is the traditional dessert centerpiece at most weddings, but there are other options to explore as well.

Here are some of those options along with positives and negatives of each.

·         Tiered Wedding Cake-  While tradition alone makes this option a favorite, it affords the bride and groom many options, from traditional white cake with white frosting and decorations to more colorful and contemporary designs with gold and silver décor, dramatic sugar flowers and even themed to the couple’s favorite hobby, movie or other inspiration.  The size and height of your cake is usually determined by the number of guests you plan to serve and sometimes the top tier is saved, frozen and enjoyed by the happy couple on their first anniversary. Your tiered cake is priced on a per serving basis with price ranges anywhere from $3.00 per serving in some areas of the country to highs of $10 and up in expensive regions.

·         Cupcakes- Who doesn’t love a cupcake? A tower of cupcakes or lovely trays arrayed with these little cakes has become a popular and cost effective alternative to a large tiered cake. Often times a tower of cupcakes is topped with a small cake for the cake cutting ceremony.  Cupcakes offer a way to present many cake and frosting flavors when you and your partner have too many “favorites” or can’t agree. You can also have your guests serve themselves, which may avoid the costly cake cutting fees that some venues charge. The towers for presenting your cupcakes can be purchased or rented if your cake baker doesn’t have one to lend out.

·         Fake Cake- A fake cake is a way to add height to a smaller real wedding cake to make it seem larger. Some couples see it as a way to save money by having the only real cake tier the tier to be cut by the bride and groom. All the rest of the cake servings will come from “sheet” cakes kept in the kitchen. Keep in mind that it costs just as much to decorate a Styrofoam dummy as it does to decorate a real cake.

·         Sheet cakes- A sheet cake is a large flat cake usually comprised of one layer of cake covered in frosting. Sometimes a bride and groom will order a smaller tiered cake and supplement the number of servings needed with pieces of sheet cake. Some of your guests will be served a lovely slice of wedding cake made up of several layers of cake, filling and frosting, and other guests will be served a square of cake with frosting on top. If you decide to go this route you should consider ordering what I call a kitchen cake which is a large flat cake comprised of two layers of cake, a layer of filling and of frosting. This plan will likely not save you money.

·         Dessert Table- Some couples opt instead for a dessert table, with or without a small cake for cutting. Your dessert table can include any and all of the things you love: cupcakes, pie, macaroons, whoopie pies, cookies. The cost will vary but it is worth looking into if you want something other than cake.

There are no hard and fast rules dictating your wedding dessert. You can be as traditional or contemporary as you like and your budget will allow. Just make sure to do what makes you happy, because you’ll be taking home any leftovers!