Slices of Heaven

Maybe you're planning an elaborate wedding feast -- a cocktail hour followed by a buffet table teeming with main course selections. Or, maybe you're travelling the simple and elegant route with an intimate champagne reception.
Either way, the wedding cake is probably the last thing you and your guests will taste and the food everyone will remember most. It also reflects the style of your wedding and personalities of the bride and groom.

"Even couples that are planning small receptions of only 50 people usually order very large cakes," says Lucy LaRosa of Cakes by Design.
She advises the bride and groom to remember that it's their day and not worry too much about pleasing everybody else.
"I (recently) made a cake for a couple who loved chocolate -- chocolate mud cake, whipped chocolate filling and chocolate butter cream icing decorated with fresh flowers."

Celebrate the day, indulge in your favourite flavours and have some fun.

A little history
That mouth-watering tower festooned with intricately sculpted rose petals and tiny sea shells began its life as a fertility symbol. Ancient Romans, anxious to ensure future generations, broke plain cakes of wheat or barley over the bride's head.
The highlight of weddings in medieval times was for guests to pile small cakes on top each other as high as they could. The bride and groom who could lean forward and kiss over the cake tower without knocking it down would be rewarded with a lifetime of prosperity. The custom of serving cake to guests became a gesture to share the wealth.
History surrounding the exact origin and meaning of the grooms cake seems to have been rewritten many times. Considered a gift from the bride to the groom the dessert was, at one time, made with dried fruit and nuts. (Hence the tradition of fruit cakes) Small pieces were placed in boxes for unmarried female guests to put under their pillows -- dreams of their future husbands were guaranteed.

Getting started
Start the process early. Some bakeries can fill orders placed two weeks in advance, but most suggest placing an order three to six months before the big day; a few require a full year. Ask for referrals from your wedding coordinator or caterer and don't forget to ask friends who have recently tied the knot. Good bakeries are usually very busy, but all of them will accommodate your schedule for an appointment.
Check out portfolios of their work or bring in your own pictures from books and magazines. Wedding cake bakers have years of experience and can create the dessert of your dreams while supplying lots of helpful advice.
Be sure to taste a sample first. Local bakeries are happy to make appointments for couples to take the first bite. Creating exotic combinations of cakes, fillings and icings may sound delicious but can end up being less than tasty.
Stick to your budget. Local bakeries will create the cake of your dreams for about $300 to $1000. The most exotic masterpieces can cost up to $1500. Wedding experts suggest that a cake usually consumes about 10 percent of the total budget but it is subjective. Delivery charges are not always included, but tastings should be free.
Consider your wedding location. Outdoor weddings are certainly beautiful, but they require an extra bit of planning for everyone, especially where the cake is concerned. Brides need to remember that the cake stays in place at the reception for about four hours.

Outdoors
"Outdoor weddings in Summer can be ruined by cakes decorated with bugs, and brides and grooms find themselves cutting into a melted mass of what was once their dream cake," says Lucy LaRosa of Cakes by Design. "Have the caterer place the cake on a covered patio or in the shade of a decorated gazebo."
Taste is Everything
Icing should to be more than just a pretty face. Besides the traditional butter cream, consider an icing made with dark chocolate, whipped cream, cream cheese or white chocolate in white, ivory, pastel pink or soft peach.
Your cake should taste as good as it looks. A moist white vanilla cake may be traditional but why not consider white chocolate mud, lemon, carrot cake, fruitcake, cheesecake, chocolate chip or marble cake. Nestle the layers between delicious fillings like fresh fruit, lemon custard, white or dark chocolate, Kahlúa mocha liqueur Bavarian cream, or whipped cream flavoured with amaretto.

Edible extras
While most cakes are delicious enough to stand on their own, it doesn't hurt to add a raspberry sauce or fruit sorbet on the side. Sugared almonds, fruit and chocolate covered strawberries add a nice touch, too.
The variety and types of decorations available today from a skilled baker are astounding and often edible - discuss this with your baker and together you can create something uniquely edible.

Grooms Cake
The groom's cake, a gift from her to him, is a popular addition and is usually displayed and served from a separate table. (It often make's it's appearance at pre -wedding brunches or parties held the day after the big event.) While the cake can be any flavour inside, it's often covered with chocolate icing and topped with decorations that have special meaning to the groom -- golf clubs, cowboy hats, miniature cars, airplanes or doctors' bags, etc

Bride's cake
The top, or smallest, layer of a wedding cake used to be considered the bride's cake and was taken home, placed in the freezer and eaten on the couple's first anniversary. Some local bakeries have come up with a better idea. Simply call them a little before your anniversary and they will supply a small cake for the two of you, often at no extra charge.

Questions for the bakery

Your bakery has most likely been producing wedding cake masterpieces for years -- you won't be able to leave without the tiniest detail in writing. But, having the questions ready will make the process much easier. Allow plenty of time for the initial meeting and be prepared to leave a deposit to reserve your date.
" Find out if the bakery can accommodate your wedding date. Have your date, time, location, number of guests ready.
" Know your budget before going to the appointment
" Ask to see the portfolio of cakes
" Discuss wedding theme, colours, style preferences (e.g., How do you want it to look? Bring out pictures from magazines.)
" What kind of cake and filling do you want?
" What about using fresh flowers?
" Let the bakery know if you're having an outdoor wedding.
" Know ahead of time where cake table will be located.
" Discuss how the cake table should it be decorated.
" Tell the bakery if you are serving other desserts.
" Do you want extras? A groom's cake? A bride's cake? Individual cakes?
" Ask about a sheet cake in the back room.
" Will your cake be made from scratch or a cake mix?
" When can you taste it?
" What will it cost?
" When should it be delivered?
" Do other wedding vendors need to be consulted?