Your Perfect Wedding Cake!

So, you want to get a wedding cake, but not just any cake, one that fit perfectly with your venue, your colors, your wedding theme and your own personal style.  How do you get to that design?  At White Rose Bakery it is so important to us that your cake is perfect for you.  We don't want you to pick cake #166 out of an album, we want you to have your cake and this is how we do it:

Our design process starts with your first call to our bakery.  We will need to know the date of your wedding to be sure that we have an opening.  We will need to know the venue for your reception and approximately how many guests you are expecting.  In addition to setting a convenient time for the consultation we will also be reminding you to bring anything and everything that will give us a starting point for your design.  This can include, invitations, save the date cards, dress pictures, color swatches, styles of cake you have liked and anything else you want to include.

At the consultation, after you have samples our yummy cakes, we can start doing some sketching.  Do you like round or square?  A steeper cake or a more traditional spacing?  Do you want fresh flowers, sugar flowers?  Are you looking for a more traditional cake or do you want something more cutting edge?  What design elements do you want on the cake and how would you like to incorporate your colors?  We will take you through each of these questions, giving you different options.  Once we have an idea of the different elements you want to include we will do two or three quick sketches just to get an idea of how the cakes will look.  This gives you the opportunity to pick a cake you've actually seen.  Once the design is decided upon we will do a larger, full color sketch of your cake.  If there are specific design elements then samples will be prepared and we will give you a 4"x6" panel that will look just like the side of your cake.  Once the sketch and samples are approved and the flavors decided upon, we're set.  We will work with your wedding staff to ensure that your cake is displayed at your venue and waiting to take your breath away!

Simply Scrumptious Wedding Cake!

It makes me crazy when I sit down with a couple planning their wedding and they say, "we don't need a very big cake because nobody eats wedding cake" or "everyone knows wedding cake doesn't taste good".  WHAT!?!  The wedding cake you order for your wedding will most likely be the most expensive cake you ever purchase and it's not going to taste good!?!

It's time that couples stop accepting cakes that are not yummy and start demanding more.  Here are some questions you definitely want to ask any baker you interview:

Do you bake from scratch or do you use mixes?
As with any baked item, to get the best flavor you must bake from scratch.  Mixes can be convenient but because they frequently only need added water or oil you are not going to get that wonderful fresh made taste. 

What ingredients do you use?
For a cake to taste amazing the ingredients have to be amazing.  A quality baker should be using fresh, unsalted butter, real cream, fresh whole eggs, imported chocolates, fresh fruit and brand named liqueurs.  The better the ingredients the better the cake, there's just no way around it.

When will my cake be baked?  Do you use fresh baked cakes or frozen?
Some bakeries bake cake ahead of time, freeze it and defrost it in time to decorate your cake.  Cake that has been previously frozen is not going to be as good as fresh.  Freezers do bad things to cake, drying them out and diminishing the flavors.   So if your bakery is baking your cake fresh, when?  Is your cake baked the week before the wedding, five days before the wedding?  The closer to the ceremony your cake is baked the better it's going to be.

What goes into your buttercream?
Some bakeries will call their frosting "buttercream" when in fact it contains no butter at all!  This "buttercream" is made with shortening and powdered sugar and leaves that greasy feeling in the roof of your mouth.  Real buttercream is made with butter which makes it soft and creamy and lets it melt in your mouth.  If a bakery serves you white "buttercream" it is not buttercream, true buttercream is always a little bit ivory from the color of the butter. 

How do you handle your fondant?
See previous post, but don't believe any baker that tells you that fondant tastes bad.  If they tell you that they are not as experienced as you might want, keep looking.

Can I change, add or personalize flavors?
A bakery that is baking from scratch, using fresh ingredients and making the fillings and finishes for your cake fresh should have no problem accomodating changes in fillings and flavors.  I had a couple come in last summer and they were getting married on July 4th.  They wanted red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, but they wanted fresh blueberries in with the frosting.  They had six bakeries tell them no, no changes to the flavors!  If your bakery has a problem sprinkling some fresh berries or making other adjustments to your cake you need to find out why they cannot accomodate changes.

Finally, your cake baker is a professional and has lots of experience.  Ask them what flavors other couples like, what would they serve if it was their ceremony.  Be open to new flavors and ideas and you will end up with a cake that is not only yummy but unique and personalized for you.