A quick lesson on cake lingo-
Layer: a single round layer or cake
Tier: made up of 3-4 layers of cake
American Buttercream: creamed butter and icing sugar; usually very sweet
Swiss Meringue Buttercream: whipped meringue and butter; fluffier and less sweet
Fondant: looks like play dough; tastes like a chewy vanilla marshmallow; very sweet
Basics
Every caker has a slightly different make on cake height; however they will always tell you the serving sizes provided in their tiers.
A standard wedding cake serving size is 1”x2”, and trust me, this is enough cake to satisfy almost everyone after the glorious dinner I am sure they have just enjoyed!
Most bakers offer the option to make each tier a different flavour.
Today’s trends lend themselves to clean, modern, taller, tiers than cakes past. Gone are the days of fruit cake and chunky tiers.
Q’s for the Venue
Check if your venue will allow outside food to be brought in.
Check if your venue will charge you a cutting and plating fee to serve the cake- you’ll want to factor this in to your budget.
Check if your venue had a fridge/safe space for the cake to be kept prior to the reception.
If you are supplementing your wedding cake with a fruit tray or donuts from the venue, or from another vendor, please tell your cake artist prior to them setting up the cake! Once the cake is built, no one wants to move it.
I want to book, but haven’t received my RSVP’s yet…
You want to book your wedding cake artist 10-12 months in advance, depending on your location and specific aesthetic; at this time you have no idea how many guests will actually be attending the wedding!
Generally we require a rough idea of your request to ensure we are the right fit, and hit our minimum order total, prior to accepting your booking; exact flavours, sizing, design, can be decided closer to your wedding date.
Yes, I said the “right fit.” Not every cake artist makes every style of cake, this is for us to decide, not you.
Yes, I said “minimum order total.” We are busy. Making wedding cakes is as stressful as you think it is. Cakers will charge their worth; however you will find every city has a variety of bakery and price point options, you don’t HAVE to go with the first bakery you see.
Aunt Martha wants to make your cake for you?
A little ode to the previous section- making a wedding cake is stressful and expensive. Cakers can often get ingredients and decor in bulk, lowering the overall product cost for their clients. You will likely be purchasing “off the shelf” ingredients.
Let’s loosely break this down…
6”/8”/10” Round Tiered Cake
Day 1- 3hr+
Decide on recipe + cake size/design
Shop for ingredients
Mix + bake cakes
Wrap + freeze
Day 2- 3hr+
Make filling
Make buttercream
Day 3- 6hr+
Trim cakes
Fill cakes
Crumb coat cakes
Final design
Day 4- Delivery… have you ever driven with a three tier cake in your car? Down a long, bumpy, windy, gravel road to a beautiful, rustic, barn on uncle Jims property?
I’m going to let you do the math for labour hours; how about the cardboard round the cakes are on? Or the wooden dowels holding the tiers? How about the $10/stem fresh roses, or the $26 edible gold leaf?
I think I made my point.
However, if you DO want to DIY your wedding cake, I have a handy dandy course called BUTTERCREAM & DESIGN that will take you step by step through a cutting cake.
Okay, so how much cake?
It’s suggested to allow a slice of cake for each guest. You will find some guests won’t partake in the glorious cake, while some might take the opportunity to indulge in two slices. It almost always works out.
I have never seen a wedding cake be fully eaten at a wedding. That’s not saying the cake was bad, or that you ordered “too much.” It just means you get leftovers to enjoy in coming days! ;)
45-50 guests
4”/6”/8”
60-65 guests
8”/10”
70-85 guests
6”/8”/10”
135-145 guests
6”/8”/10”/12”
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