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Wedding Cakes

Today I would like to introduce you to my friend, Christine.  She designs and makes wedding cakes.  Earlier this year, she was part of a team which appeared on the TV show, Food Network Challenge.  Since many of you enjoyed our discussion about wedding receptions in class last week, I asked her to share some information and pictures of her work with us.  Please leave a comment if you would like to ask her another question or something!

The process of making a wedding cake 
actually begins several months 
before the big day.  
I sit down with the clients and discuss 
design ideas, flavors,flowers, colors, and themes 
they may be using in their wedding.  

Then cakes are baked and allowed to cool and
set for a day before I can start decorating.  
Once they're ready I split and fill them with 
the couples' choice of fillings.  Each cake tier
is four layers of cake and three layers of 
filling so they end up being at least 5" tall.  
I frost them with a "crumb coat" or
"masking coat" which is a rough coating 
of frosting. Then the final coat goes on and 
worked until it is smooth, nearly perfect.  
That all happens 2 daysbefore the wedding.  

The day before the wedding I do
all final decorations, any piping design or 
fondant application.  The day of I arrange 
the flowers and deliver the cake.  During the 
wedding season(June-Sept) we have 15-20 
wedding cakes in a weekend. 
 
Trends in weddings change every year but I 
always try to encourage couples to incorporate 
designs from their invitations or beadwork from 
the gown or any theme into the design of the 
wedding cake.  This personalizes the couples' 
experience, shows their style, and creates a 
unique cake.  A personalized cake is timeless.  

Traditional wedding cakes are white,
cream, or ivory but I have noticed more people
indulging in the rich and decadent side by having
chocolate covered cakes.  

Another tradition is to use
frosting flowers or sugarpaste flowers but we use
fresh.  They are more beautiful, fragrant, and make
better arrangements than sugar flowers.  
Another trend is to use color on the cake.  We use
lots of fondant (a rolled sugar dough) for this 
purpose because it takes food color paste easily 
and creates a porcelain smooth finish.  It can 
also be used to make patterns
(i.e mosaics, stripes, harlequin, dots) that would 
not be suitable for piping.  


 
Working within the wedding industry is hectic and
stressful but it's also challenging, creative and
rewarding.  

posted by: MaryH at October 16, 2007 14:23 | link | comments (17) |
culture, call

Comments:

#1  24 October 2007 - 10:59

 

This is Shoko and Mina.

We were really surprised at tha figure of cakes!!
It must take long long time to finish it, we guess.
We'd like to know how long did it take to make one.

It's fantastic!!!!!!

Anonymous

#2  24 October 2007 - 11:00

 

Hi, I'm Natsuko.
I think Christine's job is really nice for girls because most of girls are dreaming to have wedding party and cut wedding cake with husband.
I like your job.

Anonymous

#3  24 October 2007 - 11:09

 

Hi! We are Natsuko and Yuka.
We love to eat and look at some cakes, especially wedding cakes. Whenever we go to a wedding ceremony, we think there is very beautiful and creative cake there. Creating the design of cakes is really hard, but it's a great job!

Anonymous

#4  24 October 2007 - 11:12

 

saya and haruka

can we eat this cake?

how much does it cost to buy these cakes?

cakes look so great and so cute and so gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
look expemsive..

Anonymous

#5  24 October 2007 - 11:12

 

Wow!!They're very nice,and huge!!HOw did she make all the thin lines and decorations on the cake??

Miho

Anonymous

#6  24 October 2007 - 11:13

 

Hello! My name is Yuri. I'm Mary's student. Your job is great. I like to make sweets and I also like to look people who are making cakes.
I want to look how you make cakes!! I like your wedding cakes! They're so creative!

Anonymous

#7  24 October 2007 - 11:14

 

Hi! We are Shujiro and Minami.
We have never seen such a great cakes!

Then, we have a question.
Why Working within the wedding industry is hectic and stressful?
Have you ever quarrel with the clients?

Anonymous

#8  24 October 2007 - 11:15

 

It's so cute cake. I was surprises to know there is a theme in the cake.

Anonymous

#9  24 October 2007 - 11:15

 

It's so cute cake. I was surprises to know there is a theme in the cake.

Risa & Shizuka

Anonymous

#10  24 October 2007 - 12:27

 

This is Mary! I wanted to post a couple comments for those who weren't able to do so during the class.

Kosuke said, If my future wife wants this cake, I'll think it is too expensive!!

Tomoyo said, It is very gorgeous! I would like to cut such a gorgeous cake at my wedding ceremony.

Ayaka and Sho asked, Do people eat the sugar paste flowers with the cake?

Thanks for all the great comments and questions! I hope Christine wil reply to us ;)

MaryH

#11  30 October 2007 - 11:35

 

Yes, decorating a wedding cake can take several hours depending on the design and size. The one with the mosaic design took me and my partner about 9 hours from start to finish.

Anonymous

#12  30 October 2007 - 11:46

 

yes, the cakes in these pictures are all edible! Sometimes we make fake cakes (we decorate styrofoam "dummies") for wedding shows and displays in our shop windows. The cost of a wedding cake varies depending on the size and complexity of design. Ours range from $150 (for 40 servings) and $1500 (for 300 servings).

Anonymous

#13  30 October 2007 - 11:49

 

The thin lines are made using a piping bag, tip, and buttercream. We have tips that can make pencil thin lines or very broad stripes.

Anonymous

#14  30 October 2007 - 12:01

 

Helping to plan a wedding can be very stressful because many brides and grooms are very specific about what they want and expect perfection. Sometimes what people want is impossible and we have to try to please them anyway. I've had disagreements with clients but ultimately it's my job to try to help them design a great cake so most of the time I have to put my feelings aside.

Anonymous

#15  30 October 2007 - 12:04

 

The sugar flowers are made from ingredients that are safe to eat but they are not good to eat. One the sugar dough becomes firm it is hard like a rock. So you would not want to eat one for the sake of your teeth!

Anonymous

#16  30 October 2007 - 12:06

 

Thanks for all the great questions and comments!

Anonymous

#17  30 October 2007 - 12:10

 

Thanks Christine for your answers!! We really appreciate that you took the time to share your career with our class, and we all learned some great information too! THANKS!!!

MaryH

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