This article is edited by a professional wedding consultant.

You may want to have a dessert nearby before reading this article, because it will make your mouth water.

Wedding cakes and desserts can be both a visual wonder and a tasty extravaganza. The wedding cake has different meanings and tastes in different parts of the world. In the western hemisphere including the U.S., the wedding cake generally symbolizes the bride and groom's future - their good fortune looking forward and their purity and sweet disposition towards each other. The cake traditionally has stacked tiers and is decorated with fancy piping, flowers, fruit, and décor. With the globalization of our society, including San Diego, wedding cakes are as diverse and the backgrounds of the wedding couples and their tastes. You should select a baker / vendor that is able to provide you with the design, flavors, and experience that matches your family tastes and customs.

Things to Consider

Location is important - carefully choose where the cake / desserts will be displayed during the reception. It should be in a cool, secure spot. Cool, so it does not melt - many frostings and toppings are very sensitive to temperature. Secure, so someone on the dance floor does not knock it over and you end up on America's Funniest Videos T.V. show. Preferably, it should be close to a wall, so guest traffic and child access is limited.

Coordinate the wedding cake and table, so there is no major clash of décor or theme. Linens, flowers, and accessories should all blend well together. If you would like to have flowers on the cake, you should discuss this with both your florist and baker to ensure the overall flower décor and the cake are coordinated - this is where a coordinator can assist. If fresh flowers are near or on the cake, make sure they are free of pesticides.

Extra dessert - Extra dessert in addition to the cake is optional and is not a formal tradition. Some consider it excessive, especially with the expense and richness of the cake. If you need to compromise on the extra dessert, a middle of the road approach is serving a very light dessert or snack like a sorbet, mints, or strawberries.

Cutting the cake - The cake cutting usually takes place near the middle or end of the reception. The tradition of the groom placing his hand over the brides as they together cut the cake unifies them in their purity for each other and slicing their good fortunes together. This is a touching moment for the bride and groom to symbolically take a "slice of life" together and provides and excellent photo opportunity for posterity. After the first slice of the cake is made by the bride and groom, the cutting and serving duty is assumed by someone else.

Eating the cake - Traditionally, couples will feed each other the first bite of the cake, again to symbolically celebrate their purity towards each other and sharing their future good fortunes. Some couples, and more often the brides, see this as a respectful moment where the tenderness of the groom towards his bride can be displayed as he gently feeds her their first sweet dessert of their lives together. Some couples view this as a comical and mischievous moment to smash the cake in the each others face. Couples, in particular the groom, should be sensitive to how both the bride and groom view this particular moment, since it can cause insensitivity and hurt feelings that could last a long time if not done well.

Bakers / Vendors

Here are the top questions to ask to help you screen and select the best baker / vendor for you.

1. Health license - This can determine cleanliness and health.


• Are they currently licensed by the state health department?
2. Price - Ask for a price list.


• How are cakes priced - by the slice?
• Are there different prices for different flavors and fillings?
• Is delivery included? Paying extra for delivery may be worth it, especially if the cake is fragile or has ingredients in it that requires special care.
• Does the price / package include the top tier of the cake? Many couples keep the top tier of the cake as a souvenir - some use it at subsequent wedding anniversary celebrations.
• Is there a cutting fee? This is more a question for the reception location - they may include a cutting fee if you bring your own baker in from the outside, somewhat like a wine corking fee, when you bring in your own wine to a restaurant.
3. Dates available - Lock in your date as early as possible.


• Can they have a cake available on your wedding date?
4. Styles and Customization - This determines how many design choices you have.


• What cake styles do they provide?
• Are they willing to fulfill custom requests? If you want a special design, then seek a baker / vendor who creates custom cakes.
5. Flavors and Ingredients - This determines what flavor choices you have.


• What flavors are available and in what combinations?
• What types of ingredients are used for each flavor? The better the quality of ingredients the better the flavor - for instance, are fruit flavors created with actual fresh fruit or artificial fruit purees and mixes? Ask to taste the flavors in which you are interested, to make sure it is what you want. See the list of some main flavors below.
6. Freshness and Quality - This ensures the cake is fresh and the highest quality.


• How close to the time of the wedding will the cake be made?
• How will the cake be kept fresh and unspoiled?
• Do they have a quality guarantee or references?

The Wedding Cake

Learn the basics about different flavors and cake structures, so you can decide what you want and not be confused by the language of baker vendors. There are no defined rules on cake flavors or design, so it depends on your tastes and desires.

Trends - Trends come and go, so periodically there are trends toward simple flavorings and design such as a classic vanilla or lemon cake with white, lavender, or pink icing. Other trends are toward more complex and unusual combinations such as chocolate with banana- liqueur, coconut with key lime, orange with mango, chocolate hazelnut or praline with mocha, or almond with apricot preserves and rum. The important point is to do what is best for you - be it trendy, traditional, or somewhere in between.

Desserts - Design elements are the nuances of a cake that can make it visually stunning and desirable. The design elements can make a cake look smooth like porcelain, or have a rolling or three dimensional depth. Icing can be used to create things that look real, like flowers or pearls. Real items like live flowers or round pearl like objects can be used as fanciful décor. Some design elements to select from include flavored shavings, flowers, pearls, gold or silver leaf, swags, and piping.

Flavors - Some of the more popular flavors include vanilla, chocolate, lemon, espresso, mocha, coconut, praline, and hazelnut. Seasonal flavor choices can be guided by autumn and winter months leaning towards more substantial combinations such as dense chocolates and nutty flavors like hazelnut, mocha, or praline. Spring and summer months may include lighter combinations like vanilla and fruits / preserves such as banana, lemon and coconut.

Buttercream

• Ingredients - Butter-based and combined with sugar.
• Texture and Flavors - A smooth and creamy icing. It has a silky texture and a moderately sweet taste that can be combined with various flavors.
• Uses and Appearance - It can be used to get an overall old-fashioned appearance of the cake icing and for various decorations.
• Value / Cost - A good value per slice. It is easy to slice, flavor, and color.
• Special issues - It needs to be stored and presented in a cool area so it does not melt, being butter-based.

Royal Icing

• Ingredients - Sugar-based.
• Texture and Flavors - A moderately hard finish icing after it dries. It usually not flavored since it used as secondary part of the cake - the decorations.
• Uses and Appearance - It is not usually used to cover the entire cake, but is used for various decorations such as flowers, borders, piping, and other fanciful décor.
• Value / Cost - A good value for adding décor and color to a cake.
• Special issues - It should not be refrigerated. It becomes brittle in dry conditions.

Marzipan

• Ingredients - Ground almonds, sugar and egg whites.
• Texture and Flavors - A rich, sweet, smooth, moist, somewhat chewy paste. It can be combined with various flavors.
• Uses and Appearance - It can be used as an icing, underneath another icing, or used for various decorations. It can be a nice flavorful alternative to gum paste or sugar based products.
• Value / Cost - A little on the expensive side, depending on how much is used.
• Special issues - None.

Fondant (aka Rolled Fondant)

• Ingredients - Sugar, corn syrup, water, and gelatin.
• Texture and Flavors - A very smooth, matte, elastic icing. It can be combined with various flavors.
• Uses and Appearance - It primarily used as an overall cake icing for intricate designs. It has a fancy, clean porcelain appearance.
• Value / Cost - Expensive due to the labor it takes to place on the cake. It is rolled and placed on the cake on layer at a time.
• Special issues - It should not be refrigerated.

Other Toppings

• Chocolate Ganache - A deeply rich bittersweet dark-chocolate glaze layered or poured over the entire cake.
• Modeling Chocolate - A dense, chewy chocolate decoration with a consistency like a Tootsie Roll.
• Vanilla Pastry Cream - A light creamy paste like the center of an éclair. It is used between layers of a cake.
• Gum paste - A medium density paste of sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin. It is used for decorations. It can be used for keepsakes, since it has excellent storage longevity.

May your purity and good fortunes be displayed and tasted in your wedding cake as you slice and taste of your wonderful life together.

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