Good to Know: Consider the Cake

Dear Brides,

Did you know there are so many things to consider when choosing your cake beyond taste and design? When thinking about number of cupcakes or layers, fillings, flavors, and even the type of icing, there are so many other factors that go into choosing your cake. Speaking with Juanita Lane of Dulce desserts, I learned to consider the following:

• How much time will pass between set up and serving? Basically, how long will it be out unrefrigerated? (This can be several hours if your florist is decorating your cake). 
• Where is the cake located? Is it near a sunny window, outside, or under a spotlight? Heat is not your friend!
• Talk to your baker about these details and he or she can counsel you on the best choices for your location and timeline. 

Other things I've learned considering cake...

• If serving more than one flavor of cupcake, guests will take two, if not three or four...
• If the cupcakes are out AND children (immature adults included) are present, they will get eaten before dinner
• No one knows how to properly cut a wedding cake unless they have been trained how to cut a ginormous cake. This is no birthday cake scenario. Plan ahead and know who will be slicing and serving the cake. Many places and caterers charge a fee for this.
• Make sure you have a cake knife - you can rent one. A dinner knife or plastic knife won't cut it (well, not prettily or easily and involves the use of a lot of fingers for help, which means germs). 
• Have something to help you clean the knife when it gets all gooked up like a glass of water and a hand towel to keep things moving smoothly. 
• Make sure the place you cut into during your cake cutting ceremony is sturdy. 
• Have your wedding coordinator save the box the topper came in (or get a cake box if you have a tiered cake) so that you can preserve the cake for later. 
• Many couples these days are ordering a mini-cake for their anniversary instead of trying to save the topper for a year in the freezer. Some bakers are throwing in this cake with their packages. If you want to save your cake, however, have some heavy duty foil for your caterer or coordinator to wrap up it up so it doesn't go stale before you freeze it. 

Happy planning!

Ellen

Coordinator for the DIY Bride