Can I show you what’s going on in my kitchen these days?
So far it’s just a bunch of lists (lots of lists) and empty cake pans. ย Somehow… by Saturday it’ll all be a pretty pretty wedding cake.
I don’t make wedding cakes very often.
They stress me out.
They mean stacking cake on top of other cake and then driving in a car. ย Seriously scary.
I have nightmares about the cake for an entire week leading up to the wedding. ย Nightmares like… oops I forgot to make the cake! ย Nightmares like… oops I forgot to wear pants to this wedding. ย It’s just what happens.
What helps the nightmares go away? ย Wilton. ย They have answers.
The best part of this wedding cake situation? ย I get to go to the wedding and see my friends Zach and Nicole say important things to each other. ย Then there’s wine. ย Then there’s dinner. ย Then there’s dancing. ย Then…. then!!? Cake. ย I get to make a cake and eat it too.
Oh! ย And since I’m in wedding cake mode… we’re all in wedding cake mode. ย Everyday from now until Saturday this place is going to be all wedding cake, all the time. ย Prepare.
127 Responses
Wow. Good luck with the cake. I get nervous just making a cake for a small party of 20 people. I bet it will turn out great and that everyone will love it. Awesome blog!
Wow, you are giving the couple an amazing gift. Iโve not done wedding cakes, but I have done multi-tiered cakes for large gatherings (100+ guests) & have learned the following.
Yes, use parchment circles. I use butter & either flour or cocoa (depending upon the cake) to ensure release.
Any layer 12 in or larger should employ Wiltonโs metal core (a little cup) in the center. so the layer evenly bakes.
Those fabric cake strips that you soak & wrap around the cake pan really DO insulate it so you have a more level finished product. (You will have LESS to trim).
Dental floss makes a v. clean cut for splitting layers. Plastic flexible cutting boards help lift the split layer halves in one piece. (Notch the side so you correctly realign the layer).
I use paper candy sticks (instead of straws) to support each tier. Theyโre cheap, stronger than straws, easy to line up, measure & cut (serrated knife). If you cut an โxโ in each cardboard roundโs center, it makes it easier to hammer the multi-tier centered dowel at the site).
While I refrigerate the tiers in my home before transport, I select my components presuming I will NOT have access to refrigeration at the site. Your cakeโs โplace of honorโ might well be by a window or outdoors; your host’s โcool placeโ is probably not the same as your’s. This also means, no custard filling, no whipped cream frosting, etc.
I frost with a crumb coat, refrigerate, then apply a finish coat.
I assemble the frosted tiers at the site. I take the rounds & cake pans to my local packing store, they sell me cheap boxes cut to the dimensions I need. Iโve used damp paper towels to prevent sliding, Iโm impressed with the idea of using rubber shelf liner.
Yes, you need a โsite kitโ with paper towels, extra frosting, offset spatula & dual spatulas for lifting & placing the tiers. I use a premeasured, pre-cut center dowel to vertically align the cake.
Frosting, transporting, constructing a “big” cake takes longer than you expect. Fresh flowers (ensure they are not poisonous) cover a multitude of sins.
Good Luck! I’m eager to watch your progress and see your finished product.
wow DLC, that’s very helpful information for everybody, thanks for sharing!
awesome blog Joy, we will surely follow your progress. I’m sure the cake will be a hit ;-)
I work for a busy wedding venue and I have wedding cake several times a week. (No wonder my pants never fit)Most of the cakes all taste the same almond extract and sugared up crisco or even worse fondant. I am sure you will blow these out of the water. Good luck in you tedious endeavour. I have three weddings this weekend so the cake never stops.
Oh Joy will you be showing us the finished product???
Ohhh so exciting and nerve racking! I’m making a wedding cake in September….she may still opt for cupcakes..which would be WAY less stressful but I’m ready for the challenge!
Can’t wait to see the cake!
wow,,,will be wiating…
I can’t wait to see the finished product. I know it’ll be just lovely. And I also love Wilton. They’ll be saving my butt when I begin the enormous task of preparing wedding cupcakes for two weddings within one week of each other in December. Wow.
I’m quite excited to see the cake. Good luck!
It will turn out fine!! No worries, before you know, it will be over and everyone will be stuffing their face with it, saying “wow – who made this!?”
Cannot wait to see the end result. Good luck on the road …. I would be white knuckled and cr…my pants hoping to god nothing happens. Positive thoughts, will keep checking for the latest. :)
Miss …https://blog.candiquik.com
Oh, boy! Good luck with that! Can’t wait for the wedding posts to come. Hope to learn some new stuff. :)
~ingrid
this is exciting to watch the progress….i think you will do just fine…have fun!
Hey Joy!
I’m in the process of making a wedding cake and totally feel you. I am a professional baker in Boston but this is my first time making a wedding cake. Do you have any helpful advice?
WOW!! I love the bride and groom! Super Cute!!
How fun! I cannot even IMAGINE making a wedding cake, but I’m sure it will be a great time! And if nothing else… it’s cake. You can never go wrong with that…
I was like this every time I made a wedding cake for friends. I don’t do it very much now, but this little part of me misses it. Instead, I try to make birthday cake for most of the birthdays, but especially my own.
The one and only time I made and delivered a wedding cake, I was a nervous wreck about the driving part, too. We lived in an area with funky roads and lots of pot holes and I know what it does to a cake when you hit one. I made big signs for the windows of my Jeep that said, “Please be patient – Wedding Cake delivery in progress!” I stayed in the slow lane and let people go around me and no one really seemed to mind much. How wonderful that you’re making the wedding cake for your friends. Have a lovely time at the wedding!
um… ok where have you been all my life? how did I NOT know about your fantabulous blog… totally stumbled upon this and I am fixated … who cares that I am supposed to be digging out bank statements from 2007 I want to read more about baking gunk and cake sketching (ps – you need to make your writing into a ‘joy the baker’ font – I would BUY it fo shizzle!
Happy to have found nirvana on the web! you are all sorts of awesome~
Linz
wedding cake is a nice one. every one have a different idea for ordering our wedding cake. cake design is important for cake makers. the makers are use different ideas to create a cake. it’s not a easy one.
Good food brings people together. Finger food is best suited for all occasions, it is light and people love eating it.
zonia