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. 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. Seriously scary.
I have nightmares about the cake for an entire week leading up to the wedding. Nightmares like… oops I forgot to make the cake! Nightmares like… oops I forgot to wear pants to this wedding. It’s just what happens.
What helps the nightmares go away? Wilton. They have answers.
The best part of this wedding cake situation? I get to go to the wedding and see my friends Zach and Nicole say important things to each other. Then there’s wine. Then there’s dinner. Then there’s dancing. Then…. then!!? Cake. I get to make a cake and eat it too.
Oh! And since I’m in wedding cake mode… we’re all in wedding cake mode. Everyday from now until Saturday this place is going to be all wedding cake, all the time. Prepare.
katie
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!
Kimberly
Oh Joy will you be showing us the finished product???
Lauren
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.
DLC
Wow, you are giving the couple an amazing gift. I’ve 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 Wilton’s 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. They’re cheap, stronger than straws, easy to line up, measure & cut (serrated knife). If you cut an “x” in each cardboard round’s 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 cake’s “place of honor” might well be by a window or outdoors; your host’s “cool place” 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. I’ve used damp paper towels to prevent sliding, I’m impressed with the idea of using rubber shelf liner.
Yes, you need a “site kit” 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.
Marissa
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 ;-)
Sweet Pea Chef
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!
Katherine Deumling
Such great timing. . I’m making my first wedding cake next week for a wedding on the 27th. I’ve tested four kinds of cake and several kinds of filling. The buttercream I have down though. Stressful and exciting at once. Good luck and can’t wait for the stories/photos.
abonded4life
Would love to bake my cake and eat it to. lovely
Nikki
you’re so brave, i can’t bring myself to do a wedding cake. and i loooove wilton, we have the wilton tent sale going on here right now–i got out only spending $135, but the woman in front of me–$2K!!! Unreal the deals they have, though…good luck with the cake!
Kaitlin
I’m excited for this! Yay!
Best of luck!
Lin
You have lovely handwriting
Lelle
Your friends have the same wedding date as princess Victoria of Sweden!
Lori
Thumbs up on the dowels… I’ve had one too many nightmares with straws, learned the hard way. Make sure you cut them precisely even so that each cake is level.. otherwise it’ll give you fits during assembly.
I also box each cake up separately for travel… use the rubber grippy shelf liner stuff, a square under each cake board inside the box, sheets of it under the cake boxes during travel. That stuff ROCKS cake deliveries.
Level your cakes before frosting them. If you’re using a filling other than buttercream, pipe a dam around the edges at least a half inch in from the edge of the cake… the weight of the cake will push it to the edge and you’ll avoid an unattractive side bulge when it settles (wish this worked for my torso).
One more thing… use a pan release for your cakes, Wilton makes one but it’s expensive so I make my own… equal parts solid shortening/veg oil/flour… whip in mixer for five minutes and store in container… brush on pans, line with parchment circles, brush on parchment. This will save you major headaches the larger the layers get.
Bring extra icing (or fondant and tools, if you’re using it), knives, paper towels and a big spatula (I use the big stainless one meant for grilling)… one with some heft to balance your cake on and evenly slide it onto the tier underneath. It would be good to try this slip/release at least once before you have to do it on the real deal… it’s kind of like flipping a pizza off a peel… you need to use just the right pressure and angle to avoid disaster.
Worst case scenario, you can hide almost anything with buttercream and/or flowers. Oh, don’t make eye contact with the photographer until after you’re done assembling. I’ve yet to meet one that isn’t overly chatty/distracting/infuriating when I’m struggling to set up a cake. ;>)
Amber Hancock
I feel your pain and I’m sorry! Next week I am doing a 4 tier wedding cake for my grandparents 50th anniversary – no big deal, right!?!?!
I’m looking forward to your words of wisdom.
Good luck!
Gemma
I’ve done it once and I was terrified. The fact that I had to carry 3 tiers all boxed up on the train from London to Edinburgh probably didn’t help with the stress levels!
Sushi Lover
FUN!!! Can hardly wait to see it and all your posts about it!
*love*