Wedding Cake: Finding your Style
The bride's mother wanted something different. She'd seen enough soaring butter cream monoliths, miniature bride and grooms and cascading piped flowers. She'd seen enough lavish fondant-draped confections in every stripe, tilt, shape, flavor and form. She wanted something different. And she wanted pie.
So she designed individual pie plates and had them made. At her daughter's wedding, guests received a handmade apple pie in their own keepsake ceramic pan. The bride's mother saw beyond cake. In the same way, whether for economy or simplicity, brides are finding new ways to express their style at the end of the meal.
Maybe home cooking seems too ho-hum. A dessert table can still be amazing. Combine three elements--cupcakes, cookies and candy, for example--and arrange them on various levels. Keep a unifying element such as flavor or color, and your table will serve up variety, good looks and the promise of something delectable.
Do you or your espoused have ties to a specific nationality? Ethnic desserts, such as baklava, tiramisu or tres leches cake, are unexpected but exciting alternatives to traditional American desserts. What's more, ethnic foods are often filling, healthy, colorful and delicious. A local or state specialty is also an excellent choice, especially if you have many guests arriving from out of state.
Some examples of individual desserts are: beautifully decorated cookies, pizzelles, petit fours, small cheesecakes or cream puffs. Chilled melon and other fruits look beautiful served in pretty stemware glasses, such as champagne flutes. Be sure to have extras on hand to indulge seconds.
One of the most popular individual desserts is a cupcake. Decorating and display options are unlimited and eating utensils are almost never required. Some of the new cupcake holders make messy wrappers obsolete. Consider your crowd, though, as some may not enjoy the hands-on aspect of eating a cupcake.
A more economical choice is a fancy, but small, tiered cake for the cake cutting ceremony. Mix and match flavors of sheet cakes or layer cakes for your guests. Display them with the tiered cutting cake, or bring out at serving time. In any case, sheet cakes are easy to cut and serve, and everyone gets icing.
Put a cake on every table. One creative bride did just that, with every cake a different flavor. Her guests cut and helped themselves to the cake at their own table--or sampled and shared cake from other tables. Sticking with one flavor would have kept guests in their seats but would also have limited the fun.
In the end, what you choose should reflect your goals. Are you out to impress with beauty, exceptional flavor, decorating flair or just trying to complement the main course? Remember your guests. Are they youthful and adventurous--with tastes to match? Do they expect gourmet, or just good food and plenty of it? Space, budget, available refrigeration and seasonal fruits and flowers might influence your decision as well. Get creative, but be yourself.
So she designed individual pie plates and had them made. At her daughter's wedding, guests received a handmade apple pie in their own keepsake ceramic pan. The bride's mother saw beyond cake. In the same way, whether for economy or simplicity, brides are finding new ways to express their style at the end of the meal.
Call it Dessert
When brides go beyond cake and think "dessert", the possibilities open up. Are you on a strict budget? Consider an old-fashioned potluck dessert table. You know, invite relatives and friends to bring pans and platters of their famous heirloom pies, brownies, cakes and bars--with serving utensils. But know your guests. They may not be the baking (or sharing) kind and you might need some back up.Maybe home cooking seems too ho-hum. A dessert table can still be amazing. Combine three elements--cupcakes, cookies and candy, for example--and arrange them on various levels. Keep a unifying element such as flavor or color, and your table will serve up variety, good looks and the promise of something delectable.
Do you or your espoused have ties to a specific nationality? Ethnic desserts, such as baklava, tiramisu or tres leches cake, are unexpected but exciting alternatives to traditional American desserts. What's more, ethnic foods are often filling, healthy, colorful and delicious. A local or state specialty is also an excellent choice, especially if you have many guests arriving from out of state.
Individualize
If space is an issue, individual desserts might be the answer. They can double as centerpieces if amassed on the tables. Secondhand stores are a good source for vintage platters or cake stands to serve and display. Serving pieces don't need to match as long as they share a similar element, such as color or a floral design. Larger desserts can be set out with place cards at each setting or brought to the table at the end of the meal.Some examples of individual desserts are: beautifully decorated cookies, pizzelles, petit fours, small cheesecakes or cream puffs. Chilled melon and other fruits look beautiful served in pretty stemware glasses, such as champagne flutes. Be sure to have extras on hand to indulge seconds.
One of the most popular individual desserts is a cupcake. Decorating and display options are unlimited and eating utensils are almost never required. Some of the new cupcake holders make messy wrappers obsolete. Consider your crowd, though, as some may not enjoy the hands-on aspect of eating a cupcake.
When only Cake will do
Sometimes only cake will do. Traditional wedding cakes are beautiful but pricey. To the guests' dismay, some hidden bottom layers have no icing on the top--not so pretty or sweet.A more economical choice is a fancy, but small, tiered cake for the cake cutting ceremony. Mix and match flavors of sheet cakes or layer cakes for your guests. Display them with the tiered cutting cake, or bring out at serving time. In any case, sheet cakes are easy to cut and serve, and everyone gets icing.
Put a cake on every table. One creative bride did just that, with every cake a different flavor. Her guests cut and helped themselves to the cake at their own table--or sampled and shared cake from other tables. Sticking with one flavor would have kept guests in their seats but would also have limited the fun.
In the end, what you choose should reflect your goals. Are you out to impress with beauty, exceptional flavor, decorating flair or just trying to complement the main course? Remember your guests. Are they youthful and adventurous--with tastes to match? Do they expect gourmet, or just good food and plenty of it? Space, budget, available refrigeration and seasonal fruits and flowers might influence your decision as well. Get creative, but be yourself.
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