How to Make Wedding Cakes 6: Helps, Tips, and Hints
April 5, 2008 by Marye Audet
Filed under Wedding
Image:Morguefile
Really, if you have been reading all along there isn’t that much to add. Making a wedding cake is not much different from making a birthday cake, only you have to deal with more layers and make sure that the construction is stable.
It is best if you work according to a written schedule. Weddings are a chaotic, hectic, stressful time and it is easy to forget to do something. Write it down! You may find the following schedule to be helpful.
Four months before the wedding:
Do your research and decide what shape, style, flavor and size of cake you want. Look at as many cakes as possible. Many hobby and craft stores carry the Wilton books and magazines that deal exclusively with wedding cakes. I like these because not only do they show excellent pictures, and have great instructions, they have a list of the tips and other items you will need to successfully finish your cake.
Order everything you need. Tips, decorating bags, pans, separator plates, icing colors, edible glitter…whatever you are going to need order it all at once. If you are using boxed mixes start buying them now as they come on sale. As a rule of thumb a box makes 6 cups of mix. I suggest using the 2-inch deep pans and not the 3-inch deep pans. Weight becomes a difficult issue to work around.
One box of cake mix will make:
2 8- inch layers
or
1 10-inch layer
You will need a box and a half to two boxes for any larger layers. Again, mixes vary so plan accordingly. Use this very helpful chart at Wilton.
3 months ahead
bake your cakes, wrap securely and freeze in heavy duty foil.
2 months ahead
Recheck your supplies and instructions for the cake you are making and order in anything you may have forgotten
1 week ahead
Make any melted chocolate decoration you may be making such as:
- scrolls
- monograms
- shells
4 days ahead
Remove cakes from freezer and allow to thaw completely. Keep wrapped.
Make icing and tint in all of the colors you will need. Fill your decorating bags. Practice techniques you are new at on a piece of parchment.
Icing Specifics:
These amounts do NOT include the icing needed for actual decorating.
2 8- inch layers-4 cups of icing
2 10-inch layers- 5 cups of icing
2 12-inch layers 6 cups of icing
2 14-inch layers 10 cups of icing
Remember that one batch of icing yields about 3-4 cups
3 days ahead
Ice your cake with crumb layer
2 days ahead
finish icing and decorating your cake. Set it up to make sure everything will work. Adjust as needed. Disassemble tiers and place in containers for transport.
Put together a container for any “911″ decorating you may need to do when you reassemble the cake. Put in bags with icing, any glitter or sugar, and decorating tips, and well as an offset spatula, and an icing knife.
Day before
Transport cake carefully. Assemble cake on cake table and make any adjustments, or fixes you need to make. You may want to leave the tiers unassembled and have someone you trust to do it just before the reception. Admire your work. Great job!
Day of the wedding
Check the cake, or have someone check it to make sure everything is o.k. Assemble the tiers if you have not yet done so.
Congrats!
Review
More Cakes for Inspiration:
Wedding Fantasies:The Most Awesome Cakes in the Universe- I did this post last fall, but it has some incredible cakes pictured on it!
I am making my own wedding cake for May 17th Reception. We Eloped and we decised to have a reception. So I love the very first Cake on Page 1. But we are doing the bottom Squared, Middle Circle and the top a Heart. I was thinking of doing a baby blue color for the frosting but i am worried it would dye the guest teeth. any suggestions.
Thank you
It won’t stain the guests teeth. The cake I did for my daughter was wedgwood blue and it didn’t..
Sometimes dark red or other primary colors can but not baby blue.
Do use a good paste food color, like Wiltons for best results.
Great thank you so much. I will look into that then.
If you are making your cake 4 months before the wedding I am very glad that you will never make a cake for me or anyone that I know!!!
Disgusted one…cakes keep very well unfrosted in the freezer…
and no worries…I am pretty exclusive as to which cakes orders I accept.
I am making a 10″ with an 8″ tier. I want to make an almond cake with raspberry filling and almond buttercream frosting….
I was told that a pound cake is my best cake choice because it holds up so well. Is this true? Also, do you have a good recipe for the raspberry filling or know where I can purchase it?
Thanks!
Jennifer..it depends on the pound cake. It is definitly your best bet if you are making a very large heavy cake.
I use seedless raspberry jam for the filling.
Thanks so much!
What are your thoughts on the boxed pound cake mixes and adding almond extract to them? Or am I better off going with a pound mix from scratch?
Do you have a “favorite” buttercream frosting recipe?
One more question! To give the cake and frosting an almond flavor do I simply replace the vanilla with almond? Or keep the vanilla in and add almond as well – if so – the same amount as vanilla?
Thank you!
Jennifer..I like to use boxed mixes for wedding cakes because, while they are not as good, they give consistant results. Add a little extra vanilla or almond to the mix.
Yes I do. For a real butter cream I like the one on the Perfect party cake I did for Daring Bakers in MArch..it is on the blog…probably linked in the sidebar for the wedding stuff.. If it has to sit at all, and the room is warm I prefer the WIlton buttercream (no butter) In fact I think I have both of those recipes here:http://hubpages.com/hub/Homemade-Buttercream-Frosting
Keep the vanilla and add half the amount in almond flavoring.
Great! Thank you so much! You’ve been a big help.
Do you have a website of your own that you have recipes, etc. on?
Ummm…other than this one? Baking Delights?
OH….this is YOUR website?
I’m sorry!
DUH!
Thanks!
Hi, Ive printed out your wedding cake articles to take home and printed off suggested links and such. However, I was wondering if you had suggestions on dinner/reception catering as well. I looked into places that did dinner and cakes. The cakes at the cheapest I’ve found in AZ for weddings were $500 avg. That is just absurd.
Anyway, when you have time please email me. I dont plan on getting married til after I get my Masters which will be in the spring of 2010.
-Alyssa
Jennifer, not a problem.
Alyssa, I catered my daughter’s wedding myself. Other than that I really dont knwo how to advise you.
I’m planning to make my own wedding cake, and I was thrilled to find this series of posts you did; the information contained therein is invaluable.
I was wondering if you could provide any additional advice about storing the cake in various stages of completion:
What constitutes “secure” wrapping for making sure the unfrosted cake will keep well in the freezer?
If we decide to use custard or fruit fillings, can I still go as far as the crumb layer three days ahead? Or would concerns about sogginess or general freshness require that to be done later? Also, would you be willing to share the recipe for the Bailey’s filling you used?
Should a “stacked” cake be transported in pieces, or does that only apply to cakes that use columns?
Once the cake is fully decorated and assembled, what’s the best way to keep it tasting as fresh as possible until it’s cut and eaten?
For reference, we’re tentatively planning for the cake to have three levels (6″, 9″, and 12″), each made with three layers of cake. We plan to just have the levels stacked on top of each other, supported with dowels.
Thanks again for all the help you’ve already provided!
Marye,
Let me first thank you for all the helpful information. I am doing a cream cheese/strawberry filling for my cake and i was wondering if I should do this two days in advance or wait until the day of to assemble. I am doing whip cream frosting so the decoration is only going to be done with ribbon and silk flowers.
Wendy-
I would probably wait to assemble since there is no real time consuming decorating to do.
Marye,
These post are awesome, very helpful. I am planning on making my own cake and the cake is going to be a 4 layer round stacked cake and I am planning on using fondant over each cake and wrapping a fondant “ribbon” around each cake and then have roses for the top and leading to a trail of roses all the way down to the bottom slightly wrapping around. Do you have any tips on using fondant and what is the best way to make sure the roses stick well to the fondant?
Thank you Jennifer.
I would probably use a toothpick to attach the roses firmly to the fondant. I would wait until the cake was at the reception area to do it.
Here is a great fondant rose tutorial.
http://cakestylist.wordpress.com/2007/03/11/how-to-make-fondant-roses/
I’m baking the wedding cake for my daughter’s friend and have a very detailed recipe…I made a test layer and all turned out fine.
However, I’m starting to have cake nightmares!!! I’ve worked out that this cake will weigh around 36 lbs, figuring pounds of butter, sugar, etc. in the ingredients.
The wedding is May 30. Too late to order cake supports online. Do the hollow plastic dowels and wooden dowels as sold at Michael’s work? I bought packages of dowels, and flat cardboards. Can I count on them as “enough” cake support? There will be 4 tiers of cake: 12, 10, 8 and 6 inches each, 2 layers (4 split layers) each. Any tips or advice you can give me re: cake support will be VERY appreciated!!!!!
Wooden dowels from Micheals are what I use. I don’t think the cardboard will hold well, but Micheals, Hobby Lobby, and some other local craft stores do have the plastic cake separators. Hope this helps!
I’m assembling ingredients for a wedding cake…recipe calls for “eggs” and I accidentally bought “extra large eggs.” What do you think? The recipe says to whip 8 egg whites, and then fold that into the batter. Do you think there will be a huge difference if I use extra large eggs (they don’t look very much bigger than the large eggs currently in my fridge! The recipe doesn’t specifically call for “large” eggs, it’s just that I know the usual size should be large (I think).
Please advise! THANKS!
you should be fine. If you are concerned try just using one less egg white.