The design of the traditional wedding cake has varied greatly over time. Once a sign of fertility, the wedding cake of the Roman Empire was made of wheat or Barley. The small cake was then broken over the bride’s head, celebrating her fertility.

The design of the wedding cake changed and it became a tradition to pile several small cakes on top of each other. The bride and groom then tried kiss over the top of the cakes without knocking them down. A successful kiss was a good omen, bringing a lifetime of prosperity to the new couple.

The current traditional design of wedding cakes first appeared in the 1660’s. A French Chef visiting London attended a cake piling ceremony. He was shocked at the way the cakes were stacked on top of each other, and how often they fell over, so he created the tiered iced style of wedding cake we know today.

The wedding cake is more than just a desert at your reception. It is a symbol of good fortune and married bliss. Your guests always enjoy admiring the wedding cake and devouring the cake too. Even on a limited budget, you can present a beautiful wedding cake. Low cost options could include buying a stacked cake from your local bakery and dressing it up yourself. Ordering a cake from a pastry class at a culinary school could also be an option. There are also supermarkets and wholesale clubs that may offer bargain priced customized cakes.

For more information, visit these sites:

http://www.WeddingCakesInfo.com
http://www.WeddingFavorsInfo.com

http://www.WeddingReceptionInfo.com

When Saturday Night Live famously revived itself with the wonderful “Lazy Sunday” parody rap, they brought one of the biggest trends in baking to the mainstream: Cupcakes. The Magnolia Bakery, New York’s go-to source for cupcakes of every description, has lines outside until close to midnight, and they limit purchases because of their popularity.

As popular as cupcakes are, it was perhaps inevitable that they’d crossover into wedding receptions. At first, couples served them as an additional dessert to complement their more traditional wedding cake, and that’s still a very popular trend. But eventually, of course, the mighty cupcake juggernaut rolled onward and you can now serve your guests a cupcake wedding cake.

This clever concoction is created by using specially designed cupcake stands which give an effect of a tower, tree, or pyramid. Each cupcake is individually decorated, and the cumulative effect can be quite lovely. You and your wedding cake designer might choose to go with a single color, for a dramatic and monochromatic effect, or you could instead have a fun multi-colored cupcake wedding cake.

One of the great advantages of a cupcake wedding cake is the freedom it gives you to have a variety of different flavored cakes. Unlike a traditional wedding cake, you don’t need to deliberate over whether you prefer an amaretto-raspberry cake, or a more classic vanilla: Have both, and while you’re at it, add some cappuccino, banana, and chocolate-mint cupcakes too.

A cupcake wedding cake also offers other benefits as you plan your reception, particularly if you’re on a budget. Prices for cupcakes are between $1.50 and $3.00 each. Wedding cake however, which is usually priced by the slice, can easily cost twice that much per portion. Cupcakes are also much easier to serve, although you do lose the opportunity for a photo of the ceremonial cutting of the cake. If that’s important to you, plan to order a small traditional cake, which is supplemented by matching cupcakes.

Originally a New York phenomenon, cupcake wedding cakes are now commonly available everywhere. Consider ordering one for your wedding and give your guests a small, but perfect, taste of matrimonial pleasure.

Tuppy Glossop writes extensively about wedding cakes and related topics. For more information about cupcake wedding cakes please visit Wedding-Cake-Designs.com where you can also read many other articles about wedding cakes.

Wedding cakes have a rich history as they have endured through many changes along the way to reach us as they are today. Ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians would crumble a handful of wedding cake over the bride or over the bride and her groom signifying fertility as well as prosperity. The first cakes were of a salty nature, and then there came the wedding cakes made with sugar and no icing. Somewhere along the way, it is believed that a baker of the wedding cakes decided to put a layer of a mixture of water and sugar between the wedding cakes so they would stay together while in route to the wedding, and thus began the iced wedding cakes. Also at one time, there were individual wedding cakes that ranged in size comparable to cupcakes these were called bride cakes.

One tradition of the past was to string a piece of wedding cake through the wedding ring a number of times, the ninth time being threaded through being the luckiest. Eventually there became a custom to box the cut pieces for a groomsman and bridesmaid to take with them. Sleeping with a piece of wedding cake is supposed to insure dreams of the coming marriage partner of the one who slept with the wedding cake.

It is also traditional for the bride and groom to share the cutting of the first piece of wedding cake, with the groom’s right hand atop the bride’s right hand, then the bride covers his hand with her left hand, this ritual signifies their future to be shared. This first piece of wedding cake is then taken in turn of feeding one another to insure their family should never go hungry. In addition, the wedded couple shall keep the top tier of their wedding cake, preserving it by freezing, to be eaten by them one their first anniversary or to celebrate the christening of their first-born child.

Once the wedding cake has been chosen, the topper for the cake can be chosen. There is a vast assortment of wedding cake toppers from which to choose. Depending on personal tastes and the wedding theme, the cake topper should be a piece of cake to pick out. A good number of brides still chose the traditional cake topper of a bride and groom upon their wedding cake, but they can also choose cake toppers, which are monogrammed to fit the occasion. There is many a musical cake topper as well as toppers of ethnic and multinational themes of choice. Some brides even choose wedding cake toppers with the artistic flair of using glass or porcelain toppers.

Choosing a wedding cake topper is fun, which will add that special decoration needed for the wedding cake that should not be overly stressed over. Some brides have made the choice of using special themes for cake toppers by the use of novelty or a special figurine, some wedding cakes are humorous as well as romantic, the choice is really a personal determination of the bride and her groom.

Yolanda is the owner of Yolandas Wedding Favors. She sells many different types of wedding favors such as, love glass coasters, two peas in a pod salt and pepper shakers and many many more. Yolandas Wedding Favors also carries many different wedding accessories and wedding gifts such as guest books, unity candles, ring pillows, bridesmaid gifts, groomsmen gifts and many many more.

The key to building the decor of your wedding reception is found in choosing the right wedding cake design, and this is equally true for a fall wedding. The cake stands as the visual focal point of the reception hall. It is usually the largest single decoration for your reception hall and it is what your guests will see first when they enter your reception hall. As a result, you want to choose a fall wedding cake design that will develop your theme.

Depending on the theme you are trying to develop there are any number of fall wedding cake designs you could pursue, but a bright red cake adorned with daffodils or a light green design with daisys are probably out. Instead, the autumn season is a great time to employ a rich chocolate colored cake (most bakeries will allow you to put any flavor of cake inside that you want and if your pastry chef is any good no one will be able to tell until the cake is cut) accented with blues, greens, or reds.

Indeed, a wedding cake iced in a rich chocolate ganache with chocolate roses or white chocolate roses and accented with high quality fresh fruit can be a stunning work of art that harkens to the traditional fall decor while maintaining a distinctly modern touch.

Likewise, lining dark chocolate scrolls vertically on the side of a fall wedding cake is a simple way to make a dramatic statement. Once again, use fresh fruit or flowers to accent each tier and cover the base of your cake jewelry.

Or why not choose a fondant design that artistically employs both chocolate and cream colored fondant. There are so many possibilities. Imagine a cream colored cake with chocolate silhouettes embedded in to the fondant.

Furthermore, you could always choose an off white, three or four tiered, stacked cake decorated in a deep gold rope at the base of each tier and then strewn with lifelike marzipan leaves (or use silk leaves in autumn colors if you can’t find a pastry chef with the skill to create the leaves) to develop your fall wedding theme.

I would be remiss to conclude this article on fall wedding cake designs without pointing out that some of the most dramatic options are not cake at all: Take the Pavlova for example. This healthier alternative to cake can draw as many ooh’s and aah’s on display as they do when they melt in your wedding guest’s mouth.

For a fall wedding cake substitute, try a hazelnut pavlova brushed in chocolate and topped with an apricot whipping cream and dressed with a handmade chocolate design as simple or intricate as you choose. Or perhaps you would prefer some of them be topped with a fresh seasonal berry. They can now be displayed simply by placing them on a chocolate covered cake stand big enough to hold your desired number of servings. As you serve them, consider adding a drizzle of apricot sauce to each plate for a truly unforgettable wedding experience.

The great opportunity that autumn weddings bring from a design standpoint is the chance to play with the rich, warm colors of the season. There is so much you can do to embrace the season and in turn end up with a celebration you will look back on with pride for years to come, and as far as the reception is concerned it all begins with a well thought out fall wedding cake design.

Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find tips and accessories from wedding cake jewelry to fall wedding favors at http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com.

Whether you make it yourself or buy it from your local supermarket, rolled fondant icing is the icing of choice choice for wedding cakes and for other “special occasion” cakes. Drying to a smooth matt porcelain finish, it is suitable for cakes of all shapes and provides the ideal base for the most inticate or simplest of decoration.

Fondant icing is a soft sugar-based icing that is generally rolled out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, layed over the cake and smoothed and pressed into place before being trimmed for a perfect fit.

Despite the fact that fondant cake decorations are ideal for a wedding cake, fondant icing is not always easy to work with so here are a few tips to help you get that perfect result.

Tip 1. Fondant icing should be stored in a plastic bag (or covered in a non-permeable plastic wrap such as Sara wrap) and placed in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from drying out. Fondant icing should also be kept at room temperature and should not be put in the refrigerator. If the icing dries out and harden it can often be revived by popping it into a microwave oven for a few seconds and then kneading it back to life.

Tip 2. Fondant icing dries out very fast and should be applied to the cake quickly (within no more than 5 minutes) after it has been rolled out. Once fondant icing is applied, the cake can be stored without problem for several days at room temperature.

Tip 3. In the case of cakes with a number of tiers, each tier should be iced individually before assembling the cake. It is also advisable, when the final design allows, to store the tiers separately and to assemble them when the cake is needed.

Tip 4. For that truly professional looking finish, and to cover any rough edges, make a decorative border to go around the cake and, particularly, to cover the join between adjoining tiers.

Tip 5. Fondant icing should always be used at room temperature.

Tip 6. For a smooth and flawless result, ensure the working surface, rolling pin and hands are both clean and lint free. jewelry on your fingers or wrists, long hair, long fingernails and fluffy clothing could all cause problems.

Tip 7. A “crumb coat” (a thin layer of icing) should be applied to the cake before the fondant is added. This produces a tacky surface for the fondant icing to stick to.

When contemplating the quantity of fondant icing involved try to allow for having too much icing rather than too little, as leftover icing can be stored and used at a later date.

As a guide, for 3 1/2 inch high cake layers a 12 inch diameter round cake will need about 3 pounds of icing, while a 8 inch diameter square cake will need about 2 1/2 pounds of icing.

For some people fondant cake decorations, in spite of their marvellous appearance, are somewhat bland and this can be solved by adding flavoring, often accompanied with coloring. There are many flavorings available and typically to flavor one pound of icing you can add 1/2 cup of dried, shredded and sweetened coconut, 3 to 5 drops of oil of peppermint or 1/3 cup of hazelnut or peanut butter.

Visit us at TalkingWeddings.com for all of your wedding needs including fondant cake decorations.

Why do wedding cakes cost so much? They’re made out of food, not gold. Do you suspect you’re being gouged? Here is the quick and dirty on wedding cake prices.

First off, know the lingo. Wedding cake prices are calculated by serving. Most cakes are priced from $1.50-$6.00 per person it serves. Do the math before you fall in love and avoid sticker shock.

Here’s what goes into a wedding cake, and how it affects the cost.

Size Matters

The bigger the cake, the higher the price. We’re not talking just diameter here. Six tiers of sugary perfection are great. But you better be willing to pay extra for it.

A three tiered cake is standard. Anything more involves more work for the baker. Baking. Frosting. Assembling. Keeping a tall cake upright is a trick.

The baker will pass that price on to you.

Now you know why sheet cakes are so cheep. If your budget is tight, buy a small wedding cake. Make up the difference with sheet cakes.

What’s In The Mix

The most basic building block in cake-ology is the cake itself. And the type of wedding cake you choose can drastically affect its price.

The most basic cake is a sponge cake. Think chocolate, vanilla, carrot. They’re safe. Crowd pleasers. And the least expensive.

Cheesecakes are at the other end of the spectrum. In price, not flavor. They’re absolutely decadent cakes. And time intensive to make. You’ll be lucky to find a cheesecake at $6 a serving. Most of them are quite a bit more.

It’s impossible to name every type of wedding cake out there. We haven’t even touched pound cake, whose price is somewhere between a sponge and cheesecake.

But here’s a rule of thumb:

The more time intensive a cake is to make, the steeper the price.

And here’s a rule for the other thumb:

The more “stuff” in your cake (liquers, fruit, nuts), the higher the price.

Beauty That’s Skin Deep

Ah icing. You either love it or you hate it. Your choice of frosting will have to reflect your personal tastes, and your budget.

Buttercream

This is your basic birthday cake frosting.

Pro: It holds up well. It’s easy to use. That makes it inexpensive.

Con: You can’t get the perfectly smooth look so popular these days.

Cream Cheese

This is the traditional frosting for a carrot cake.

Pro: The price is about the same as Buttercream. It tastes great.

Con: You can’t have intricate designs. But if you use live flowers on your cake that doesn’t matter.

Fondant

Think of this as sugar play dough. It’s used in ultra-hip wedding cakes.

Pro: A good cake designer can do almost anything with it. It pleats. It folds. It does everything but cut the cake for you.

Con: It’s expensive. And the least tasty of the frostings.

It’s Hip to be Square

Square cakes are very cool. But they’ll cost you.

A square cake requires a special pan. This you knew. They’re also harder to frost. The edges have to be built up. And look even.

And as you know by now, more work means more money.

So there you have it. The basic parts of your wedding cake. And how they affect price. What you spend on your cake is a personal decision. Armed with this information, sally forth into the wedding cake world and get the most for your money.

It’s your day. You deserve it.

Amy Lee Johnson is a freelance writer that often contributes to Wedding Vows 4U - a site that offers information on such topics as writing wedding vows and selecting wedding cakes.

You’ve gotten through most of the wedding plans; except for the wedding cake. So, what’s the big deal? It’s just a cake! Or is it?

Choosing a wedding cake usually is fun, unless you and your budget are on opposite ends of the earth. So, first and foremost, you have to decide what you’re looking for in a cake. Is it going to be the only desert that you are offering? Then you want it to taste good, not just be a gorgeous topper for a table.

It’s easiest to begin just like you did when searching for your wedding gown; look through bridal magazines and start compiling pictures that you can bring to a bakery that specializes in wedding cakes. As the date gets closer, begin calling some wedding cake vendors in your area. Ask if they have a website. If not, make a date to go in and look at the photos of their work. Remember, the best way to find a good vendor, is through word of mouth.

If you’ve found cakes that you love, bring those photos with you. A baker worth their salt will be able to duplicate what you’ve found. At the very least, do not walk out of their place of business without prices and colors that you want the cake to be.

The wedding cake vendor will ask you a few important questions which you should be thinking about:

1. How many tiers of cake do you want? Usually, this will depend on the amount of guests you are inviting. But, today, many couples choose to have a “mock” cake (as many layers as they wish) just to look at, and another sheet cake for eating. A recent wedding I consulted on did this and you would never have known that it wasn’t a real cake. And it saved them hundreds of dollars.

2. Are you going to buy your own cake topper? If you are having a theme wedding, many times you’ll want to buy one that ties in with that. Also, remember that the top tier of the cake, traditionally are frozen and eaten on the couple’s one year anniversary. The cake topper is one that you can cherish forever.

3. Do you want colors that match your bridal party, or all white with gold and/or silver?

4. Do you want frosting flowers or real flowers to adorn the top of the cake layers?

If you’re trying to save money, many wedding venues will include the wedding cake with the price. But beware. They will offer you a plain cake, but show you a book of upgrades. These usually are much higher than at your neighborhood bakery. So compare prices before you agree. If they are giving you the wedding cake, but not decorated, one option is that you can decorate it yourself with fresh flowers. I did that for my daughter’s wedding, and it was gorgeous!

Just remember when choosing a cake; not many people remember it. So, if you have a limited budget, get the ‘mock’ cake only a couple of tiers high and have them cut the sheet cake in the kitchen. No one will be the wiser. And you’ll smile knowing how much money you saved!

Delora O’Brien is an expert in the area of wedding designs and products. She is the resident consultant at Designs to Remember. Designs to Remember is a unique online store that carries designer wedding favors, bridal gifts and accessories. Delora also oversees the extensive line of unique wedding favors, bridesmaid gifts, groomsmen gifts and wedding invitations. Many of the wedding gifts she has purchased for Designs to Remember, have been featured in well known bridal magazines.

Congratulations on making the brave decision to decorate your own wedding cake! By choosing this option, you can save a considerable amount of money and, better yet, cut your cake with pride on your wedding day. Cake decorating can be a specialist art, but with a few expert tips, you too can create the perfect wedding cake.

First up, don’t take on more than you can chew! Weddings can be a stressful experience, so if you’re not confident that you can do the decorating, swallow your pride and fork out the extra cash so that you can walk down the aisle with a smile on your face. Elaborately-decorated cakes may look great in bridal magazines, but won’t taste any better and will certainly by harder to make if you have just a little decorating experience. Choosing a simply decorated cake will add an elegant touch to your wedding and give you an achievable project to work with.

A good way to compromise is to buy a pre-made cake and decorate it yourself, rather than attempting to do both. Odd-shaped, multi-tiered cakes can require more assembly than your average inner city apartment block and this can be prohibitive for first time decorators. If you choose a rectangular, square or round cakes with only a single layer, or minimal assembly, you will have less room for error.

Whether you are buying a pre-made cake, or baking your own, good quality ingredients for your frosting and cake toppers will mean that your decorating job is easier. These ingredients will blend better (and oftentimes have more flavor) than cheaper ingredients. Likewise, it’s important to ensure that you have the right sort of decorating tools – non-stick piping bags with a variety of tips, long and short, as well as angled spatulas, and a turn table to make rotating the cake easy.

One of the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of cake decorating is creating sugar flowers to decorate the cake top. A wonderful alternative is to have your florist prepare you a fresh flower arrangement to sit on top of the cake. The flowers can match those used in your ceremony and reception and can also be kept as a souvenir. If choosing fresh flowers, ensure you let your florist know what you plan to use them for – some flowers are treated with pesticides and some flowers, such as Lily of the Valley, are toxic.

Finally, it’s important to allow yourself enough time to decorate the cake – if you try to do it when you are behind schedule and stressed, you are almost guaranteed to end up with a disaster. Plan ahead and have a trial decorating run. Although you want your day to be perfect, you can be confident that only you will know that the fondant icing is a little better applied on the left hand side of your cake – no one else will notice, especially when they get to tasting just how good it is!

Are you tired of traditional and expensive wedding cakes? Do you want a unique, delectable, and creative wedding cake that doesn’t break your budget, mesmerizes your guests, and creates lasting memories? Then, you should visit http://www.wedding-cake-idea.com your number one resource for creative and unique wedding cakes for special budget conscious couples like you!

You may want to choose towels that match or compliment the bride’s wedding colors or even better to choose a color that will go well with the couple’s new bath.

“Ingredients” for the towel cake

2 bath towels

3 hand towels

2 washcloths

a cake board (cake stand pan or pizza pan)

safety pins

narrow ribbon, elastic or rubber bands

real or silk flowers

tiny string pearls or narrow lace

small wedding rings

cake topper

empty paper towel rolls (optional)

Step 1: Lay the bath towels out with ends slightly overlapped . Pin towels together and fold to a six inch width. Roll towels into a tight coil. You can roll the towels around an empty paper towel tube to add some stability. Fold the end of each coil under and pin closed. Ribbons can hide pins.

Step 2: Repeat step 1 with the hand towels (other directions use 2 hand towels, but 3 makes a more realistic looking layer.)

Step 3: Repeat step one with the wash cloths.

I spray a pizza pan white to use as a base for this cake but you can use a cake stand if you prefer.

Next you have to decorate the cake and here is where the fun begins. Give your imagination free rein.

Arrange the flowers around the bottom of each layer. I use silk flowers because they don‘t wilt but real ones can look lovely. Take one or two flowers apart and spread them over the cake.

I then attach the pearls and use them to create a scalloped look from the top of each layer. I take a tiny stitch to anchor the top of each loop. Narrow lace can be used here. Attach a wedding ring to the center of each loop.

How should you top your towel cake creation? I have seen these cakes with the traditional bride and groom. cloves or a bell or you can get creative. A single large flower or a mound of smaller ones A hand towel fan with pearls attached looks wonderful. A large bath puff looks great here. I dangle strings of pearls from the puff.

If the bride has chosen a rectangular cake you can still use this cake or you can wrap cardboard boxes or foam blocks like gift boxes then stack and decorate.

Striped towels when rolled will give the appearance of horizontal striped icing, which is unique.

We have made kitchen towel cakes using place mats, kitchen towels and dish cloths. napkins. I use placemats for the base, then the towels and lastly dish rags. With this kitchen cake a paper towel roll or wooden dowel will be needed to stabilize the cake.

Normally I use kitchen linen cakes for housewarming gifts but have also made them for showers.

You may be surprised to find your friends or the shower guests asking you to make one of these exquisite shower cakes for a party they are attending or asking for the instructions how to make wedding shower towel cake.

Find more about wedding cakes at: http://www.cakechannel.com/wedding-cakes.html

Nina is an expert freelance writer. She is a cake decorator and a certified naturopath. Presently she is happily RV-ing with her husband.

Not as important or as crucial as the bride’s wedding dress or the ideal place for the reception, careful attention should be given to wedding cake stands. The wedding cake always plays one of the most interesting and special parts of the wedding reception. The wedding cake should be placed in a prominent and focal position for all to see as the bride and groom cut the cake which is accepted as a form of bond that heralds the sweet beginning of the new marriage. Therefor, a good and stable wedding cake stand should be used.

Types of Wedding Cake Stands

One of the most popular styles is the three-tiered wedding cake, it will require a stand capable to hold this style of cake, this normally a square or round stand. As most wedding cakes are three-tier, wedding cake stands are often either a) an unraised cake plate; b) a plateau stand (flat or raised uniformly off the table); or c) a pedestal (raised in the center by some sort of pillar) stand. Glass, acrylic, ceramic, china, metal and even single-use Styrofoam cake stands can be used. To accommodate the wide variations of the traditional wedding cake, there are many styles of wedding cake stands available.

Grouped Arrangements of Wedding Cakes

Wedding cake stands come in all sorts and types and are also available for grouped arrangements of wedding cakes. This allows each cake to be displayed individually on its own stand, and the stands are usually staggered in various heights for a beautiful presentation. This type of cake stand allows cakes to be displayed in a variety of ways: in stair-step format, in a rounded appearance (symmetrically with tallest in back and shortest stands in front), in a cascading appearance, or in an asymmetrical grouping. The design options are ample to satisfy all requirements.

Separate wedding cake stands arranged in these types of groupings create a wonderful effect and work well with intricate and individually decorated cakes. Shapes that are non-traditional also work well in this format because they can be displayed individually. Keep in mind if you choose a cake stand of this nature you will need a cake table with ample room to display the cakes.

Other Cake Stand Options

Having selected your wedding décor choices, there is no real right or wrong when it comes to choosing wedding cake stands, other than providing adequate support . It can be as simple or as ornate or as high as you wish. If you have an heirloom cake plate or stand you may wish to use that. Alternately, you may be able to use another display, for example, the cake arranged on upside-down terra-cotta pots for a spring or garden themed wedding. If you’d like a non-traditional option of this nature be sure to discuss it with the bakery first to be sure it is acceptable for holding and displaying your cake. One final point is the picture of the wedding cake, no wedding photo album would be complete without it!

Bob Wright offers interesting articles and advice relating to weddings, you can find more here http://nicewedding.net/