How To Preserve Your Wedding Cake

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Mary P Karnes

Do you know how to preserve your wedding cake? The tradition of eating the top layer of your wedding cake on your first anniversary is at least as old as my great-grandparents. Some bakers now offer a “free” separate top layer to save. You must store it the right way, however, or it will NOT be a delicious experience. We must have done a decent job of storing our top layer, as I know my husband and I ate it, and I don’t remember it being awful… Luck must have been involved as much as expertise.

It was very easy to preserve the top layer of daughter and son-in-law’s wedding cake – we’ll have to wait a year to see if my system worked, however! The only thing you should do in advance is make sure you have a very large Tupperware-type round bowl – about 18″ across and 6″ deep, a board to set the cake on, plastic wrap, foil —- and this is the most important part — room in your freezer!

The above photo is my own daughter’s wedding cake

Step #1 – Choose someone reliable to commit to preserving your top layer.

Step #2 – Safely wrap and preserve any cake topper you may have used. Hopefully, the future generations would like to use it. I love how the groom’s mother chose a porcelain ornament so it can be handed down.

Step #3 – The experts say to freeze the cake 30 minutes to 2 hours ahead of the process. I think this was recommend because some cakes are frosted in butter cream and thus the frosting is not firm. I did freeze the cake for about an hour, but as Maggie’s was covered in fondant, and I don’t think I needed to.

Step #4 – Whatever you choose to set the cake on, whether it be a plastic cutting board, a piece of wood, or cardboard, wrap it in foil to protect the cake from tasting like the platform.

Step #5 – Cover the cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap.

Step # 6 – Then cover the cake in 2 layers of foil.

Step #7 – Store the whole think in the Tupperware Bowl and freeze. Don’t forget to “burp” the Tupperware to get the air out! This will preserved your cake for up to a year.

Initial info was gleaned from: Susannah Chen – www.yumsugar.com, although I tweaked it as I went along with my own supplies

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Image credits: #1 Lisa Thibodeaux

#2 Patty Cloherty

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Fake Wedding Cakes

Posted on February 24, 2015February 24, 2015 by Mary P Karnes

Would you consider a “fake wedding cake” for your big day? What are “fake wedding cakes”? you ask. It’s simple, although as a mother of a recent bride, I had been unaware of this option until I watched the TV program, “Shark Tank” the other night. It’s simple. The cake is formed of styrofoam rounds decorated in fondant, (edible icing), or “perm-icing” (non-edible icing). http://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/weddings/planning/wedding-cakes/fake-wedding-cake.htm gives a great explanation on how it’s done.

The plan is to “Display the ‘fake cake’ ” at the reception, but serve other desserts to the guests.

The American TV show, “Shark Tank” gives ‘wanna be’ entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their products to venture capitalists. The bakers on this particular episode presented the “fake wedding cake” option, but with a twist. Their cakes had a secret compartment which would face the bride and groom. They would “pretend” to cut the cake. The secret compartment would be filled with any type of white cake and icing, enough for two, enough for the bride and groom to feed each other. Then the cake would be wheeled to the “kitchen” where servers would then cut sheet cake and serve the guests. The rental, “fake cake” would then be shipped to back to the company.

I maintain this is not a real money saver. By the time the “fake wedding cake” rental fee and sheet cake are factored in, it could cost almost as much as a real wedding cake. And really…do you think you’re going to fool your guests? And on top of that, the bride and groom would not have the “top” layer of their cake to preserve and enjoy for their first anniversary. If you’d like tips on how to preserve the top layer of YOUR wedding cake, check back soon and read “how to” on my next blog post!

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All images: www.ultimatefakecakes.com
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Wedding Cupcakes??

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Mary P Karnes

Will you have a wedding cake…a fake cake…or wedding cupcakes? We all know what a wedding cake looks like – no surprises there. It’s a beautiful, but very traditional choice. You can’t miss. Everyone loves the pageantry of the bride and groom cutting the cake, feeding each other – and don’t forget the all important pictures.

What’s a “fake cake”, you may ask. You can look for a future post on that one…

Cupcakes are a big deal now. There are bakeries that sell nothing but cupcakes, there are cooking shows devoted to cupcake bake-offs. The advantages to cupcakes over a conventional cake are many. The bride can have many more flavor and frosting choices – something for everyone! There are even vegan options available.

In the photos above, there is a nice combination of “Traditional Wedding Cake” and cupcakes. The top layer is a cake for the bridal couple to preserve for their first anniversary, and the lower levels are for the guests’ enjoyment. I personally love this “Hybrid” option. In the pink cake above, the fresh flowers decorating the delightful concoction make it look like a traditional wedding cake.

If you choose the hybrid option, your price point may be reduced from a traditional wedding cake, thus freeing up some funds for other dessert options. Most caters offer dessert choices on their menu, and not all guests are cake eaters. A dessert bar is very popular on the wedding circuit. KK has never really liked cake. I’m sure she’ll be paying close attention to our caterer’s dessert offerings… And let’s not forget the ease of eating a cupcake…and it can be done on the move…or the dance floor… 🙂

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