FSB Author Article
Excerpt
The following is an excerpt from the book Weddings Valentine Style: Rich
Inspiration for Every Woman's Dream Day
by Diann Valentine with
Tonya Bolden
Published by Atria Books; February
2006;$39.95US/$54.95CAN; 074349747-3
Copyright © 2006 Diann Valentine
The Wedding Cake
The wedding cake, always a focal point in the room, usually sits on a specially designed table to draw all eyes. The wedding cake is the show-off. And I say, by all means, if it's fabulous, flaunt it!
To make it fabulous, bring your pastry chef of choice clippings or photos of elements that you think would look yummy on your cake. Don't limit your inspiration to photos of other wedding cakes. Your creative energy can come from a floral arrangement, a pair of great shoes, a beaded dress on a model strutting down a runway, a palatial estate, an exquisite piece of jewelry, a spray of precious gems, or your favorite children's story. Surrender to your fancies. That's the way to fully engage in creative exploration and begin to uncover ideas that you did not know you had.
And shape it your way. Have a tower of squares, circles, rectangles,
diamonds, hexagons, octagons, or triangles. Or stray from pure geometry
and make your cake a jazzy car, a dream house, a replica of your
wedding dress, a musical instrument, a statue, or anything else your
heart desires.
The flavor options for wedding cakes are as extensive as the shape options. If you can conceive it, a baker can usually create it. When it comes to flavor and filling, take your pick: chocolate, lemon, strawberry, banana nut, cream cheese, Italian cream, lemon meringue, marble, key lime, peaches and cream, mango, mint chocolate chip, raspberry, chocolate ganache. The list goes on.
As for the icing on the cake, along with the very popular Italian buttercream, there's cream cheese, white chocolate, milk chocolate, choclate ganache. Fondant is the most popular finish for cakes with architectural elements. It leaves a very smooth and crisp finish to the top of the cake and is great for creating flowers and other toppings. But there's a downside: fondant is often thick and gummy. I have had had some excellent fondant experiences -- marvelously moist, eminently edible. But bakeries that can pull that off can be hard to find.
While mulling over style and substance possibilities, think of size, too. Instead of one grand cake that feeds two hundred, have two hundred miniature, custom-designed wedding cakes. For a casual afternoon affair, go cupcake.
Thinking about placing those plastic or ceramic folks atop your cake? Please, think again. You could spoil your cake with Mr. and Mrs. Stilted. Even if you can find lifelike ones that do justice to black people, you don't have to go there simply because it's tradition. If your cake calls for a topper, think more along the lines of flowers, a crystal hummingbird, or a symbol that holds some significance for you. And if you'd rather spend the extra money on those beaded place cards, you can always order a small wedding cake designed to your liking and then subsidize the servings with a couple of sheet cakes precut in the kitchen and served to guests after you have cut your cake.
Copyright © 2006 Diann Valentine with Tonya Bolden