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Wedding Cakes, a Primer

By Maureen Sullivan

Confused about the difference between ganache and gum paste?
Our glossary can help you decipher the delicious materials that will adorn your confection.

Picture a wedding cake. Most of us imagine a stack of delicately decorated white tiers topped with little figures of a bride and groom. But these days, the centerpiece of the reception table is transcending the stereotype in some surprising ways. Take, for example, the doughnut “cake” featuring a ribbon-festooned pyramid of Krispy Kremes, the “cupcake tree” wedding cake and the remarkable, albeit inedible, Lego wedding cake.

Planning Ahead

Ideally, you should place your order for the cake of your dreams six to 12 months before the wedding. The cake's price depends on the design, its intricacies and the amount of embellishments. Fondant is an added expense. Then there's size. Wedding cakes are priced by the slice, and the average cost per person varies widely.

A cost-saving choice is the wedding cake/side cake option. For example, if you're planning on having 300 guests, you could order a smaller, more ornate cake that serves 150 to be shown at the reception. Then, supplement that with undecorated two-tier or sheet cakes, made from the same ingredients, to serve the other 150 people. Most of the time your guests won't know the difference or even see the undecorated cake–your caterers will be slicing it from their kitchen and bringing it out to guests, who'll never know that it didn't come from the decorated cake.

Thinking It Through

Consider your wedding cake as “edible art” that reflects you and your entire wedding. Not only do you need to determine how many you'll be serving and whether you want buttercream or fondant, but your cake designer is going to want to know a lot more.

For instance, what flowers will you be featuring? What are your wedding colors? Does your wedding have a theme? Is the event going to be held during the day or at night? If you're serving dinner, what's on the menu? Each of these could affect your choice of flavors for your cake. You may want to carry a picture of your dress with you as inspiration; many brides like to coordinate their cake with their gown. Others look to architecture for inspiration.

One last suggestion from our wedding cake experts: Try before you buy. So when you're cake shopping and you visit the requisite number of at least three shops, definitely have your cake and eat some, too.

A glossary of sweet things

Unless you've had a round or two at culinary school, you're in for a surprise when you start talking wedding cakes with the professionals. They use ingredients you probably haven't encountered before. To keep up when they start throwing around words like fondant, marzipan, gum paste or ganache, read on. We've got you covered with our simple glossary of wedding cake terminology..

• Buttercream

The traditional icing used for all store–bought cakes. Rich and creamy, it's made up of eggs, sugar and lots of butter. This mixture can also be used for decorations. It should be kept cool ahead of time because it can melt. Buttercream tastes best at room temperature.



• Fondant

A thin dough-like layer that's made of sugar, corn syrup and gelatin. Fondant creates a smooth satiny draped finish over an iced cake. The secret to this pliable “rolled icing” lies in its thickness–the thinner, the better. Fondant doesn't need refrigeration.



• Ganache

Basically what you'd find in the center of a truffle. In its simplest form, it's a poured chocolate icing made of semisweet chocolate and heavy cream. Not a great choice for hot or humid weather. A popular choice for groom's cakes, which are gaining popularity.



• Cake Toppers

Replacing the once-customary bride-and-groom figures on top of the cake are more personalized symbols, made of crystal, gold, porcelain or anything that has special meaning for the couple. Today, many wedding cakes do not incorporate a classic topper at all.



• Gum Paste

Also called sugar paste. This sugar–dough mixture is similar to fondant, but it includes powdered gum, which makes it harder and allows designs to better hold their shape. It's the most popular choice for handmade sugar decorations like flowers and other edible cake-decorating embellishments.



• Inedible Decorations

Often–used additions to wedding–cake designs include ribbons and bows. Fresh or silk flowers that match the bride's bouquet are also favorites. Be careful with fresh flowers though; many of the choices typically used in weddings are poisonous.



• Marzipan

A paste of ground almonds, sugar and egg whites that is usually molded into flowers or fruits for cake decorations. Also the preferred choice for icing on the traditional English wedding fruitcake.



• Royal Icing

A mixture of egg whites, powdered sugar and water, this icing dries hard and is usually used for decorative work such as latticework or piping that finishes off each tier of cake. Royal icing doesn't need refrigeration.