As a wedding cake designer, I get asked a lot of questions. Some of them are asked often, while others take me by surprise. Having baked, decorated, delivered and set up hundreds of cakes, I could talk about my adventures all day long.
If you’re engaged and have questions about your wedding cake, the answer has probably been covered below. Even the questions you never knew you had, they’ll be answered too…
How much will my wedding cake cost?
Ah! That’s a good question without a simple answer. All the cakes I make are bespoke so no two designs are the same, meaning that no two cakes are prices the same. The cost of a bespoke wedding cake designed just for you and your wedding comes down to all the finer details of the design, cake flavours and delivery and set up costs, so prices really do vary. I’m afraid I can’t simply tell you that a three tier cake is £x. But I have a price guide on the website that will give you a good idea of how much my cakes are based on past cake projects. You can also read this blog post that will give you a lot more info on cake pricing.
How big will my wedding cake be?
This is generally dictated by how many portions you’d like it to provide. I calculate the sizing of the wedding cakes based on how many portions it’ll need to have plus I consider the tier sizes and heights in relation to the actual design of the cake itself. I specialise in mixing up tier sizes, shapes and heights and have a handy portion calculator I have created that helps me work out how bug each cake tier will need to be. All this will be provided to you with your cake sketches. If you want a super tall cake to really wow your guests but have a smaller party so need fewer portions, I can also add fake tiers, so really, anything is possible with sizing.
I need a 8/10/12 inch cake to serve 60 people. How much will that be?
If you do have a specific cake size in mind, this might not actually be the right size to suit your party. 8/10/12 inch tiers will provide you with an enormous wedding cake to serve at least 200 guests (especially if the tiers are tall the like the ones I make) so simply let me know the number of guests you are expecting and I will calculate what size the cake needs to be for you. My cake always come up pretty generous on the portion side of things.
Photo by Marianne Chua Photography
Can I keep the top tier for our first child’s Christening?
You can if you want to, though this was traditionally done with the top tier of a fruitcake, which would easily keep for a whole year. I specialise in sponge cakes, which have a much shorter life, of course, but they do freeze well. Having said that, I don’t recommend you keep this in the freezer for a year though. Only up to 3 months. But hey, weddings are for making your own traditions right? And I can always make you a mini version of your wedding cake as a first anniversary cake!
What tier should we cut for photos?
I’d recommend cutting the bottom tier as this is the one traditionally cut for photos and will also be the most stable.
Who will cut and serve our cake?
If your venue has a kitchen then that’ll be their job or if you’ve hired an external caterer they’re usually clued up on cake cutting. I always contact these suppliers ahead for you to make sure this is all sorted.
Can we take cake home if it doesn’t all get eaten?
Of course! I provide boxes with wedding cakes when I deliver them and I can leave instructions with your venue coordinator, planner or caterer that you’d like to take cake home with you.
When should we serve our wedding cake?
That’s up to you. Would I do always suggest as a way of making sure your wedding cake des get served and as much of it gets eaten as possible (unless you want to save some for yourselves) is that you make a moment for cutting but also for serving the cake. Make sure it doesn’t just get put in a corner where no one knows it is. Have cake brought round as canapés after your ceremony, serve it as hour dessert or serve it with cocktails to welcome your evening guests. There are so many possibilities. You can find other tips for making sure your wedding cake doesn’t go to waste in this blog post.
What flavour wedding cake would you recommend?
That’s a tough one! It depends what you like. I offer a pretty varied menu of flavours and would recommend you have perhaps one citrus or fruity cake and maybe one dessert flavour like caramel or chocolate. Don’t try to please everyone with your flavours. You’ll be trying to come to a decision for a long time! You can read more on what flavours I recommend and combinations of flavours in this blog post and about my top 5 wedding cake flavours here.
Can we have different flavours for each tier?
Yes! I actually encourage this. It’s great to give your guests options. Saying that, I wouldn’t choose more than two or three different flavours to have on offer. You don’t want to overwhelm your guests. Plus, your cake will have some smaller tiers which will only have a few portions of cake.
Who will deliver our wedding cake?
I bake, decorate, deliver and set up all the wedding cakes I make. I always recommend that you have your wedding cake delivered, rather than arranging a friend or relative collect it from me as this will save you worrying about your cake. Wedding cakes aren’t that fun to deliver if you’ve never done it before and require a certain amount of careful driving and packing.
Photo by Sophie Lake Photography
Do I have to have fruitcake?
It’s your wedding! You don’t have to do anything! You make the rules and create the day you want. I don’t make many fruitcakes as I specialise in sponge cake flavours. I can make one on request for you though.
Can you copy a cake from an image off the Internet?
I won’t copy other cake maker’s cakes, for a number of reasons. The cakes I make are all bespoke and I make cakes with a certain modern style. You can find out more about why I won’t copy other cake maker’s cakes in this blog post here.
Do you loan out wedding cake stands?
I sell cake stands to my couples as part of my wedding cake package, but I don’t loan them out. Cake stands can be a great keepsake from your wedding and can double up and food platters or cheese boards in the future.
Do you loan out wedding cake knives?
I’d recommend you check with your venue, caterer or decorator to see if they provide a cake knife as part of your wedding. I can supply a cake knife as an extra but this isn’t part of my usual service.
Do you do cakes for guests with allergies?
I can make vegan and gluten free cakes on request. These usually come as a separate cutting cake for the kitchen at your venue to be cut up and served with the rest of your cake. I also supply cake flavour labels, which display the food allergens my cakes contain.
How do I know what my wedding cake will look like?
I create digital sketches of my wedding cake designs to be approved by my couples before they go ahead and book. This will give you the best possible impression of how the cake will look on the day of your wedding.
Where will you set up my wedding cake?
This depends on where you would like it to be set up. Your venue might have a specific place it can go in, or you as a couple can decide. I suggest that I am not asked to set up a cake in direct sunlight so glasshouses in midsummer or set ups right next to a window might be a big no no!
Photo by Sophie Lake Photography
What kind of icing do you use on the wedding cakes you make?
All the cakes I make use roll out fondant icing. The good thing is about the type of icing I use is that it rolls quite thin and doesn’t take away from the cake and add too much sweetness. The other great thing is that I use chocolate ganache to adhere the fondant icing to the cake. Chocolate ganache can either be made using white, milk or dark chocolate depending on the cake flavour inside and your tastes.
Can we have fresh cream as the filling for our wedding cake?
I’m afraid the type of cakes I make don’t lend themselves to fresh cream, delicious as it is. Tiered cakes are weighty and the fondant icing I use is too, so fresh cream would not be stable enough to use. Also, fondant icing doesn’t react well to being kept in the fridge but cream needs to be refrigerated so the two just don’t work together.
Can you deliver to anywhere in the UK?
Yes, I can. Believe it or not, cakes transport really well (don’t believe all you have seen on TV!) Most of the cakes I make I stack at the venue so I can drive cakes quite a fair distance. You can find out more about my delivery options here.
Have you ever dropped a cake?
No, but thanks so much for asking! I’m always very careful with cakes when delivering them and this doesn’t happen if you’re careful, of course. Those TV shows have a lot to answer for!
I hope your wedding cake question has been answered above and more! If not, you can get in touch here and ask me. You can also find out more about my cake design services here.
K x
