Amazing Cakes - Edible Designs By Jessie

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Amazing Cakes
Your special day deserves a cake that rises to the occasion.
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Wedding cake, that beloved symbolic confection, is a centuries-old wedding custom. Like every enduring wedding tradition, it allows bride, groom
and guests to honor the past—and with its sweet appeal, it is emblematic
of a happy married life to come. Of course, the design flair of the finest
wedding cakes is what takes them beyond dessert and into the realm of
art. Today’s wedding cakes can be as individual as the couples that choose
them. “No longer are brides and grooms limited by one flavor (vanilla),
one color (white), or one style (round),” says Susie Edwards of acclaimed
Houston bake shop Susie’s Cakes & Confections. But such an abundance
of options can be overwhelming. Edwards has these words of wisdom for
bewildered brides: “In the end, there is no wrong answer, because after
all, everyone loves cake.” Take to heart Edwards’ advice, and these terrific
268 written by lisa kobs ~ cake by maggie austin cake
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tips from renowned cake designers,
and you’ll have your perfect cake—and
eat it, too.
Ta s t e T e m p tat i o n
A great wedding cake is more than
mere eye candy. Sure, the “oohs” and
“aahs” are nice, but “it’s important to
remember that the flavor on the inside
is what will truly make guests’ mouths
water,” says Edwards.
When it comes to selecting the cake’s
flavor, “I always tell the bride and
groom to just pick out what they like,”
says Jim Smeal, with Charleston, S.C.’s
Wedding Cakes by Smeal. “This is your
chance to get what you want.”
Smeal, who counts Reese Witherspoon and Sanjay Gupta among his bigname clientele, says seasonality guides
many couples’ decisions. “Something
270 light and citrusy is popular in the summer, while carrot cake, hazelnut and
pumpkin spice are nice for fall weddings.” But his current personal favorite, a six-layer, fresh-grated-coconut
cake with thin layers of dark-chocolate
ganache running through it is “a nice
way to get some chocolate in your wedding cake without going overboard.”
Couples often worry about striking
the perfect balance between “what
they want and what they believe guests
expect,” says Maggie Austin LaBaugh,
artistic director of Washington, D.C.based Maggie Austin Cake. “But I find
that a well-composed flavor profile
has universal appeal. One of my most
popular choices this season is a pear
cake with blackberry preserves and
white-chocolate buttercream.” Austin
LaBaugh also advises brides to keep
an open mind while at a cake tasting.
“Milk chocolate with Earl Grey buttercream? It’s delicious!”
What if you simply can’t narrow it
down to one choice? “Different tiers
can be different flavors,” says Austin
LaBaugh. “Do you love chocolate but
feel that white is expected? Choose
double-chocolate cake with hazelnut
praline and cappuccino buttercream,
and also white-velvet cake with lemon
curd and elderflower buttercream.” But “keep in mind that if you do different flavors on every tier, people will
take multiple pieces to try everything
they see,” cautions Nadine Moon with indemand Houston bakery Who Made the
Cake. “You may run out of cake quickly.”
Fa b u l o u s F r o s t i n g
The expression “icing on the cake”
refers to taking something good, and
making it even better. And the right
frosting does exactly that for your cake.
At the moment, light, airy, melt-in-yourmouth buttercream is preferred by most
brides. As Smeal puts it, “A really good
buttercream can make a cake.”
Fondant, a silky, sugar-dough icing
that’s rolled into soft, pliable sheets, has
a stunning, porcelain-like finish. But
fondant also has a reputation for unpalatable flavor and texture. Moon, however, reports, “My brides are always
surprised that fondant can taste good.
It all goes back to the quality of the
product and the bakery.”
In the hands of a skilled cake master, buttercream can replicate fondant’s
sleek and flawless look. Some design
elements, however, “cannot be done
in buttercream,” says Bobbie Taylor
with Houston’s popular Cake Creations.
For her buttercream-loving brides, “We
can add a small amount of fondant
decorations, as long as they are not too
heavy,” she notes.
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For that can’t-get-enough-chocolate
girl, there’s ganache. This velvety, candy-like icing is a rich blend of chocolate and cream and is as dramatic as it
is delicious. Design Style
“The cupcake craze is phasing out,”
declares Smeal. “Wedding cake is
returning to its iconic position as a
centerpiece of the reception decor.”
And today’s cakes certainly welcome
the spotlight. Some of the hottest wedding cake designs echo elements of the
bride’s gown. “Wedding dresses offer
many creative influences,” says Smeal.
“We’re creating a lot of textile-inspired
designs, particularly the frills,” adds
Austin LaBaugh. “The organic, delicate
nature of these designs is a fantastic
fit for both modern and traditional
weddings.” She also finds pearls to be
especially popular. With their luminous
shimmer, “Pearls are decadent without
being overstated.”
Another trend combines simple,
sleek cakes “with only one or two
highly textured or embellished tiers,”
adds Moon. “They might have a big,
bold floral accent or a dramatic, whimsical accent as a focal point.”
Taylor, too, reports more requests
for clean looks, such as a “very smooth
cake with only a beaded border.” She
adds that her 2012 brides tend to prefer “elegant designs that are not over
the top,” and though they appreciate a
touch of bling, they keep the sparkle
to a minimum. Of course there’s one
naturally beautiful cake adornment that
never goes out of style: “Fresh flowers
on a very simple cake are always beautiful,” says Taylor.
Brides may still favor classic white
for their gowns, but today’s cakes are
full of color. Bright, vibrant hues and
unusual combinations are chic and
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contemporary. Perhaps the most fashion-forward cake color effect is ombré.
With this monochromatic scheme, colors shift very gradually from light to
dark. Because everyone describes, and
views, color a bit differently, Smeal
recommends taking color swatches to
show your designer.
Whatever look you choose, discuss
your price range with your baker right
from the beginning “so they can design
the perfect cake to fit your budget,”
says Moon. Being honest up front will
prevent you from “falling in love with
a design that is way over budget,” she
advises.
And be sure that your vendor is up to
the task of crafting the cake you envision. “Don’t ask a designer to create
something that’s too far outside their
comfort zone, advises Austin LaBaugh.
“Look at their portfolio carefully to see
if they have the technical skills needed
to create what you have in mind.”
Crowning Touch
“More and more couples are opting
for cakes that diverge from the traditional, with a focus on the design
itself rather than a topper,” says Austin
LaBaugh. “If you’re using a topper, it’s
vital to incorporate it into the overall
design of the cake so that there’s overall cohesion.”
For modern brides, “We are using a
lot of monogram cake toppers,” says
Jessie Lopez of Houston cake boutique
Edible Designs by Jessie. But her sentimental types still request traditional
toppers or heirloom toppers used by
mom and grandma. To refresh these
vintage pieces, “We retouch them with
a dusting of color that makes them look
nice and almost new.“
And there’s still room for a bit of
humor perched atop your cake. “We’ve
even done penguins,” says Moon.
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G o o d Ad v i c e
Because cake shopping is among the
most purely pleasurable of weddingplanning tasks, friends and family
often want to get in on the yummy
fun. But Lopez recommends limiting the number of tasting attendees.
With more people you’ll have more
276 opinions and “it’s confusing for the
bride,” she cautions.
You’re sure to be eager to let the taste
testing begin. But your tasting schedule
should follow a logical timeline. “Sometimes brides are so excited about their
wedding that they go off on tangents
too quickly and set up a tasting before
they are actually ready for it,” says
Smeal. “You want to be able to show
your wedding cake designer the various elements of your reception.” Once
you’ve planned your color palette, and
selected your dress, flowers and invitations, “your baker can design a cake
using these for inspiration.”
And by choosing your reception
location first, you can maximize your
cake’s visual impact. “The cake should
seem at home in the venue,” advises
Austin LaBaugh.
Moon recommends picking out the
perfect spot for your sweet showpiece.
And don’t underestimate the importance of lighting. “You spend so much
time designing the cake, it would be a
shame for it to get lost in the room or
blend into a corner where people will
miss it,” she says.
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Keep in mind that heat and
humidity can be cruel to a cake. For
an outdoor reception, or an indoor
event with limited air conditioning,
“Talk to your baker about what flavors and icing treatments will hold
up best,” says Moon. Also, indoor
cakes “should be kept away from
all heat registers and radiators,”
adds Edwards.
However you choose to present
your perfect cake, take plenty of
photos of your special-day dessert,
so that you can savor its sweetness
long after the last morsel is happily devoured.
Weddings In Houston
25
Celebrating
278 extraordinary years!
A Sweet Mix
Looking for a way to have your
cake—and a few more fabulous
special-occasion treats, too? Consider laying out a dazzling dessert
buffet or candy table.
“Brides and grooms can share
their personal favorite sweets such
as French macaroons, or take it
back retro with Whoopie Pies and
old-school candies,” says MonaLisa Curiel with SWEET Houston.
Themes, flavors and colors are limitless. “That’s what makes sweets so
fun and interesting at weddings—
for the couple and the guests!”
For a taste of home—or at least
homemade—nothing beats good
old-fashioned pie. Just picture that
perfect pecan or strawberry-rhubarb pie in all its golden-crusted
glory, cooling on grandma’s kitchen
sill. Now shrink that photo down to
thumbnail size. That’s exactly what
you’ll get from Austin’s Tiny Pies,
which offers exactly what its name
implies: mouthful versions of everyone’s favorite backyard, churchpicnic, Sunday-supper dessert. “We
use all-natural ingredients and try to
buy fresh from the farm whenever
possible,” notes Tiny Pies’ Amanda
Wadsworth Bates. “One of the great
things about serving pie at a wedding is that we can showcase the
local and seasonal flavors of the
area,” she adds. And they look
particularly adorable on vintageflavored dessert tables and antique
tiered plates too.
Curiel reminds brides that sweet
treats can also do double-duty as
wedding favors. “They’re a tasty
way to thank guests for participating in your special day.”
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