Sunday, February 25, 2007

Cake Trends

I freakin’ love wedding cake. I am obsessed with cakes in general. I have no patience myself in decorating them but I love to admire, ooh and aah, and taste them. When a wedding invitation comes in the mail, I am already marking my mental cake calendar. Cake! I get to eat wedding cake on such and such a date! Yum!

I don’t know why this is but I’ve always loved it. When I was 12, I wanted my birthday cake to be a replica of my aunt’s wedding cake. It didn’t happen. My own wedding cake left a little something to be desired. The flowers were not on the cake as I entered the reception but sitting near the cake. The sugar butterflies showed the decorators lack of creativity and I wish to high heaven I ate more of it because it did taste sinfully good. Saving for our one-year anniversary didn’t cut it. A word of advice bridies, don’t do that. Just eat the cake that week.

What is the point of a cake to this whole affair though? The cake is like a gift from the bridal couple to their guests. An offering if you will to share with them in their new life together. It is the piece de resistance to the reception. A centerpiece to coo over and tie the theme of the wedding together. It should also not taste like cardboard, but shockingly good. There are trends in cakes too. Some years the square is in, or monogramming. Other year’s polka dots or massive floral bouquets hold the mainstream mind. What’s going on this year you ask?

Take a peak~

First up is the Clean and Classic cake. This is one of my personal favorite styles for cakes. These cakes have clean lines and simple designs. Scroll work, minimal colors are used and lots of white on white design are showing right now. The clean and classic cakes may mimic the look of your dress or other pattern featured in the wedding.

Major designs with icing on icing is also popping up in many places. The blue cake shown is very detailed with cityscape scenes despite only using two colors of icing. You will also see cakes with two tones of the same color icing. Champagne with blush-colored hues is another trend.

Big cake? Big flavor. These days it’s not uncommon to find a chocolate lover indulging in an all chocolate cake. No more plain vanilla here. Nut flavors such as pistachio are showing up in cake as are exotic fruit flavors like pineapple or maybe a mango mousse if that is your style. People are no longer afraid that the cake flavor won’t please anyone but themselves.

These are just a few of the trends we have going this year. If you like simple try the clean and classic. Want to spice it up a bit don’t be afraid of flavoring your cake or adding a choice filling. Today’s cake baker’s can do it all. They can even make cakes to look like you, the happy couple.


Note: Cake designs from top to bottom
Rania's Catering, PA Dianne Adrian Photography
Empress Dessert's, WA Katrina Marie Diaz
Cheryl Kleinman
Photos compiled from The Knot.

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