DIY Wedding Cakes: Expert Tips for a Stress-Free Experience Cake

Wedding season is upon us, which to me really means wedding cake season is here. As a baker, I’m ambitiously planning to make my own wedding cake in a couple weeks. If you want to make your own wedding cake too, you’re not alone. Before you commit to making a wedding cake, there’s a lot to consider. Below are my top tips around making your own wedding cake.

Tips for Making Your Own Wedding Cake

Keep your cake simple

Don't think that just because it's your wedding you need to create something elaborate that you've never baked before, (each tier represents a native fruit indigenous to northeast Cambodia), this isn't the time to experiment. Use a tried and tested recipe and something that you know you can bake, and decorate with ease.

Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate

Just because you’re planning to make your own wedding day sweets, it doesn’t mean you have to go at it alone. If your mother or grandmother are skilled bakers, bring them into the mix to help out. When it comes to the big day, be sure to delegate for someone else to set up your dessert display, such as a bridesmaid or another trusted friend or family member.

Consider a Dessert Table

If you have your sights set on a multitude of beautiful sweets, a dessert table is definitely the best option. This will allow your creativity to truly shine, whipping up multiple desserts to deck out the table. Plus, options such as cookies, brownies, and mini cupcakes tend to be a bit straightforward to tackle at home than baking and stacking a multi-tiered cake.

Choosing the Perfect Wedding Cake Flavor for You and Your Partner

When deciding on the flavor of your wedding cake, it's important to consider what you and your partner both enjoy. Maybe you both have a love for fruity flavors or perhaps you're both chocoholics. However, if you're feeling adventurous, why not try something completely new? You could even ask for suggestions from a stranger chat forum to get some creative and unique ideas. Ultimately, the choice is yours, so don't be afraid to step outside of the traditional wedding cake flavors and choose something that truly reflects you and your partner's tastes.

Practice Icing and decoration

Alex and Tyler wanted their cake to be finished in buttercream, colored like the sunset with a casual swirl finish. (See below!) While I didn’t need to practice lace piping patterns or intricate icing flowers, I did practice blending the colors and the swirl texture on the cakes I baked throughout the year. Cake supply stores and even some craft stores sell styrofoam cake rounds, meant for practicing piping skills.

Stay in Your Comfort Zone

Now’s not the time to bust out an exotic recipe involving passion fruit gelée, or to attempt a tricky technique you’ve never tried before. Stick with cake recipes you know and have mastered, and that you’re sure (from experience) taste good. Don’t feel boxed in by the classic white-on-white, multi-tiered design that tradition has us expect: if your specialty is your grandma’s chocolate babka, then babka away.

Use Your Freezer

So that you’re not covered in flour for days before your wedding and to actually improve the process and quality of the finished product make the cake portion ahead of time and freeze the tiers. Cake freezes well, defrosts quickly, and slightly frozen cake is easier to work with and will result in fewer crumbs in the final icing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, making your own wedding cake can be a rewarding experience but it also requires careful consideration and planning. It’s important to keep the cake simple, outsource some elements, and delegate tasks to trusted friends and family members. Consider a dessert table with multiple treats and choose a cake flavor that suits you and your partner’s taste. Finally, freeze your cake in advance to save time and improve the final product. By following these tips, you can create a beautiful and delicious wedding cake that will be a memorable part of your special day.