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Archive for the ‘Cakes’ Category

Last week, you may have seen my post featuring fairytale castle cakes which are perfect for a fantasy wedding.  This week I wanted to share some of my favorite Cinderella themed cakes.  Some of these cakes also incorporate castles, but on a less intricate scale.  However in my quest to find great Cinderella cakes, I focused primarily on finding wedding cakes that incorporated a pumpkin-shaped carriage, glass slippers, and prince charming with his princess.  Here are just a few of my favorite cakes from Flickr. 

The cake in the lower left corner is one of the most interesting overall cake presentations that I found for a Cinderella wedding.  The actual tiered wedding cake was elegant, but the real “wow” factor was in the presentation of the cake which was surrounded by flower-covered arches and four “wheels” that formed a beautiful carriage around the cake.  Talk about a focal point at the reception!

Beyond the cake itself, another great way to incorporate the wedding coach theme into the reception is through the use of accessories.  I found this fun Wedding Coach Accessory Set online.  It features toasting flutes, a wedding cake serving set, a guest book and pen that all have a coach-shape in the design.  I love that the set is fully coordinated and it ties in perfectly with the Cinderella wedding theme.

Every bride should feel like a Princess on her big day!  And if you are a bride that wants the full-on royal treatment, then you are likely going with a fairytale or Cinderella themed wedding.   If you’ve found your Prince Charming, then a “Happily Ever After” or “Dreams Do Come True” wedding where your dressed in a voluminous white ball gown and you arrive at the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage may be the vision you have for an ideal wedding.  Of course, no fairytale wedding is complete without the castle so why not incorporate that component directly into the wedding cake.  You can make it the focal point of the reception.  Below you’ll find some of my favorite castle themed cakes from Flickr.

These AMAZING cake creations definitely take the castle theme to the fantasy level!  Many of these cakes likely were constructed over a few days as fondant was rolled and faux bricks were made with a rolling tool. Castle towers can be sculpted from things like rice krispie treats wrapped around pipes or they can be made from non-edible components that are just wrapped in fondant.  Prince charming and princess figurines can be constructed from marzipan, fondant or even modeling chocolate.  

The intricate details of these cakes can make them quite expensive.  That said, a more affordable option would be for the designer to create an elegant tiered cake fit for a princess and then use a beautiful fairytale castle cake topper like the one shown to the right from Wedding Favors Unlimited.  The glazed porcelain castle makes a great wedding day keepsake and it says “And They Lived Happily Ever After” along the base.

And don’t forget to use a castle themed cake serving set and guest book.  You can get a fully coordinated fairytale castle bridal set that includes the toasting flutes, cake server, guest book and pen set from Wedding Favors Unlimited as well.

When it comes to a nautical themed wedding, I personally envision a stylish east coast preppy wedding.  Think the Kennedy’s sailing on their yacht near Hyannisport on Cape Cod.  The nautical motif usually incorporates things like sailboats, lighthouses, Adirondack chairs, anchors, and beach items such as starfish and sand dollars.  And when it comes to the color scheme, think blue, green and white with a hint of khaki mixed in here and there.   With all that in mind, I set out on a quest to find some of my favorite nautical themed cakes at Flickr.  You can see a collage of my favorites below:

As you can see from all the photos above, I generally prefer a white fondant or buttercream base for the cake color.  That way, the designer can easily incorporate a wide range of blue hues into the color scheme.  I especially like a navy and red or navy and light blue striped pattern around at least one of the layers.   The middle cake is also one of my very favorites as I love the nautical roping that encircles the cake tiers.  For the wedding cake topper, I prefer either a lovely sailboat or even a pair of white Adirondack chairs.

As always, I recommend finding some photos online of nautical themed cakes that you like and bring those to the bakery with you to show the designer.  Don’t forget to interview a few bakers and taste lots of cake because you deserve only the best on your big day!

Whether you are planning an actual wedding reception in Las Vegas or you’ve just eloped and are having a big party back home, this collage has lots of fun ideas for incorporating the theme into your wedding cake.   Personally I associate Vegas with fun so all of these cakes are a bit whimsical.  If you are more of a traditional bride, rest assured that you can find elegant, upscale cakes for a Vegas wedding as well.

Some fun decorations for a Vegas themed cake are the classic “Welcome To Las Vegas” sign, dice made from red or black fondant with white dots, playing cards (spade, heart, club, and diamond shapes), roulette wheels, and slot machines with lucky number 7’s displayed or coins spilling down the side of the cake.  Another really fun idea for a Vegas themed cake is to use round tiers with each layer decorated as a different colored casino chip.  You can customize the “chips” with the bride and groom’s names in place of the normal Casino name usually written on real gaming chips. 

I always recommend finding a great local baker to make your wedding cake so if you are getting married in Vegas, but don’t live in that area, contact a few popular Vegas bakeries like Freed’s Bakery or do a search on google for other cake bakers in Las Vegas.  In any case, you should ask them to send you cake samples.  You should ALWAYS taste your wedding cake flavor before you purchase it so that you don’t end up disappointed on your big day.  There is nothing more dissappointing than having a cake that looks great, but tastes terrible.  If you are planning the reception for your own town, you should follow the same advice.  Take photos of some Vegas cake designs that you like along to your cake bakery appointment so that the designer has a good idea about your preferences.  And be sure to set up a cake tasting appointment to so that you can find the perfect cake for you and your guests.

Yee-haw!  Get ready for an old-fashioned rustic country wedding.  If your vision for the perfect wedding includes an entrance on horses galloping across a hayfield, centerpieces constructed of galvanized pails filled with wildflowers, or a barn reception complete with hay bales, then these charming country western styled wedding cakes will be right up your alley! Photo below is from Flickr.

Above you’ll see some of my favorite country themed wedding cakes from Flickr.  Creativity abounds on these cakes that would be a welcome addition to any western style event.  When it comes to the wedding cake, you can choose to have a tiered design like most of those shown above or you can go with a shaped cake such as a cowboy hat, a covered wagon or even a pair of cowboy boots.  Bakers have all kinds of tricks for incorporating a western theme into the tiers such as hay bales made using toasted coconut, red and white gingham, plastic or molded chocolate horseshoes, plus fence, rope, and raffia ribbon.   Country western figurines and cake toppers can add the finishing touch to the top tier of a rustic wedding cake.  Here are a couple of fun wedding cake toppers that I found online.  The first topper depicts a bride in her cowboy boots having a rootin’ tootin’ good time dancing with her groom who is also wearing cowboy boots and also a cowboy hat.  The second cake topper features wooden lucky horseshoe along with a white and black cowboy hat that sit atop a base covered in white organza ribbon.  What a great way to finish off a Western Themed Wedding Cake!

A few weeks ago I attended an amazing wedding at the Kiln Creek Country Club in Virginia.  The bride and groom were both avid golfers so they incorporated their love of golf in the wedding reception by utilizing personalized golf ball wedding favors, a golf ball shaped planter filled with flowers for the centerpieces, and a whimsical cake featuring a golf couple wedding cake topper sitting on the “green”. 

It was the first wedding that I had attended where golfing was a prevalent component in the reception decor.  Of course, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to poke around online to find interesting wedding cake designs that feature a golf theme.  You can see some of my favorite designs in the photo collage below:

What I found was an interesting combination of both cupcakes and cakes that utilized a green and blue color scheme.  Clever bakers incorporate a grass like green along with sand traps fashioned from brown sugar and water hazards.  A bride and groom in golf outfits with club in hand (made from marzipan or modeling chocolate) always look great atop these creations. 

For a more upscale looking golf cake, consider using a blue, green and white argyle pattern around the cake tiers with a simple golf themed cake topper.  I love the cake topper shown to the right….the exasperated bride with her arms crossed standing next to her golf obsessed groom who has golf clubs in hand and golf shoes on his feet.  What a cute addition to any golf themed wedding!

Photo Credits: 
Golf Wedding Cake Collagefrom DessertLover2010 at Flickr
Exasperated Bride & Golfer Groom Cake Topper from Wedding Favors Unlimited

Having a butterfly themed wedding?  Incorporating butterflies into your wedding cake design can yield a delicate and beautiful effect that is sure to wow your wedding guests.  Many brides choose to incorporate butterflies throughout their wedding because they symbolize the ending of a previous phase of life and the new beginning.  The many natural species of butterflies offer a wide range of color choices making them a great option no matter what you wedding color scheme.

Cake bakers can do amazing things on cakes these days.  Feast your eyes on some of the stunning cake creations in the montage below that incorporate butterflies.  From handmade gum paste butterflies that seem to float up the cake to silk butterflies that are paired with flowers to hand-sculpted butterflies decorated with pearls, the options are endless.  I personally love these types of cakes for spring and summer weddings as well as garden parties or events.  Butterflies are almost always paired with beautiful flowers on the cake design.

Prefer to have butterfly themed cupcakes instead of a large tiered wedding cake?  Then check out my previous butterfly cupcake post where I show some of my favorite cupcake displays.

Spring has sprung in most of the U.S. which means that the butterflies and birds are returning.  Why not incorporate a touch of Spring into your wedding or bridal shower by using a butterfly theme on your cupcakes?  Not sure if cupcakes (versus a classic layer cake) are the right choice for your wedding?  Check out this Squidoo lens which covers the pros and cons of using cupcakes and has a wide range of fantastic wedding cupcake ideas!  If cupcakes aren’t your thing, be sure to check out my post featuring butterfly cakes in the very near future.

Once you’ve decided cupcakes are for you, then choosing the theme is the first step.  As you can see in the montage of photos below, you can incorporate silk butterflies on flowers or gum paste and royal icing butterflies in various colors that will fit in perfectly with your wedding or bridal shower color scheme….blues, purples, pinks, yellows….they all look great!

Presentation is everything (besides taste of course)!  When it comes to using cupcakes at a wedding, present them on a tiered cupcake stand to create an elegant effect.  As you can see in the above photos, many brides incorporate a small cake on the top tier that can be used for the cake cutting ceremony or frozen to eat on the 1st wedding anniversary.  The other great thing about having a top tier is that you can use a wedding cake topper. Prior to the wedding, be sure to spend some time planning out exactly how you will display your butterfly cupcakes on your big day.  Even expertly decorated cupcakes can end up looking cheap if they are not presented properly.  Of course, this is less important for a bridal shower, but even in a casual environment, I suggest using a tiered cupcake stand.

Photos are courtesy of Flickr.

Having trouble deciding on a cake theme for your beach wedding?  Well there is no need to worry!  In my previous post, I gave you some ideas as well as a photo collage of my favorite beach inspired wedding cakes.  So in this post, I thought I’d share my thoughts and ideas regarding cupcakes for a beach wedding. 

One of the biggest trends in wedding cakes this year is the fact that more and more brides are utilizing cupcakes instead of traditional layered wedding cakes.  Generally cupcakes are less expensive and guests love getting their own individual dessert that they can either enjoy at the reception or take home with them in a little cupcake favor box.

Like the large beach cakes, small cupcakes tend to incorporate the same types of motifs to create a tropical or beach feel.  Consider incorporating seashells or starfish, brightly colored tropical flowers, or palm trees constructed from chocolate or marzipan.  The most popular color schemes for beach inspired cupcakes are a sandy neutral brown or an ocean blue. 

In the photo collage below, you can see some of my favorite beach inspired cupcake displays.  In all cases, I like the use of cupcake stands to create an impressive, tall display.  As you can see, the most popular beach theme is seashells that are likely molded out of chocolate.  You can use various shapes on each cupcake (you can even use the shapes to denote different cupcake flavors).  For instance, you could use a starfish shape to indicate chocolate cupcakes, a seashell to denote vanilla cupcakes, and a seahorse shape to denote red velvet cupcakes.  The possibilities are endless!

Photo Credit:
1. Beach Wedding CupCake Towers; Wilmington, NC Carolina Cakes & Confections, 2. Beach Themed Wedding Cupcakes, 3. Beach Themed Wedding Cupcakes., 4. Beach wedding cupcakes, 5. an alternative to wedding cake – cupcakes!, 6. Beach Cupcake Tower, 7. 4989_1073228919465_1488420009_30201004_5981428_n, 8. Beach theme wedding cupcake at the Sawmill creek golf resort and spa Camlachie 2, 9. Wedding cupcake tower

When it comes to creating a beach wedding cake that will wow your guests, consider the location of your wedding and use the local landscape and scenery as your inspiration.   Will you be getting married in a more tropical setting full of hibiscus flowers or a more nautical setting near a cliff-side lighthouse?  Take a cue from your surroundings and you are sure to have an impressive cake.

Seashells
Without a doubt, the most popular motif for a beach wedding cake is seashells.  Television shows like Cake Boss demonstrate just how creative and talented cake bakers across the U.S. are these days.  If you give your baker some shells that you love as inspiration, they should be able to create similar “shells” out of marzipan, chocolate, and other tools at their disposal.  I’ve found that it is best to try and get the shells to look as natural as possible using colors that you find on the actual real shells.

Besides shells, you can consider using other sea creatures on your cake as well.  Things such as sand dollars, starfish, and seahorses always tie in well with a shell and beach-inspired cake theme.

Sandcastles
If you’ve ever been to Virginia Beach during the sand castle building contest or to the malecon in Puerto Vallarta, you’ve seen some of the amazing sculptures that can be created using beach sand.   You can have your baker create an elaborate sand castle cake just for you.  They simply use brown sugar to create the “sand”.

Tropical Flowers
You can always choose to keep your cake classic and simple by utilizing some tropical flowers such as hibiscus, bromeliads, birds of paradise, etc. around the base of your cake.  You can also get your baker to create edible tropical flowers out of gum paste, marzipan, or icing for the top and sides of your cake.

If you are having difficulty choosing a cake design, I recommend looking around online for inspiration.  Below I’ve put together a collage of some of my favorite beach cake designs….maybe one of them will be just what you want for your big day!

Photo Credit:
1. Seashell Wedding Cake, 2. “Coral and Shells” with ruffled cupcakes, 3. Seashells & Bows Wedding Cake, 4. Mindy’s Beach Cake, 5. Beach Theme Bridal Shower Cake 2, 6. Chocolate Sea Themed Wedding Cake, 7. Beach themed Seashell cake, 8. Sandcastle Wedding Cake, 9. beach wedding cake