Not A Pro...is It Hard To Make Wedding Cakes?
Decorating By Ashleymamaof4 Updated 8 Aug 2014 , 12:32pm by kkmcmahan
Thank you so much! I am most certainly a hobby baker, but every once and awhile one of my coworkers will request a cake or some other tastiness from me. My latest request is for a 4 tier (!!) birthday cake, and this thread will help so much when it comes time to build it!
Thanks again!
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All I can say is WOW! I was following the "Smooth Buttercream Icing" topic and thanks to JanH I was led to this wonderful section in CC with possibly the most information a newbie could ever ask for. Thanks so much, JanhH! 
I read the first 10 or so replies before I realized this was an old thread. I thought to myself "wow, I am impressed everyone is being so nice to her and not getting catty about the question is a wedding cake easy?" 
I think times may have changed a little in the recent past with helping newbies without telling them to "do a search."
I hope to see more helpful replies like this one in the future!
BTW, you can bookmark this thread (if you tend to use one computer mainly) and name it whatever you want. That way you aren't watching the topic and getting email notifications after so many new posts. Unless you want to, that is! 
I posted this awhile ago and really appreciate all the advice, I still use the references and ideas people gave! Thank you. Also I did make my own cake, tried to keep it simple. It tasted delicious bottom tier was wasc, second pink champagne, third and top was double chocolate and cherries.
I forgot about how cool this thread was!!
I spray my pans and then cut out a parchment circle to put on the bottom then spray it again. And I make the cakes about 3 days in advance and freeze them take them out and let them thaw but not completely buttercream them then fondant them. A good stable support system and a good base is the key for a good cake
Ashleymammaof4: You are one brave lady to be tackling your own wedding cake with 4 children(unless they are all grown) or all great helpers. When I do get to have myself a wedding and reception I am planning on doing my own cake and I am definitely keeping in mind what Blakescakes said about storing fondant covered wedding cakes ahead of time. I know that ones without fondant would do just as well.
Box cake. Wrap box in 2 layers of saran wrap, 1 layer of foil. Put wrapped box in garbage bag. Place in freezer.
24 hrs. before serving, place completely boxed & wrapped cake in refrigerator. Several hours before serving, place boxed & wrapped cake on counter to come to room temp. Immediately before display & serving, remove cake from wrapping & box. Eat cake.
This is exactly how these cakes were handled. They were frozen for 2 weeks before serving:
Well the pictures didn't paste, but this is on a forum discussion by him and the cakes arebeautiful Best wishes. God bless you on your marriage.
AYou've already gotten good advice. Mine would be to keep it simple! You've got a year do you may very well be able to do wonders! But I had a friend who tried this and it nearly killed her lol. Simple and elegant could look as good as anything.
AI know, can't thank enough! I can't believe I've never come across this site before. So glad I did though. On paper I feel organized, it's when I go bed I stress takes ages go sleep especially after I've gotten up to feed baby. I think as soon as I've practiced properly it won't be so bad. Offered make my sister who turns 18 this year a two tier looking forward to that, it's weird. It doesn't help I'm a born worrier lol.
Do you want to be a lovely, happy relaxed smiling bride? With dress, hair & make up perfect, greeting guests with grace, actually enjoying your special day? Then maybe you shouldn't make your own cake...and here's why.
Don't get me wrong, making wedding & special occasion cakes is AWESOME, but unless you're really comfy making cakes, and have every other detail of your wedding totally dialed in, you just might want to sub that out...and start your cake making career when you don't have 10 million other details to attend to. Just making / delivering / setting up / serving someone elses wedding cake when you don't have tons of other things to do can be stressful enough.
I REALLY LOVE MAKING CAKES! And all kinds of cooking & baking; so much so that I catered my own wedding. In part because I wanted it to be really good, and in part because my 3 evil step sisters had been married on average 5 times each (swear to God, long story), & my very controlling step father wouldn't let my Mother give me more than $1,000 for my wedding, as he said "these relationships never last." FYI, I've been married 19 years. I had originally hoped for 200 guests, but cut my guest list to 125, & did everything myself, and DID NOT have a good time at all. I did use fresh flowers from my greenhouse, orchids, and the cake looked & tasted fine, but between that and the entrees, the drinks, the music, and set up, etcetcetc, I was totally spent by the time guests began arriving. My hair had gone limp, my make up was bleah, I had a bernaise spot on my white dress. My mood, well, let's just say I was really resenting that step dad & those fickle stepsisters (And they were there, looking for dates), their many marriages, and my measley budget (yes, I had $$ of my own, but weddings are very expensive!) So I hardly remember the night at all & was so completely exhausted that I spent much of my honeymoon in a near coma, recovering from days of hard work, and the cake was a big part of it. I'd attach a picture of it, but that was just another one of the details that was somewhat under attended to....tho I have one somewhere. For our 20th anniversary, I'm thinking I might want a do-over. Smaller. Just un-inviting the step-sisters & their ex's cuts the guest list in half....
Do you have a friend who you might switch off cakes with? Like, if you make hers now, she makes yours then sort of thing? That way you can hopefully get a cake you'll enjoy, without being burned out on it, and still have all the time and attention a wedding cake deserves without toomuch stressing. And trust me, you will have more than enough to keep you busy then. And there will be other cakes to love.
Good luck, best wishes, and send pictures!
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Do you want to be a lovely, happy relaxed smiling bride? With dress, hair & make up perfect, greeting guests with grace, actually enjoying your special day? Then maybe you shouldn't make your own cake...and here's why.
Don't get me wrong, making wedding & special occasion cakes is AWESOME, but unless you're really comfy making cakes, and have every other detail of your wedding totally dialed in, you just might want to sub that out...and start your cake making career when you don't have 10 million other details to attend to. Just making / delivering / setting up / serving someone elses wedding cake when you don't have tons of other things to do can be stressful enough.
I REALLY LOVE MAKING CAKES! And all kinds of cooking & baking; so much so that I catered my own wedding. In part because I wanted it to be really good, and in part because my 3 evil step sisters had been married on average 5 times each (swear to God, long story), & my very controlling step father wouldn't let my Mother give me more than $1,000 for my wedding, as he said "these relationships never last." FYI, I've been married 19 years. I had originally hoped for 200 guests, but cut my guest list to 125, & did everything myself, and DID NOT have a good time at all. I did use fresh flowers from my greenhouse, orchids, and the cake looked & tasted fine, but between that and the entrees, the drinks, the music, and set up, etcetcetc, I was totally spent by the time guests began arriving. My hair had gone limp, my make up was bleah, I had a bernaise spot on my white dress. My mood, well, let's just say I was really resenting that step dad & those fickle stepsisters (And they were there, looking for dates), their many marriages, and my measley budget (yes, I had $$ of my own, but weddings are very expensive!) So I hardly remember the night at all & was so completely exhausted that I spent much of my honeymoon in a near coma, recovering from days of hard work, and the cake was a big part of it. I'd attach a picture of it, but that was just another one of the details that was somewhat under attended to....tho I have one somewhere. For our 20th anniversary, I'm thinking I might want a do-over. Smaller. Just un-inviting the step-sisters & their ex's cuts the guest list in half....
Do you have a friend who you might switch off cakes with? Like, if you make hers now, she makes yours then sort of thing? That way you can hopefully get a cake you'll enjoy, without being burned out on it, and still have all the time and attention a wedding cake deserves without toomuch stressing. And trust me, you will have more than enough to keep you busy then. And there will be other cakes to love.
Good luck, best wishes, and send pictures!
I'll have to agree. I made my sister's wedding cake last year. She also wanted me to be her bridesmaid. There was no way I could have done both. I was limp and sweaty by the time I finished setting up the cake (an hour late because the photog was using the room). While I was sponging and changing, the bridesmaids were having photos done. I wanted to do the cake more than wear a pink dress, (my royal blue dress was fabulous) so that was my choice, but I would have been miserable if I had been in the bridal party too.
FYI, I also took a Xanax before the delivery and started drinking right after the ceremony! :D
10 years ago I made the cake and catered my father's wedding. Same thing. I was super busy up til the minute of the ceremony AND it was at their house so no transporting and I was still rushed off my feet.
The thing about food is that it all has to be done at the end, and thats when you want to be calm and collected.
Just food for thought.
AI diy'ed a lot of my wedding (not the cake) and I was exhausted by the time it started.
Congratulations on your up coming wedding. I made my wedding cake. We wanted a 5 tier cake stacked cake and there was no way we would have been able to afford the cost of it. So I made a 6 inch fruit cake for the top, and the rest were Styrofoam, with a cut out on the bottom tier for cutting. We bought slabs. I covered them in fondant with piping and fresh flower accents. We loved it. here is a picture of it: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=195325003962085&set=a.195325057295413.1073741829.195321170629135&type=3&theater
good luck.
I think I must've been lucky in a way. In the end I didn't give two toots about the a perfect cake -it was not ready for its close up, but looked good otherwise- so I wasn't overly stressed about it. I did ask everyone who was free for some help along the way. I had people juicing lemons, kneading fondant, it wasn't entirely a one-woman show. When it is just me, even my "simple" cakes can be really stressful especially ones for parties I'm hosting. I finished the cake a full 24 hours before the wedding, and thankfully it was fine by the next night. I don't even think I checked it the day of the wedding, haha. I've been a baker for a looooooooong time though. It was just the damn MMF that I couldn't get to corporate. The cakes were no problem for me at all. I made enough cake to serve about 75 people for $60 grand total. Vegan cake is pretty cheap to make.. It'd cost me a lot more if it was regular cake.
Oh, and always be prepared for the worst. I ordered enough sheet cake for everyone (that was really good, and I did end up serving as well) and bought some vegan candy. I think that took a lot of stress off too, and if I didn't serve the extra cake I was going to donate it to the soup kitchen. The sheet cake cost me another $75-90, I can't remember. The only place I could order the same size of a plain wedding cake cost at least a few hundred, $350 ish, and didn't have a vegan cake option.
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I did, but its being referenced and commented on in the past month- including by brides wanting to do their own cakes.
Yeah - I was more referring to people giving specific advice to the OP, and congratulating her on the upcoming wedding. Just to save anyone else wasting time doing the same.
AWell, I've practiced all my tiers individually, made a few alterations and 1 complete recipe change. My taste testers are loving it had some amazing comments I didn't think I'd get,( they're also putting the weight on so I get look slimmer, BONUS lol)! I just have to try stacking now. I had some advice on using the sps but it costs a fortune to get it shipped, so I've gone with Wilson hidden pillars and locking plates, must have watched the man using them 5 times, they're arriving Monday. Has anyone got any bad experience or tips in using them? Feeling so at ease with it all at the moment, waiting for something go wrong, lol My cake folder is bigger than wedding folder my partner says I'm mote excited about doing the cake than getting married... Bless. It's nice have something focus on for a few days other than getting jittery about doing vows, I'll be worried my tiers will be jittery on the day hehe. There's some amazing people on here who are so kind and helpful. Also, been asked to make cakes for people now which is nice but I don't like the tax man, can't see me doing accounts haha plus with a new baby and wedding I think I've got enough. For now anyway
how do you save a thread? sorry, I've never done it before, and want to keep all the info that Jan H listed!
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how do you save a thread? sorry, I've never done it before, and want to keep all the info that Jan H listed!
Open a word document, cut and paste the info you want to save. Then you have it forever. Or bookmark the thread on your computer (save in your favorites). Do these help?
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