Recently I did a wedding tasting and the clients loved the cake. About 2 days later they tell me it was too sweet and would be having diabetic guests at the reception. I probably should have asked for any dietary needs. So my question is how do I cut the sweetness without having to use a artificial sweetner.

It's supposed to be sweet. It's cake for crying out loud. My FIL is diabetic, and would never expect that a Wedding Cake accommodate his needs. He plans ahead, or forgoes the cake altogether. If the Bride, Groom, and all the guests were diabetic, then I would say a special cake would be in order.

You can offer to use Whipped icing or Italian/Swiss meringue buttercream. IMBC or SMBC have a TON less sugar.

Other than that, although its thoughtful that they would be worried about their diabetic guests, I would never alter my recipes and would suggest smaller pieces or ordering a diabetic cake from a trained diabetic baker just for those people, and let the bride take care of that.

I too would never expect people to cater to a specific dietary need at a wedding. I do have people though that are concerned about nuts allergies of one guest and my goodness, I'm sorry, then that guest should avoid cake!!
It stinks to have dietary constraints, but we all have crosses to bear!

There is sugar-free chocolate rounds available now, which would go well with the strawberries.

I've heard of applesauce as a substitute for oil/fat and bananas or other naturally sweet ingredients as a substitute for refined sugar. That would, of course, totally change the taste (and I'm not sure the glycemic index would change all that much anyway). I can't wait to see what jasonkraft says.... talk about impressive allergy-friendly work!!

You can use Agave Nectar for a sweetner (it has no glycemic index) and there are a ton of recipes online for good diabetic cakes, but be sure to search diabetic cakes not sugar free or low sugar because a lot of those cakes use sugar or products that affect diabetics. Agave Nectar is 100% natural and is a wonderful sweetner.

are they making special meal choices too? No bread no potatoes..... no pasta nothing with sugar on the meat? Diabetics ( I am one) know what they should and shouldnt eat. If you make exception on what you eat for a meal then you can have cake! Its not all about sugar its about CARBS!

or better yet tell them you can use sorbital in place of sugar and all of the guests can shit themselves silly!

First : Most Diabetics know what they can and can not have and do not expect the world to revolve around their dietary needs. (and it is not just the sugar. Carbs are also bad for diabetics) So unless you are willing to serve a sugar free - carb free - tasteless cake stick with what they had at the tasting.

Second : Artificial sweetener does not bake the same way sugar does, it is not always an even swap. If you have not baked with artificial sweeteners, doing so for the first time for a wedding cake... not such a good idea.

Third: If it is just that they think it is too sweet, they should have voiced their concern at the tasting. If you are going to make some changes, I would tell them you would be glad to but there is a $XX.XX fee for a second tasting and you will not change what they originally picked with out them tasting the new choice. If you don't, you could be setting your self up for complaints that they did not like what you picked and they want a refund. I know it may sound harsh, but you need to protect yourself. Some people are just looking for a loop hole to ask for their money back.

Good Luck!

thanks for the advice. I did suggest adding salt to the buttercream to cut down on the "sweet" taste. Which will not help the diabetic situation, but it would help with the too sweet issue. I am a southern baker and we believe in a lot of butter and sugar, etc.. I had a friend ask me if I made low fat cakes..I quickly responded no.

I saw a post on here a couple of days ago where someone used Splenda in place of the sugar in SMBC and said it worked great. Walmart also carries Pillsbury sugar free cake and frosting. I know that's not really the ideal thing for a wedding cake...but maybe they could have a small cake on the side that is the sugar free one? Good luck...HTH!

I tried the Splenda products and didn't like the results. The Sugar Blend is actually half sugar,

The post I saw used the regular Splenda, not the blend. Personally, I dislike artificial sweeteners, but for those who can't have sugar, it's a good alternative.

hopefully the sugar industry will release its hold on Stevia and make it available to the public as a sweetener! Perfect for diabetics and not as harmful as chemical sweeteners.

Also add that my mom is diabetic. She has learned to take care of herself and would NEVER expect someone to change their recipes, especially for a wedding, for her needs.

There is a lot of flour (starch= carbs) in cake

It's not just the sugar. If the bride and groom would like to accomodate their diabetic guests, suggest fruit alternatives. Some diabetics can have a piece of cake and if and when they do, prefer just a bite of the real thing, as opposed to a big piece of diabetic dessert substitute. Others forego it altogether. Most adult diabetics can control their diabetes quite well, it is not the cake makers responsibility, not the bride and grooms. Just make sure you let them sign off on the cake, that cake is not a food for diabetics, it is a normal cake.

I would not go the route to make them a diabetic cake, if you do not have the experience. I made on for a diabetic once (Hazelnut cake, no flour, minimal sugar) Was fondant covered, that he could peel off, BUT they had to sign for it. I also gave them a complete list (incl weights) of ingredients in the whole cake, which were sugar and starch based, so that they could count out the points

Diabetics can have hazelnuts, but then you have the allergics to contend with

I made the new Pillsbury Sugar Free cake mix for my Dad this weekend and it tasted great....and I hate anything sugar free because it tends to have a nasty aftertaste.

That must be the silliest thing I've every heard from bride and groom. Sounds like they just said the first thing that came into their heads because they themselves didn't like the sweet taste. They obviously don't know what they are talking about.

As a diabetic myself, I certainly wouldn't expect a bride and groom to accommodate me at their wedding. I can CHOOSE what I put in my mouth and am educated enough to know what I can and cannot eat.

The biggest myth that people need to get over is that it is not just sugar that raises a person's blood sugar. It is any kind of carbohydrates at all because our bodies break down complex carbohydrates like flours and starches into sugar. Try to bake a cake without flour, sugar or eggs.

Now, if they don't like the sweet icing, then they could ask for whipped icing or Italian buttercream but to say you can't have sweet buttercream because diabetics are present is ridiculous in my opinion.

I think you hit the nail on the head KathysCC!