Hello and welcome to my first blog post! And what better topic to kick start my first blog than cake flavours! In a very aesthetic, image driven industry, a lot of focus (rightly so) is placed on how your wedding cake looks. But for me, flavour is right up there on top of the priority list too! Your cake needs to taste as good as it looks right?
I specialise in delivering exceptional wedding cakes to my clients in the South East of England. And when you deliver something exceptional, there’s a very high level of expectation that the flavour is going to match the luxurious look and feel of the cake design. That’s why I place a lot of importance on the flavour of my wedding cakes and take the time to talk through this in detail with my clients.
So, if you’ve still got ‘book luxury wedding cake’ on your list of things to do, here’s a few tips:
#Tip 1: Talk to your cake designer about ingredients
It’s becoming even more important in a time of increased allergies and intolerances as well as a focus on sustainability and organic produce to talk to your cake designer about where and what ingredients they use, especially if any of the above that I’ve mentioned is important to you. Say a couple asked me to cater for a dairy free intolerance; I would suggest I’m not the right cake designer for them. All of my cakes include dairy produce and baking with substitutes isn’t something I specialise in but there’s a wealth of amazing bakers out there who do!
On the other hand, if a prospective couple or wedding planner asked me about local, organic produce, I could reassure them that I only use organic flour and eggs and local produce such as strawberries to make my homemade jam. Ensuring my ingredients are free from any harmful pesticides and sourced locally where possible to reduce my carbon footprint.
The quality of a bakers ingredients is also paramount; it will directly affect the flavour and structure of the cake. For example, I only use Callebaut chocolate in my cakes and ganache as the high cocoa content brings the most luxurious taste to a cake.
Tip 2: Think about the time of year you’re getting married.
I’m a firm believer that the time of year you’re getting married shouldn’t affect the flavour you choose if it’s what you really want. It’s your special day and your favourite cake flavour should absolutely feature in your wedding cake.
However. I also believe that certain flavours are better suited to certain seasons. Who could argue that a sticky toffee cake doesn’t have ‘autumn vibes’ written all over it? Or that a light and zesty lemon sponge doesn’t scream “SPRINNNG!”? So whether you’re planning a pastel, floral inspired spring wedding or opting for a Christmas themed winter wonderland, it’s worth considering which flavours may work better for your wedding season. Whilst also totally making sure you get your favourite flavour in their too. And as I’ll come on to cover later in this blog, the beauty of multiple tiered cakes is that you can have more than one flavour! Yeay!
Tip: 3: Consider the colour of your sponges
The ‘semi-naked’ buttercream cake is still hugely popular and is looking to remain so in 2022. So one thing to consider if you’re opting for this style of cake is the colour of your sponges driven by your flavour choices. Elements of the sponge will often show throw the buttercream so if you’re looking for a typically light looking sponge, consistent across all of your cake tiers, you will be somewhat limited to paler sponge flavours (shown in the image on the left from a Rivervale Barn Wedding in Hampshire). In contrast, flavours such as chocolate mud cake or sticky toffee cake will produce a much darker sponge of different shades.
If you have your heart set on a sugarpaste or ‘fondant’ covered cake then sponge colour is really irrelevant. Like most wedding cake designers, the sponges in my sugarpaste wedding cakes are all covered in a silky white chocolate ganache before being decorated so that darker sponges won’t show through and the colour is consistent throughout.
Tip 4: Research which flavours your wedding cake designer offers
Most wedding cake designers will offer the staple ‘core’ flavours such as vanilla sponge and chocolate cake. But often cake makers will speciliase in other types of flavours too – some may be more ‘patisserie’ driven and others maybe more ‘eclectic’ in their approach.
So check out their signature flavour collection and what types of fillings they are paired with – chocolate ganache, Swiss meringue buttercream for example. And if you don’t see a flavour you have your heart set on – ask your designer if they’d consider making it for you anyway.
You can view my list of signature flavours here.
Tip 5: Try before you buy!
Would you buy your wedding dress without trying it on? Would you book your venue without visiting it? Would you send out invitations without seeing the design first? I’m guessing that the answer to all of these questions is a resounding ‘No!’. So I would absolutely advise you to adopt the same approach when booking your wedding cake designer.
There’s a couple of approaches to take here. You may already have a wedding cake designer in mind and they maybe showcasing their designs at a local wedding fair. Whilst a cake designer may not be able to chat in detail about your requirements, most cake designers will have samples for you to try. So pop along and check them out and try one of their samples.
Alternatively, most wedding cake designers also offer samples boxes. Here’s an example from my website. Typically these will be posted to you and will feature a selection of the cake designers signature flavours.
Tip #6: Why have one flavour when you can have many?
I specialise in luxury, high-end wedding cakes and as such many of my designs feature multiple tiers. I am always surprised when couples ask me if they can only have the one flavour for their entire cake or if they could have a different flavour for each tier. The answer is absolutely yes you can have different flavours! In fact, unless my client is absolutely sold on one particular flavour and no others, I go out of my way to recommend a different flavour for each tier. Its so hard to just narrow it down to one or two flavours and multiple flavours offer you and your guests much more choice.
And there you have it. My top tips for thinking about, choosing and tasting different wedding cake flavours. It’s such a great topic to discuss as a couple and so much fun getting to try the different flavour choices for your cake.
If you have any questions about the content in my blog or using my services for your wedding please get in touch.
Image Credits:
- Megan Claire Photography
- Hannah Argyle Photography