Wedding Cakes:
When planning a wedding reception, be sure to give special attention to the wedding cake. There is, of course, a certain chain of events and best practices that are good to follow.
When you are ready to select a wedding cake, you should arrange to meet with three bakers and taste their products. If you have attended or are planning on attending a bridal show, you can easily and quickly take care of this task at the show.
If you have a certain look you are going for with your wedding cake, be sure to bring a picture of what you would like when meeting with bakers. It is also a good idea to bring along your cake topper if you already have it as well as fabric swatches of the bridesmaid's dresses. Also, be prepared to give the baker an estimated number of guests that you are expecting.
When you meet with the baker, be sure to ask to see a portfolio of pictures that have been taken of the baker's previous work. In addition, always check references before making a final decision.
When you are interviewing the bakers, ask each one the same questions so that you do not forget anything and so that you can make an accurate comparison. Some things to inquire about are the set-up and take-down of the table where the cake will be, who will put the cake topper on the cake, who will place napkins, plates, flowers, etc. on the table, and who will direct the cutting of the cake.
Also, find out where the cake will be stored (it must be out of direct sunlight), who will be in charge of boxing up the cake top and giving to a previously designated person, what arrangements will be made for the left-over cake, and who will cut the cake and distribute it. Cutting a wedding cake is much trickier than it looks and must be done by someone who is familiar with the process.
When you are reviewing a baker's contract, be sure to note several things. For instance, you should immediately see the name, contact person, location, and phone numbers for the bakery. The cake size, shape, and number of tiers must be on the contract. Be sure that the cake flavor(s), fillings, and icing are noted and that returnable items are clearly stated.
Be sure that the number of guests the cake is to serve is on the contract as we;; as when the cake was ordered, when the cake will be delivered and assembled, what the set-up fee is if applicable, and the due dates for deposits and balances. For more information on wedding cakes and other wedding ideas, be sure to go to www.bridalblog.info.
In closing, choosing a cake can really be a lot of fun. You have the chance to sample some goodies and make some light-hearted decisions about fillings, flavors, and decorations. However, in the process, make sure you are noting all of the details that need to be covered so that you are confident in your baker's ability to deliver the product that you are expecting.
Cake Decorating Supplies - A Complete Review:
I remember my first experience to really good (handy) cake decorating supplies was when I was a kid and at that time used to enjoy watching my grandmother baking and decorating. My grandmother would bake as well as cool a set of cakes, ice the layers and the cake in completion, subsequently it was time for the greatest delight for me when she would reach out to a special cabinet and take out cake decorating supplies in a package that looked like a gift box: the cake decorating supplies were kept stored in parts, each part fitting into its own cardboard cutout form. One by one Gram would slowly pull out the metal barrel, the plunger, the washer, and one or more of the tips hese tips were used to make leaves, or flowers, or perhaps to do tubing, to set stars.
Gram would put together the pieces and spoon one color frosting at a time into the cool metal tube, screw back on the plunger, and begin to work on decorating, which at times would take hours that were probably arduous, despite the fact that she never expressed a single complaint and neither did I move, fascinated as I was by the process, till she was done completely. Years later, when I had my own home, my grandmother had sent me a set of cake decorating supplies that were similar to her set. At times I practiced, and found these decorators to be incredible things of beauty - in form and function (and durability).
Though at some point later, I lost or loaned and never got back my cake decorating supplies, and changed them with the ultra-professional frosting bags and decorating tips, which were just as lovely (though if you have hot hands, the canvas bags transfer the heat faster than it would with the metal set to the frosting and it will puddle, so hold the bag by the top where you have twisted or folded it).
Last Christmas, I wanted to give a friend who had just gotten into gourmet baking a set of those cake decorating supplies of yore. Since I didn't find the time to go online, I found, rather stupidly, a discounted cake decorator at a local department store. Actually the thing doesn't stay closed (at the plunger and cap), and it is plastic and stays greasy after washing. Ugh. Despite the fact twenty years ago I would have had an excuse, however today, I should know better and use a site like eBay, where we not only find cake decorating supplies but those of the quality of the originals: A good tip is to either look for the brand name Wilton or use keywords like "vintage" or "original" or "aluminum" for the kind of cake-decorating supplies Gram had.
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