Baker extraordinaire Emily Fitter fills us in on the latest wedding cake trends and gives her expert tips for finding the right cake for you.
How much cake is too much cake?
As a child, if I was ever feeling upset or had a bad day my Mum would say to me: “Bake a cake Em”. It would instantly relax me and lift my spirits. Moving forward 25 years and I have been lucky enough to make my passion a career. I have been baking cakes my whole life and specialising in wedding cakes for years.
From my experience there are a few common questions that couples have about cakes. The first is ‘How much cake will we need?’
As delicious as wedding cake is, it’s likely not every guest will have a slice, so I usually suggest catering for around 70% of the guests, unless you plan on eating cake for the next week.
Some cakes keep better than others; while a sponge won’t last more than a few days, fruit cake keeps for months. So if you’re having a tier of fruit cake it’s a good idea to have that cut last, as it will keep better if uncut. It is possible to freeze your wedding cake, but I haven’t heard many success stories.
Your wedding cake maker will be able to advise you on the best size to have for your specific needs. I usually suggest a four-tier cake of 4”, 6”, 8” and 10” for around 100 people.
Naked to metallic – the cake trends to pay attention to
Cakes are BIG at the moment. With TV shows like the Great British Bake Off and Extreme Cakes giving rise to lots of creativity in the sector your options are endless. While most couples will opt for a variation on the traditional tiered cake, there is still lots of scope here to make a statement.
Naked cakes
Recently ‘naked’ and ‘semi-naked’ sponge cakes have been particularly popular. A naked cake is just that, no icing at all on the outside. The cake is then often decorated with fruit and fresh flowers before a light dusting of icing sugar is added. Every sponge on a naked cake has to be perfectly and evenly baked so that there’s no colour variation on the sponges when you look at the cake as a whole. There are often 16 separately-baked sponges in one wedding cake, and it’s no mean feat to create uniformity.
Semi-naked cakes
On a semi-naked cake a thin scraping of buttercream is applied around the cake to fill in the gaps but you are still able to see the sponge through. Some people think that this helps to keep the sponge moist, though if the cake is baked fresh the day before the wedding a naked cake shouldn’t dry out. Once the buttercream is added, the semi-naked cake is again finished with optional berries and flowers, but not usually icing sugar.
Popular decoration
In terms of decoration, botanicals are very popular right now, whether it’s fresh greenery on a buttercream cake or sugar flowers and loose trailing leaves on an iced cake.
Another trend is metallics. Copper was very popular last year, but rose gold is the new star and I love using it on details on my cakes. The soft shine goes particularly well with a blush pink or neutral colour scheme.
Rich jewel tones are also making an appearance. Claret and burgundy with ivory or white were a popular choice for 2018 and 2019 weddings.
A nod to the traditional cake
Despite the naked cake trend I’ve noticed couples leaning back towards the iced cakes. That's because long gone are the days of thick icing that the guests just pick off. My wedding cakes, for example, are covered in a white chocolate ganache to set a firm foundation and covered with a thin layer of swiss patisserie icing, which tastes delicious!
And while fruit cake isn’t as popular as it used to be, having one tier of fruit cake is often a winner to either keep as tradition or to please that Great Uncle who thinks a wedding cake isn’t a wedding cake if it isn’t fruit. A common misconception is that a fruit cake tier has to be on the bottom due to the weight, this isn’t the case, I often do a fruit cake top tier as the whole cake is doweled, which means that it won’t squash the other tiers or collapse onto the dancefloor!
Taste... and then taste some more
Which wedding cake you opt for is a very personal choice so it makes sense to try as many options as possible. I like to give Brides and Grooms a selection of nine different-flavoured sponges to sample at the consultation. Couples often ask me if they can have a different flavour on each tier and the answer is absolutely yes!
Your choices are limitless, but my best piece of advice is to speak to a professional and really enjoy the experience of learning about, and of course tasting, beautifully-made cakes.
About the Author
Emily Fitter is founder of Emily's Mixing Bowl
“I trained in graphic design which gave me the foundations of creative design that I use every day creating unique wedding cakes. While at university I had a part time job working in a local restaurant and became their pastry chef once my degree had finished. I mastered many skills during this time such as choux pastry, ice cream, marshmallows, honeycomb, tuilles - the list goes on.
I was asked to make wedding cakes for friends and family, which escalated to friends of friends, at which point I decided it was time to start my own business, which is where Emily’s Mixing Bowl began and now I make wedding cakes every day.“