Wedding Cakes 101

Are you newly engaged? Been engaged for a while but the special day is in sight? Met someone on tinder and the first date went really well? If yes, then it might be time to book in for a wedding cake tasting to prepare for your special day.

We have compiled a handy list of everything you need to know and some tips based on our experiences.

#1. The Tasting

We usually operate tastings in our quieter time of year, which is April – November. This year we have opened a few dates over summer to help with the last minute COVID weddings.

Once you have finalised the date of your big day, the first stop is to book in your tasting. (You can book a tasting online with us HERE.)

For the tastings we cap the number of people to four people. This means you can bring a couple of your nearest and dearest, but means that you don’t have too many different opinions, making it harder for you to put your feelings first.

During the tasting we will find out the date of your big day and pencil it in. After the tasting we will send out a quote (which is valid for one week after being sent) and if you are happy to proceed we will lock in your booking.

#2. When will the cake be served?

Another important thing to consider is the time of day you are serving the cake, as this will impact the size of the portion.

For example if you are serving the cake as a seated dessert then we recommend a larger portion per person. If the cake is for supper, afternoon tea or as part of a dessert bar then we recommend a smaller ‘coffee’ sized portion.

If the cake isn’t being served as the seated dessert then it is also worth considering if you need to allocate a piece per person.

If it is supper you might find that some people won’t eat any as there is never any shortage of food at a wedding so everyone is often quite full by this point in the evening.

For a dessert bar we recommend a selection of options with the cake only making up part of them. For example if you have a dessert bar serving 3 items per person for 100 people (300 total items) then around 75 portions of cake is great for a nice display. Additionally, if you’re having a family gathering the next day you might want to keep a tier of the cake to serve then (or for you to snack on for a while…)

#3. Flavours

When booking the tasting you get to pick from our range of flavours you would like to try. We recommend trying around 4-6 different flavours so it doesn’t make the final selections too hard for you! Having options of flavours is great to keep everyone happy.

You should also consider picking contrasting options, such as a Belgian chocolate mud cake (chocolate base) and a lemon, raspberry and passionfruit (fruit base) cake. This generally suits most tastes as people who like cake will eat one or the other.

Two to three flavours is a good selection, it offers people variation but not too many choices. If your caterer is serving dessert with the cake to follow then you can also think about offering cake flavours that are different to the dessert. For example if dessert is a lemon meringue pie then try the raspberry white chocolate cake

Want something custom? We are happy to design a flavour that means something special to you. For example we did a pumpkin spiced wedding cake for a couple whose wedding was American themed. Or maybe you want to change up one of our flavours? Our Belgian chocolate mud cake is great with caramel sauce or raspberry added! We don’t offer custom flavours for the tasting, but the tasting will show you if you like our style of cake and icing.

#4. Style

While we are incredibly flattered when our cake is the top of the planning list, it does make styling it a bit harder.

Got a Pinterest board? We love to see it, it gives us an idea of your style. Please note that while you may have saved 20 images you think are really similar they may not work together. We will help you work with the general overall look that you are going for with them though, and come up with something perfectly you.

If you have the venue booked, a florist locked in, and any styling/hire for the day sorted we can work with this to create something that is the perfect blend of the look you have for your day.

#5. Delivery or Pick up?

We offer delivery with all our wedding cakes. We deliver it ourselves, co-ordinate in with the venue and set it up on the day. Delivery is charged at $2.5/km return. There are some venues that the cake is either a mandatory delivery, or we recommend you select single tier cakes. Additionally larger cakes (4+ tiers) must be delivered by us.

If you want to pick up the cake on the big day there are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind;
– The transporter needs to collect the cake and go straight to the venue, especially in summer having a cake sitting around in a car is not a good idea.
– A clear flat boot space is the best way to move the cake (please don’t turn up for it without a space ready to go!)
– If you are having a larger cake then you need to make sure your transported can carry it confidently. Some of our three tier cakes are around 10-15kg.

All in all, it is a fun process where you get to eat cake and remember, we are here to help every step of the way! If you need any extra information before starting the process, check out our Weddings Page and if you need some style inspiration check out our Instagram, Facebook or one of our stunning Wedding Blog Posts.