Be it ever so lovely, there's simply no sweeter aspect of getting married than the cake that's served at the reception. As wonderful as this chore is, choosing the cake to grace your banquet table can be a confusing task. Be prepared. We spoke with local confectionary expert Angela Malpedo of Sugar Babe Cupcakes in Bethlehem to get her opinion on what's taking the cake at today's weddings!
This six-tier tower cake's only embellishment is texture, and each layer is given a specific one.
Simplicity in White
Overall, this is the most prevalent trend seen in today's wedding cakes and for good reason. The elegance and sophistication that happens when the simplicity of white-on-white is employed is universally appealing and there is a way to make this look work for your wedding, no matter how formal or how casual it is.
“I love the look because I am ‘a less is more' person,” Malpedo says.
Don't let the uncluttered look of this cake fool you, says Malpedo. The level of detail work in each layer required a steady hand and a clean surface.
“This would be more difficult to achieve with a butter cream icing,” she says.
The baker may have had to use a fondant layer in order to create the level of detail here. “This cake takes on the look of vintage pastry and screams classic,” Malpedo adds.
1. When one thinks of a garden or garden wedding, most likely scenes of vividly colored blooms come to mind. Not so for this monochromatic masterpiece of fondant and gum paste.
2. Some brides choose to have their cake mimic their wedding dress in some way. Malpedo suspects that may be the theme for this incredible creamy and dreamy confection with a hint of champagne coloring and crystal embellishments.
3. This seemingly simple cake takes an incredibly talented pastry chef to create. “When you think of how tedious it is to create that dot pattern perfectly spaced all around the cake, that takes time and skill,” Malpedo says. This confection was most likely created as a cutting cake—another trend she says that is increasing in popularity as some couples are choosing other options like wedding cupcake tiers instead of one large cake. The cutting cake then provides the bride and groom with something to traditionally cut and something to freeze and save for their first anniversary.
4. In the late 1980s, a cosmopolitan baker named Sylvia Weinstock came to national prominence for creating layers of seemingly endless flowers cascading down the tiers of a cake like a waterfall. This gorgeous cake only slightly enhanced with a blush of colored petals is reminiscent of those incredible creations. While this cake has a more formal or traditional wedding cake look, it is still remarkable in its simplicity. “There's a lot going on there, but it's not too busy,” Malpedo says.
This couple is obviously paying homage to some family recipe in their choice of cake. We can only wonder what is lingering between the layers of cake and fruit.
Beyond Custom
Malpedo says she is also seeing more couples thinking outside the traditional wedding cake box when it comes to confections for their big day. Some brides, she says, never look through her cake book for ideas; they have a very specific concept in mind—one that usually has great meaning to the couple.
“This is such a fun cake. I love it!” Malpedo says. You see vintage here again in the colors chosen for the dots, she adds.
The other big thing now is a take on the dessert buffet, says Malpedo. “I see more dessert bars at receptions now.” She adds that the couples are really enjoying being able to provide their guests with more variety and more grab-and-go treats for their younger guests.
Custom Groom
The concept of the groom's cake was forever immortalized in the 1989 movie classic, “Steel Magnolias.” The blood-red velvet armadillo cake with neon green frosting was a highlight of Shelby and Jackson's reception, which took place in the Deep South where the origin of the groom's cake can be traced.
While this sugary tradition took its own sweet time to take root up North, Malpedo says she is creating more groom's cakes than ever and it is quickly becoming the most popular of the requests she gets.
The most requested theme in the groom's cake category is definitely sports.
“I would say about 75 percent of the [groom's] cakes I do have some sort of sports theme,” Malpedo says.
Our example of the stadium cake employed some cake carving skills, she says, as pastry chefs have only so many custom-shape pans to work with.
Photo by John Wirick Photography
This cake was made for a local couple who met while working at Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem.
Other requests usually incorporate something special about the groom's childhood or tell a story about how the couple met.
All we can say is, what a sweet time it is to be in love! We hope you'll take your great cake idea to one of our talented local bakeries or pastry chefs to create your own take on this one-and-only wedding confection.
Be it ever so lovely, there's simply no sweeter aspect of getting married than the cake that's served at the reception. As wonderful as this chore is, choosing the cake to grace your banquet table can be a confusing task. Be prepared. We spoke with local confectionary expert Angela Malpedo of Sugar Babe Cupcakes in Bethlehem to get her opinion on what's taking the cake at today's weddings!
This six-tier tower cake's only embellishment is texture, and each layer is given a specific one.
Simplicity in White
Overall, this is the most prevalent trend seen in today's wedding cakes and for good reason. The elegance and sophistication that happens when the simplicity of white-on-white is employed is universally appealing and there is a way to make this look work for your wedding, no matter how formal or how casual it is.
“I love the look because I am ‘a less is more' person,” Malpedo says.
Don't let the uncluttered look of this cake fool you, says Malpedo. The level of detail work in each layer required a steady hand and a clean surface.
“This would be more difficult to achieve with a butter cream icing,” she says.
The baker may have had to use a fondant layer in order to create the level of detail here. “This cake takes on the look of vintage pastry and screams classic,” Malpedo adds.
1. When one thinks of a garden or garden wedding, most likely scenes of vividly colored blooms come to mind. Not so for this monochromatic masterpiece of fondant and gum paste.
2. Some brides choose to have their cake mimic their wedding dress in some way. Malpedo suspects that may be the theme for this incredible creamy and dreamy confection with a hint of champagne coloring and crystal embellishments.
3. This seemingly simple cake takes an incredibly talented pastry chef to create. “When you think of how tedious it is to create that dot pattern perfectly spaced all around the cake, that takes time and skill,” Malpedo says. This confection was most likely created as a cutting cake—another trend she says that is increasing in popularity as some couples are choosing other options like wedding cupcake tiers instead of one large cake. The cutting cake then provides the bride and groom with something to traditionally cut and something to freeze and save for their first anniversary.
4. In the late 1980s, a cosmopolitan baker named Sylvia Weinstock came to national prominence for creating layers of seemingly endless flowers cascading down the tiers of a cake like a waterfall. This gorgeous cake only slightly enhanced with a blush of colored petals is reminiscent of those incredible creations. While this cake has a more formal or traditional wedding cake look, it is still remarkable in its simplicity. “There's a lot going on there, but it's not too busy,” Malpedo says.
This couple is obviously paying homage to some family recipe in their choice of cake. We can only wonder what is lingering between the layers of cake and fruit.
Beyond Custom
Malpedo says she is also seeing more couples thinking outside the traditional wedding cake box when it comes to confections for their big day. Some brides, she says, never look through her cake book for ideas; they have a very specific concept in mind—one that usually has great meaning to the couple.
“This is such a fun cake. I love it!” Malpedo says. You see vintage here again in the colors chosen for the dots, she adds.
The other big thing now is a take on the dessert buffet, says Malpedo. “I see more dessert bars at receptions now.” She adds that the couples are really enjoying being able to provide their guests with more variety and more grab-and-go treats for their younger guests.
Custom Groom
The concept of the groom's cake was forever immortalized in the 1989 movie classic, “Steel Magnolias.” The blood-red velvet armadillo cake with neon green frosting was a highlight of Shelby and Jackson's reception, which took place in the Deep South where the origin of the groom's cake can be traced.
While this sugary tradition took its own sweet time to take root up North, Malpedo says she is creating more groom's cakes than ever and it is quickly becoming the most popular of the requests she gets.
The most requested theme in the groom's cake category is definitely sports.
“I would say about 75 percent of the [groom's] cakes I do have some sort of sports theme,” Malpedo says.
Our example of the stadium cake employed some cake carving skills, she says, as pastry chefs have only so many custom-shape pans to work with.
Photo by John Wirick Photography
This cake was made for a local couple who met while working at Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem.
Other requests usually incorporate something special about the groom's childhood or tell a story about how the couple met.
All we can say is, what a sweet time it is to be in love! We hope you'll take your great cake idea to one of our talented local bakeries or pastry chefs to create your own take on this one-and-only wedding confection.
