Pre-made Wedding Cake Decorations
Wedding cakes are often elaborate works of art, constructed from numerous delicate cake layers, filled and iced to create a beautiful centerpiece for the wedding reception table. Because they are so intricate, cake decorators make many of the decorations in advance and put them on the cake once it is iced. This allows the decorator to fashion meticulous sugar flowers and fondant lace and swags, and position them on the cake just before delivery. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Today's tiered wedding cake owes its heritage to the 18th century, when European bakers used royal Icing, made from egg whites, to cover carved bread creations for imperial weddings. Although the creations were elaborate, they were not tasty and often the bread would be quite stale by the time the wedding took place. Ancient Romans used bread loaves for wedding fare; they were broken over the newlyweds' heads and eaten for good luck.
Types
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Premade wedding cake decorations come in two basic categories, edible and nonedible. Many brides want sugar creations on their cakes, but this raises the cost of the cake because the decorator must make many of them in advance. Nonedible cake decorations include crystal-laden toppers made in the shape of the bride and groom's initials, silk flower arrangements and handcrafted pearls.
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Features
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Royal icing produces a very hard decoration when dry. Made from whipped sugar and egg whites, royal icing is soft and pliable during use and is piped through pastry bags and specialty tips to form flowers and leaves. Gum paste and fondant offer more options for decorations. Both of these substances resemble clay, making flower-forming easy. Fondant is edible but not appetizing, while gum paste has a sugar base but additional chemicals make it nonedible (see Resources).
Considerations
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For brides or friends who volunteer to make the wedding cake, preparing some of the decorations in advance ensures that the cake will be stunning on the big day. At least 2 months before the wedding, the bride and the cake baker should sit down and finalize a plan for the cake. Make fondant decorations a month in advance. Royal icing items will last up to 2 weeks and gum paste decorations will last for years. Tiered cake layers may be baked and frozen up to 2 weeks in advance and assembled the day before the wedding.
Prevention/Solution
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To avoid a last-minute rush in the days before the wedding, schedule premade decorations to be finished at least 1 week in advance. Instruction booklets for making wedding cake decorations are available from most hobby stores, or you may order them online. In addition, you may order premade sugar decorations for the cake (see Resources).
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Resources
- Photo Credit Image courtesy of Stock.xchng
