In a quest to get a taste of the latest trends in wedding cakes, our search revealed everything from the most traditional to the most unusual.
Ornate, over-the-top and custom orders were reported to be high on the cake request list, although simple and chic is still the torte-of-choice for many.
Flavourwise, there's lemon, raspberry, carrot -- or a different flavour for each layer -- conventional white or deep, dark chocolate, which might look sinful but is gaining incredible popularity.
How about an oversized strawberry shortcake for a summer wedding, with a side of meringue bowls filled with berries? Or a French croquembouche -- a mountain of profiteroles lightly drizzled with chocolate or caramel?
Your cake certainly doesn't have to be three perfectly round tiers. Go for whimsy -- a lopsided cake that looks like it might just topple over; a cake with square-shaped tiers; a flat, one level sheet cake; mini-cakes stacked to look like one grand piece of art; or a pyramid of cupcakes.
And don't forget about the groom. Groom's cakes, an adopted American custom, can be styled to look like just about anything, usually a representation of his favourite hobby or interest, such as football, airplanes or a fishing pond.
And a few of the finishing touches that put the, ahem, icing on the cake:
- Fondant -- sugar dough rolled out and smoothed across the cake to create a porcelain finish;
- Ganache -- melted chocolate and cream poured over the cake;
- Royal icing -- made of sugar and egg whites, which dry to a hard eggshell finish;
- Whipped cream;
- Buttercream;
- Marzipan;
- Handmade sugar flowers;
- White-chocolate flowers; and
- Fresh, edible flowers.
