unsplash.com@kristycruzm_ unsplash.com@josuemichelphotography TASTE TEST When many of us think of a wedding cake, the traditional heavy fruit version first popular in the Middle Ages, might spring to mind. Love it or hate it, it’s far from essential at 21st century weddings, so don’t let the idea hold you back. In fact, there’s no reason to let any dislikes give you pause on the flavour front, since the options offered by local bakers are almost as varied as the designs they come up with. Meanwhile, dietary requirements can also be catered for by the region’s talented bunch. And if you can’t decide, why not opt for a tier of each of your favourites? How about a his and hers? We love the idea of combining a light, fruity flavour such as elderflower, Champagne and strawberry with something rich and decadent like salted caramel. Then, for the final tier play it safe with a classic Victoria sponge. Some cake makers will offer a tasting box through the post allowing you to try before you buy. Alternatively, if you can have an in-person consultation, find out if you can try some samples to help you narrow down your choices. Top tip If the day’s a scorcher, bring your cake out later when it’s cooled down to avoid it melting and collapsing. Have your venue store it somewhere cool in the meantime or ask your cake maker to deliver it later. Alternatively, find a place to display it inside away from direct sunlight beaming in from the windows. GO YOUR OWN WAY If, by this point you’re still not sold on the idea of a wedding cake, there are myriad alternatives for you to ponder. Perhaps you simply don’t have a sweet tooth. May we highly recommend a spectacular cheese tower? With artisan cheese boutiques cropping up all over, you may well be able to shop local and have a specialist compile a stack of local cheeses covering every taste from the mild to the blow-your-socks-off strong! Not only delicious, these are worth their weight in gold when you serve them to your guests as the evening meal and dancefloor fuel with a selection of crackers and yummy chutneys. Dessert tables are totally on trend and still offer the opportunity to make a statement. Here, you have much more scope to cater to all tastes, and you can personalise the spread with all your favourite sweet treats – think brownies, cake pops, macarons, millionaire’s shortbread and so much more. Plus, you can still adhere to your colour palette with smaller, bite sized iced confections that are dancefloor friendly. Why not consider an alternative wedding cake if sponge or fruit doesn’t set your world alight? We adore a macaron, doughnut, cupcake or profiterole tower. Again, these treats are easy for guests to grab as they head to the dancefloor, make for a memorable centrepiece, and can be customised according to your theme. Fear not, if all of this sounds much more up your street but you’d lament the loss of the traditional cake cutting ceremony, these alternatives can be paired with a small, single tier cutting cake either as part of a dessert table or as the top layer of a tower. The best of all worlds we say! Top tip Provide your guests with cake boxes so they can take a slice home. After a day of eating, they might not fancy a rich cake there and then, leaving you with more than you can manage left over. Giving them the option to take some home will give them something to look forward to! nothing worse for a cake designer than being presented with an interminable moodboard of images that might appear similar but are actually completely different. Your confusion will only lead to their confusion, particularly if what you’re showing them isn’t even their style. Don’t worry, there’s a simple solution. Scroll through your favourite images for points of similarity. What do you really love about each of the cakes you’ve saved? Make a shortlist and hold onto it. Before racing into a decision and approaching the first cake maker you find, who might not be the right fit for you, try narrowing down your searches with some of the keywords from your shortlist. Add in ‘Somerset’, ‘Gloucestershire’, or ‘Wiltshire’ too and hey presto, you should find the makers who fit your desired vibe and are capable of bringing your vision to life. When you head for your consultation have a realistic idea of budget in mind. The key here is ‘realistic.’ You may want a 10-tier George VI-esque showstopper, but are you prepared to put the financial backing behind it? If not, have a think about how you might be able to incorporate the elements you love into something more palatable for the purse. Be prepared to work with your cake maker on the design to bring the dream in on budget. 44
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