Creating Your Dream Wedding Cake: A Step-By-Step Guide

Creating your own wedding cake can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it's important to consider the time, budget, and skills required before diving in. Here are some key points to think about when deciding whether to make your own wedding cake:

- Practice: Even if you're an experienced baker, wedding cakes are denser and require special techniques for stacking and decorating. It's a good idea to practice making a smaller version or a test cake beforehand to refine your skills and choose a design that suits your abilities.

- Cost: While making your own wedding cake can save money, it's important to consider the cost of ingredients, equipment, and your time. If you're charging for your work, research the market rates for wedding cakes to ensure your price is competitive.

- Strengths and Weaknesses: Be realistic about your decorating skills and focus on what you do well. You can always collaborate with someone who has complementary skills or opt for a simpler design.

- Timeline: Plan your cake-making timeline carefully, allowing enough time for baking, cooling, decorating, and transportation. It's a good idea to bake and freeze cake layers in advance to reduce last-minute stress.

- Support: Enlist the help of friends or family to fill in any gaps in your skills and to provide moral support, especially when delivering the cake.

Practice making the cake beforehand

Practising making your wedding cake beforehand is a crucial step in the process of creating your own wedding cake. Here are some tips to help you prepare:

Plan and Practice

Before the big day, it is important to plan and practice making your wedding cake. Start by researching what professional wedding cake bakers do and mirror their processes. This includes using cake order forms to note all the important details, such as the wedding day specifics and cake specifics. Additionally, consider the number of guests you are expecting and the size of the cake you will need. Create a timeline for your cake-making process and practice making the cake ahead of time. This will help you refine your recipe, adjust portion sizes, and increase your comfort level with baking.

Choose an Attainable Design

Select a cake design that you feel confident in executing. Avoid overly complicated decorations or intricate piping work unless you have prior experience. Opt for simple, rustic decorations that are more achievable. If you want to include flowers, consider using fresh flowers instead of sugar paste flowers, which can be time-consuming to make.

Test Different Flavours and Frostings

Experiment with different cake flavours and frostings to find the perfect combination for your wedding cake. You can even mix and match flavours for each tier. However, keep it simple by sticking to a maximum of two flavours for the entire cake. Choose a frosting that you are comfortable making and decorating with. American buttercream, for example, is a popular choice as it is easy to make and decorate with.

Practice Icing and Decoration

In addition to practising baking the cake layers, dedicate time to practising icing and decoration. This includes creating a crumb coat, which is a thin layer of frosting applied to the cake to protect the outer layer from crumbs. You can also practise blending colours and creating different textures, such as ruffles, on your test cakes. If you plan to use fresh flowers as decoration, source them ahead of time and practise arranging them on the cake.

Assemble and Transport

Familiarise yourself with the process of assembling the cake tiers. This includes using cake dowels for support and placing the cake on a sturdy cake board. Practise transporting the cake, as this can be a stressful aspect of the process. Ensure you have a suitable vehicle and a helper to assist with the transport and set-up at the venue.

Consider the costs

The cost of making your own wedding cake can vary depending on several factors, including the size of the cake, the complexity of the design, the ingredients used, and the equipment needed. Here are some things to consider when budgeting for a DIY wedding cake:

• Ingredients: The cost of ingredients can vary depending on the type and quality of ingredients used. For a classic three-tiered cake, the cost of ingredients for a practice cake and the final cake is estimated to be around £120.50. This includes flour, sugar, butter, eggs, icing sugar, marzipan, fondant icing, baking powder, vanilla extract, and food colouring/decorations.
• Equipment: If you don't already have the necessary equipment, such as cake tins, mixing bowls, spatulas, and a mixer, you may need to budget an additional £200 for these items.
• Electricity: Baking a wedding cake requires multiple batches in the oven, and the cost of preheating and baking can add up. For a three-tiered cake, the electricity cost is estimated to be around £3.40 for a practice cake and the final cake.
• Time: Making a wedding cake is a time-intensive process, and you should consider the value of your time when budgeting. From planning to baking, decorating, assembling, and transporting, anticipate dedicating around 15-20 hours to the project.
• Practice: It is highly recommended to do a practice run before the big day to ensure that your cake turns out as expected. This means that the cost of ingredients and electricity will be doubled.
• Transportation: If your wedding venue is far from your home, you may need to factor in the cost of transporting the cake. This could include petrol costs or delivery fees if you hire a professional delivery service.
• Venue Restrictions: Some venues may have restrictions on cakes made by non-professionals due to insurance and food hygiene regulations, so be sure to check with your venue before making your own wedding cake.

Overall, the total cost of making your own wedding cake, including ingredients, equipment, electricity, and your time investment, is estimated to be around £327.30. However, this cost can vary depending on the size and complexity of your cake, as well as the quality of ingredients used. Additionally, if you opt for a simpler design, such as a semi-naked or naked cake, you may be able to reduce the cost of ingredients and decorations.

Know your strengths and weaknesses

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is key to creating your own wedding cake. If you're an experienced baker, you may be confident in your ability to create a delicious cake. However, it's important to recognise that wedding cakes are a different beast to traditional layer cakes. They need to be denser and sturdier to withstand stacking and transportation. So, even if you're a pro at baking, it's worth practising with a wedding-specific recipe.

Decorating is another skill entirely, and one that takes time to master. If you're not confident in your decorating abilities, it may be worth focusing on creating a delicious cake and outsourcing the decorating, or keeping the design simple. For instance, a semi-naked cake is a lot easier to execute than a fondant-covered cake with intricate piping. Fresh flowers are a great, low-effort way to decorate a wedding cake.

If you're an amateur baker, it's worth being realistic about what you can achieve. You may want to rope in a friend or family member to help, or even just to provide moral support. It's also worth considering whether you have the time and energy to commit to this project. Wedding cakes are time-consuming, especially if you've never made one before, and the week of your wedding is likely to be busy and stressful. If you're short on time, a simple design is best.

If you're set on making your own wedding cake, it's worth investing in some equipment, such as cake dowels, cake boards, and a revolving cake stand. You'll also need to source some recipes and practice them ahead of time. It's a good idea to make a timeline for the week of your wedding, as you'll likely be working on the cake up until the big day.

Plan a timeline

Planning a timeline is crucial to ensuring your wedding cake is ready in time for your big day. Here is a suggested timeline to help you create your own wedding cake:

1-2 Months Before:

• Decide on the number of guests and the size of your cake. Determine how many tiers and what size of tiers you will need. Consider using charts to help you figure out the appropriate size.
• Pick an attainable cake design. Opt for a simple design that you feel confident in making and executing well. If you are inexperienced with tiered cakes, consider making a smaller practice cake beforehand.
• Choose your cake flavour and stick to it! This will make the process easier and ensure a consistent taste throughout.
• Decide on the type of frosting and decorations you want to use. Fresh flowers are a popular choice for wedding cakes, but sugar paste flowers and buttercream flowers are also options.
• Order any supplies you may need, such as cake pans, parchment paper, cooling racks, piping tips, and cake decorating tools.
• If you plan to use fresh egg whites, start saving and freezing them.
• Practice making the cake and frosting to perfect your recipes and increase your comfort level.

1 Week Before:

• Shop for all the ingredients you will need.
• Make a large batch of frosting and store it in the refrigerator.
• Bake all the cake layers and allow them to cool completely. You can also freeze the cake layers at this stage if you want to prepare further in advance.

2-3 Days Before:

• Assemble and decorate the cake tiers separately. This includes crumb coating and adding any final decorations.
• If you are transporting the cake to the venue, box the cake tiers and transport them carefully.

1 Day Before:

• If you have not already, assemble the tiers and add any final touches to the cake.
• If using fresh flowers, add them to the cake the morning of the wedding.

On the Wedding Day:

• Ensure the cake is stored in a cool place, away from direct sunlight or heat.
• Enjoy your delicious homemade wedding cake!

Creating your own wedding cake can be a rewarding experience, but it requires careful planning and practice. Be sure to allow yourself enough time to prepare and don't be afraid to ask for help if needed.

Practice decorating

Decorating a wedding cake is an art, and it is important to practice this art before the big day. Even if you are an avid baker, wedding cakes are different from traditional layer cakes. They are denser and need to withstand the pressure of being stacked and moved around.

• Find a great wedding-specific cake recipe: Wedding cakes are denser than traditional layer cakes, so make sure you are using a recipe specifically designed for wedding cakes. This will ensure that your cake has the structure and stability to hold up during transport and display.
• Learn how to pin a wedding cake together: It is important to know how to properly pin a wedding cake together to prevent collapse and slippage. This will ensure that your cake stays intact and looks beautiful on your big day.
• Practice decorating techniques: Unless you are a professional cake decorator, take some time to practice different decorating techniques. Start with simple designs and work your way up to more complex ones. You can use practice cakes or even styrofoam cake rounds to perfect your skills.
• Figure out your strengths and weaknesses: Be honest with yourself about what you are good at and what you need to improve. If you are great at baking but not so confident with decorating, focus on creating a delicious cake and keep the decorations simple. Or, if you are a pro at decorating but not so confident with baking, consider buying a pre-made cake to decorate.
• Practice with different tools and equipment: Invest in some basic cake decorating tools such as piping tips, bags, cooling racks, and a cake stand. Practice using these tools to improve your skills and figure out what works best for you.
• Practice with different flavours and fillings: Experiment with different flavours, fillings, and textures to find the perfect combination for your wedding cake. This is also a great way to involve your partner or bridal party in the cake-making process!
• Practice assembling the cake: Assembling a tiered cake can be tricky, so practice stacking and doweling the cake layers to ensure they are secure and stable. This will also help you figure out the best way to transport and display the cake on your wedding day.
• Get feedback from friends and family: Share your practice cakes with friends and family and ask for their honest feedback. This will help you refine your skills and create a cake that everyone will love!

Frequently asked questions