Creating A Homemade Wedding Cake: A Step-By-Step Guide

Making a wedding cake at home is a great way to save money and add a personal touch to your special day. While it may seem daunting, making a wedding cake is achievable with some planning and practice. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create a beautiful and delicious wedding cake.

Planning and Preparation:

- Choose a recipe specifically designed for wedding cakes, ensuring it is sturdy and makes enough batter and icing.

- Gather all the necessary tools and ingredients, including cake pans, parchment paper, a large serrated knife, cardboard cake boards, non-flexible straws or dowels, and a platter to serve the cake.

- Practice baking and decorating the cake beforehand, allowing you to perfect your technique and manage your expectations.

- Plan your calendar accordingly, giving yourself enough time to bake and assemble the cake without feeling rushed.

Baking the Cake:

- Preheat your oven and prepare your cake pans by greasing and lining them with parchment paper.

- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl or stand mixer.

- Add softened butter to the dry mixture and mix until it resembles wet sand.

- Incorporate the egg whites, sour cream, and extracts (vanilla, almond, or lemon), mixing until combined.

- Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans, using a kitchen scale for accuracy if desired.

- Bake the cakes according to the recipe instructions, allowing them to cool completely before removing them from the pans.

Making the Frosting:

- Beat softened butter until smooth, then add in powdered sugar, heavy cream or milk, and desired extracts.

- Continue mixing until the frosting is light and fluffy, adding more liquid or sugar to adjust the consistency as needed.

Assembling and Decorating:

- Use a dab of frosting to attach the bottom cake layer to a cardboard cake round.

- Spread a layer of frosting between each cake layer, stacking them on top of each other.

- Apply a thin layer of frosting on the outside of the cake, creating a crumb coat for a neat finish.

- For a semi-naked cake, decorate with fresh flowers, berries, or a simple frosting pattern. For a fully frosted cake, repeat the frosting process, adding more frosting as needed.

- Insert plastic dowels into the bottom tier to support the weight of the top tier. Measure and cut the dowels to match the height of the bottom cake.

- Carefully place the top tier onto the dowels, ensuring it is centred and secure.

- Add final decorations such as flowers, berries, or a cake topper to give your cake a professional touch.

Storage and Transport:

- Refrigerate the cake until it is ready to be served, clearing a large space in the refrigerator if necessary.

- Transporting the cake in separate tiers is recommended to prevent damage during travel.

- Bring extra frosting to the venue for any last-minute touch-ups.

Choosing a recipe

• Complexity: If you're a beginner baker, opt for a simple recipe with straightforward instructions and easily accessible ingredients. Avoid recipes that are overly complicated or require specialised equipment or skills.
• Taste and Flavour: Consider the flavour profile of the cake. Classic options include vanilla, chocolate, lemon, or red velvet. Choose a flavour that will appeal to a variety of guests. You can also get creative and experiment with unique flavour combinations.
• Size of the Cake: The size of your wedding cake will depend on the number of guests you plan to serve. Most wedding cakes have multiple tiers, typically ranging from two to three tiers. Calculate the number of servings needed and choose a recipe that can be scaled accordingly.
• Dietary Restrictions: Be mindful of any dietary restrictions or allergies that your guests may have. Consider offering alternatives or variations, such as vegan, gluten-free, or nut-free options, to accommodate a wider range of dietary needs.
• Seasonal Ingredients: Incorporate seasonal ingredients or flavours to add a unique twist to your wedding cake. For example, a spring wedding could feature a cake with fresh berries, while an autumn wedding could showcase spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
• Personalisation: Choose a recipe that allows for personalisation and decoration. This could include adding fresh flowers, edible decorations, or customised cake toppers. You can also get creative with icing designs, colours, and textures to make your cake unique.
• Practice and Testing: Before finalising your recipe, it's a good idea to do a test run. Bake a smaller version of the cake to ensure that the flavours, textures, and baking times work well together. This will also help you familiarise yourself with the recipe and make any necessary adjustments.
• Reviews and Recommendations: Look for recipes that have positive reviews and are recommended by trusted sources. Reading comments and reviews from people who have tried the recipe can provide valuable insights and tips for success.
• Time Management: Consider the time commitment required for the recipe. Some cakes may need to be baked in advance and frozen, while others may have lengthy preparation or decoration processes. Plan your schedule accordingly and choose a recipe that aligns with the time you have available.
• Equipment: Ensure that you have the necessary equipment and tools to execute the recipe. This includes items like cake pans of various sizes, mixing bowls, spatulas, and any specialised decorating tools you may need.

Remember, it's important to choose a recipe that suits your skill level, time constraints, and the preferences of the guests. By considering these factors, you can select a recipe that will result in a delicious and impressive homemade wedding cake.

Buying ingredients and equipment

The ingredients you will need for your homemade wedding cake will depend on the recipe you choose to follow. For example, if you want to make a vanilla cake, you will need ingredients such as sugar, cake flour, eggs, butter, milk, and vanilla extract. If you want to make a chocolate cake, you might need cocoa powder or melted chocolate. For a fruit cake, you will need dried fruit that has been soaked in alcohol. You get the idea!

Some equipment will also be necessary to bake and decorate your wedding cake. Here is a list of equipment you may need:

• Electric mixer (handheld or stand)
• Cake pans in various sizes (6-inch, 8-inch, 9-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch)
• Parchment paper
• Wire cooling rack
• Large and small icing spatulas
• Cake boards
• Cake dowels
• Piping bag and tips
• Cake stand or serving platter
• Bench scraper
• Serrated knife

You can find these ingredients and equipment at your local grocery store, baking supply store, or online. It is important to read through the recipe you plan to use beforehand so you know exactly what you need and can plan your shopping trip accordingly.

Additionally, if you are making a large cake or a cake with multiple tiers, you may need to bake the layers separately, so having extra cake pans in the same size can be helpful.

Baking the cakes

Prepare your baking station:

First, get your station ready. You will need to grease and line your cake pans with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Mix the dry ingredients:

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix them together until well combined.

Add the butter:

With the mixer on low, slowly add pieces of softened butter to the dry mixture. Continue mixing until the consistency looks like wet sand, and there are no large pieces of butter visible. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate all the ingredients.

Add the egg whites:

Add the egg whites and mix until just incorporated. Again, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure an even mix.

Add the remaining wet ingredients:

Now, add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil (or milk). Mix until just combined. Give the mixture a final mix to incorporate, and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl one more time.

Divide the batter:

Divide the batter evenly among the pans. You can use a kitchen scale for accuracy, or eyeball it. For a 9" pan, you should have about 800 grams of batter, and for a 6" pan, about 400 grams.

Bake the cakes:

Place the pans in the preheated oven and bake until the cakes are fully baked. The baking time will depend on the size of the cakes. For 9" cakes, bake for 36-40 minutes, and for 6" cakes, bake for 31-34 minutes. To check if the cakes are done, insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Cool the cakes:

Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in their pans for about 10 minutes. Then, invert them onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Making the frosting

Ingredients:

For the frosting, you'll need butter, powdered sugar (also known as confectioner's sugar), heavy cream or milk, and flavour extracts such as vanilla and almond. You can adjust the amounts based on the size of your cake and your desired level of sweetness.

Process:

• Start by beating the butter until it's smooth and creamy. You can use a handheld or stand mixer for this step.
• With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar to the butter. Take your time with this step to avoid a mess.
• Once you've added all the powdered sugar, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes. This will give you a good base for your frosting.
• Now, it's time to add the liquid ingredients. With the mixer still running on low speed, slowly pour in the heavy cream or milk. You can also add a pinch of salt at this point if desired.
• Finally, add your chosen flavour extracts. Vanilla and almond extracts are classic choices, but you can also experiment with other flavours like lemon or coconut. Beat the mixture until everything is well combined and you have a smooth, creamy frosting.
• If your frosting seems too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Conversely, if it's too thick, gradually add a small amount of liquid (cream or milk) until you achieve the desired consistency.
• Once you're happy with the consistency, give the frosting a final mix to ensure everything is well incorporated.

Tips:

• Make sure your butter is softened at room temperature before starting. This will make it easier to beat and combine with the other ingredients.
• If you're making a large quantity of frosting, work in batches to avoid overloading your mixer.
• Feel free to adjust the flavourings to suit your taste. You can also add food colouring if you want a particular colour for your wedding cake.
• If you're making the frosting ahead of time, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring it back to room temperature and give it a quick mix before using.

Assembling the tiers

To assemble the tiers, start by placing the bottom tier on a cake board. This will serve as the base of your wedding cake. Using a large icing spatula, spread a layer of frosting on top of the cake. The frosting should be thick enough to create a "crumb coat," which will help to keep the cake layers together and create a smooth surface for decorating.

Next, carefully place the second tier on top of the frosted bottom tier. You may need to use cake dowels, which are thin supports that will help bear the weight of the upper tiers and prevent them from sinking into the lower layers. Insert the dowels into the bottom tier, making sure they are cut to the correct height so that they are flush with the surface.

Once the dowels are in place, add another layer of frosting to the second tier, creating a crumb coat. If you are adding additional tiers, repeat the process of inserting dowels and adding a crumb coat.

Finally, place the top tier on top of the second tier. At this point, you may also want to add a cake topper or other decorations. If you are transporting the cake to a different location, it is best to leave the final decorations until you arrive at the venue.

Your homemade wedding cake is now assembled and ready for the final decorations!

Frequently asked questions