Creating A Wedding Cake: A Simple Homemade Guide

Making a wedding cake at home is a challenging but rewarding endeavour. It's a great way to save money and add a personal touch to your special day. The process can be broken down into five steps: baking the cakes, making the frosting, frosting the cakes, layering the tiers, and decorating the final cake.

The first step is to bake your cakes. You can make your cake batter from scratch or use a box mix. If you're making a tiered cake, you'll need to bake multiple cakes of different sizes, such as 12, 9, and 6. It's important to use a recipe specifically designed for wedding cakes to ensure the cake is sturdy enough and that you have enough batter and icing. You can bake the cakes in advance and freeze them to save time on the day of your event.

The next step is to make your frosting. Buttercream, cream cheese frosting, and whipped cream are popular choices for wedding cakes. You can add flavour to your frosting with ingredients like vanilla, almond extract, or orange zest.

Once your cakes and frosting are ready, it's time to start assembling! Use a dab of frosting to attach the bottom layer of the cake to a cardboard cake round. Add a layer of frosting between each layer of cake, spreading it all the way to the edge. Apply a thin layer of frosting to the outside of the cake, using an offset spatula or bench scraper to create a crumb coat that seals in any crumbs.

If you're making a tiered cake, you'll need to insert plastic dowels into the bottom tier to provide support for the top tier. Measure and cut the dowels so they are flush with the surface of the bottom cake, then place the top tier on top.

The final step is to decorate your cake! You can keep it simple with a naked or semi-naked style, or go for a fully frosted look. Fresh flowers, berries, and edible flowers are popular decorations, but you can also get creative with drips, sprinkles, or fondant details.

Choosing a recipe

• Number of tiers: The number of tiers will determine the number of cakes you need to bake and the amount of batter and icing required. For a three-tier cake, you will typically need three cakes of different sizes, such as 12", 9", and 6".
• Type of cake: The most common type of wedding cake is a simple, rustic, or semi-naked cake. These cakes are usually decorated with fresh flowers, berries, or a simple frosting technique. If you prefer a more elaborate design, you may need to choose a recipe that includes fondant or other decorative elements.
• Flavor: Vanilla is a classic choice for a wedding cake, but you can also consider other flavors such as carrot cake, red velvet cake, lemon cake, marble cake, or chocolate chip. The flavor of the cake can be enhanced by adding syrup, such as a vanilla-spiked syrup or other flavorings like spice, liquor, or herb.
• Frosting: While traditional buttercream is a popular choice for wedding cakes, it can be challenging to make. Simpler alternatives include cream cheese frosting or whipped cream. If you choose to use buttercream, make sure to prepare a large amount, as you will need enough for both the filling and exterior frosting.
• Complexity: Consider your baking skills and the time you have available when choosing a recipe. Some recipes may require more complex techniques or additional tools that you may not have. Opt for a recipe that matches your skill level and allows for a test run before the wedding.
• Dietary restrictions: If you or your guests have dietary restrictions, choose a recipe that accommodates these needs. For example, you can find recipes for vegan, gluten-free, or sugar-free wedding cakes.
• Reviews: When selecting a recipe, look for one that has positive reviews from other bakers. Reading the comments can also give you insights into any adjustments or tips for improving the recipe.

Once you have considered these factors, you can start browsing wedding cake recipes from reliable sources or blogs. It is a good idea to choose a recipe that aligns with your taste preferences, skill level, and the overall theme or style of your wedding. Remember to do a test run of the recipe before the wedding to ensure that you are comfortable with the process and timing.

Buying ingredients and tools

To make a simple wedding cake at home, you'll need to buy a variety of ingredients and tools. Here's a detailed list to help you get started:

Ingredients:

• Flour (all-purpose or cake flour)
• Sugar (granulated or confectioner's/powdered sugar)
• Baking powder
• Salt (kosher or iodized table salt)
• Butter (unsalted or regular)
• Eggs (whole or egg whites)
• Milk (whole milk, heavy cream, or whipping cream)
• Sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract (optional)
• Lemon extract (optional)
• Vegetable oil or any neutral-flavoured oil
• Cream cheese (optional)
• Fresh fruit (optional)
• Flowers (optional)

Tools:

• Electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer)
• Cake pans in various sizes (6", 9", 12")
• Parchment paper
• Large serrated knife
• Cardboard cake boards in various sizes (6", 9", 12")
• Cake dowels or non-flexible straws
• Platter or cake stand for serving
• Pastry bag with round tip for piping (optional)
• Toothpicks for tracing (optional)
• Lazy Susan for decorating (optional)
• Cake turntable or cake turner (optional)
• Bench scraper (optional but recommended)
• Offset spatula (optional but recommended)
• Cake rounds (optional but recommended)

Notes:

• Make sure you have enough ingredients to make the desired number of cake layers and the amount of frosting you need.
• If you're making a tiered cake, you'll need additional support structures like dowels or straws to hold the tiers in place.
• Fresh flowers and fruit are popular decorations, but be sure to choose non-poisonous varieties and wash them thoroughly before use.
• You may also want to purchase extra ingredients for test batches or in case of mistakes.

Baking the cake

Baking a wedding cake is a big project, and it requires some specialised equipment. Here is a step-by-step guide to baking a simple wedding cake at home.

Firstly, you'll need to prep your station. Grease and line your cake pans with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Next, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of your mixer. With the mixer on low, slowly add pieces of softened butter to the dry mixture. Continue mixing until the consistency of the mixture looks like wet sand. There should be no large pieces of butter still evident in the mix. Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything well.

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

Add the sour cream, almond and vanilla extracts, and the oil. Mix until just combined. Give the mixture a final mix to incorporate, and then divide the batter evenly among the pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes are fully baked and pass the toothpick test for doneness. 9" cakes should be done in 36-40 minutes, 6" cakes in 31-34 minutes, and cupcakes in 21-24 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in their pans for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Repeat this process for the next-sized cakes.

Tips

• Work in stages. You can make the cake portion of your wedding cake up to a month in advance if you wrap and freeze it.
• Don't skip out on the parchment paper!
• Keep the design simple.
• Use dowels and cake rounds for stability.
• Enlist help from friends or family.
• Don't be afraid to buy a cake if the task becomes too stressful!

Making the frosting

Ingredients

For a simple American Buttercream frosting, you will need:

• Butter
• Salt
• Powdered Sugar
• Heavy Cream or Milk
• Vanilla or Almond Extract

Method

• Beat the butter and salt: Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it becomes light and fluffy. This should take around 2-3 minutes.
• Add powdered sugar: With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar to the butter. As the mixture starts to thicken, alternate between adding cream and powdered sugar until everything is well combined.
• Add extracts: Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts until fully incorporated. If you prefer a different flavour, you can add lemon, orange, or coconut extract instead.
• Adjust consistency: If your frosting is too thick, add more cream, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Tips

• Make the frosting in advance: The frosting can be made up to a week ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature and give it a quick mix before using.
• Work in batches: Making a large quantity of frosting can be challenging for a home mixer. It is recommended to make the frosting in two separate batches, especially if you are adding extra frosting for a fully frosted cake.
• Don't overwhip: Over-whipping the frosting can create air bubbles. If this happens, simply stir the frosting by hand with a wooden or metal spoon, mashing it against the side of the bowl to pop the bubbles.

Decorating the cake

The key to decorating a wedding cake is the crumb coat, which seals the cake with a thin layer of frosting. Once covered, more frosting can be added to ensure no crumbs show. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to create decorative swirls, or keep it clean by using an offset spatula to smoothly cover the cake.

To finish, you can keep it super simple, using raspberries and beautiful edible flowers from the farmer's market to add just enough flair.

If you want to transport the cake after assembling it or you want to display it for more than an hour, use dowels to keep the layers from wobbling. Dowels might sound like a tricky, professional baker's tool, but they don't have to be. If you don't have cake dowels, you can use thick straws or long lollipop sticks. Once you've frosted the larger cake, simply push one dowel through it, vertically, and mark the dowel where it meets the top. Remove it, cut it down to size, and use it as a guide to cut more dowels of the same size. Insert the dowels in a circle so that they fall within the area where the smaller cake will rest, then frost the smaller cake and place it directly on top of the dowels.

For even more stability, when the cake is fully frosted, drive a sharpened wooden dowel that is slightly shorter than the entire cake through its centre.

Frequently asked questions