How to make the most of your cake consultation

I may be biased, but the cake consultation is definitely the best part of wedding planning!

You get to eat cake, talk about your wedding day, and see your dream cake starting to come to life. All with a cup of tea, sat in a lovely little cake studio. What could be better?

Chances are you’ve had a think about what sort of cake you like, even if you haven’t quite decided yet. It’s good to arrive at your consultation armed with a few details to make the most of the session.

Here are my top tips for making the most of your wedding cake consultation…

• Make sure you have an idea of how much cake you would like served on the day, and whether you need any for after your wedding day. Is it to serve as dessert, or after a large meal? Will you be having a small celebration the next day? Do you want to keep the top tier? You can check out my top tips for cake portions here.

• Think about your venue and imagine your cake there. This will help decide what kind of cake to choose. For more information on types of wedding cakes, take a look at this post for some pointers.

• Pinterest boards are a bride’s (or groom’s!) best friend, and they give me a great idea of the style you’re drawn to. Get pinning!

• I’ll ask you lots of questions about your wedding plans. It’s not just me being nosey, we might touch on a detail for the cake that you hadn’t thought of. Feel free to bring along any invitations, dress swatches or photos of your flowers.

• If you have a budget you want to keep within, let me know. I can guide you through options to get your dream wedding cake even if budgets are tight.

• Make a list of any questions you have- it’s easy to forget them at the consultation.

• Be open to new ideas - you might just fall in love with something you didn’t even know was possible!

After your consultation, I’ll start work on your designs and send them over to you with your quote within a week. And I’ll keep designing until you’re completely happy.

Consultations are held at my cake studio in North Dorset, just outside Shaftesbury, and usually take about an hour. Contact Claire to book yours today!

Not able to make it down to Dorset? No problem! Caked now offers cake tasters by post, so you can enjoy them with a cup of tea in the comfort of your own home. Let me know if you would like cake delivered straight to your door (who wouldn’t?!).

Wedding cakes portion guide

So you know how much cake you’ll need for your wedding day, but what does that actually look like in cake form?

Last week I gave some tips on how to decide how much cake you’ll need on your wedding day - if you haven’t read it yet, take a look here. It’s a great place to start.

I always use a 3 tier cake as a guide for portions and prices. A 3 tier cake serves about 80 portions comfortably, and is usually the perfect size for a wedding of 80-100 guests if you’re serving cake in the evening.

At Caked, my standard tiers are made up of 4 layers of sponge, so they’re extra tall. Therefore portions can be cut smaller if needed.

Once you know how many portions you’re looking for, you can start building up your cake. To help, I’ve created this super simple guide below. And to make it even easier, scroll below the guide for options for small or large weddings.

Wedding Cake Portions Guide

Wedding cake for under 50 guests

There are so many options for smaller weddings, and don’t think you can’t have a wedding cake just because you don’t have enough guests to justify it. Here are some ideas:

• Opt for a small version of a tiered cake. Typical 3 tier cakes are made up of a 10”, 8” and 6” cake, but going for an 8”, 6” and 4” gives you a 3 tier cake with smaller portions.

• Single tier cakes - don’t think you have to have a multi-tiered showstopper of a cake. Single tiers or double tiers look just as beautiful.

• Dummy tiers - if you’re set on multiple tiers but really don’t want that much cake, go for one or more fake tiers, to give the illusion of a bigger cake.

• Cupcakes or similar - individual cakes take up more room and look like more cake!
  

Wedding cake for 120+ Guests

You’ll need a lot more cake to serve everybody. Here are some ideas:

• Large 4 tier cake - with a 12” cake on the bottom, this cake will serve 140 comfortably. That’s a lot of cake! You can upgrade to a 5 tier by adding a 4” cake on top for the ultimate showstopper.

• Cutting cake - this is a great way of adding more cake portions without breaking the budget. These are undecorated cakes that I hand to your caterer to slice up along with the rest of your cake. Your guests will never know!

• Dessert tables - you don’t have to just offer cake to your guests. Choose from a whole range of delicious desserts and mini cakes to serve alongside your main cake.

My final tip on deciding on portions for your wedding cake is over-order rather than under-order. You don’t want your guests fighting over the last slices of cake, and you can always freeze any leftover cake. You can enjoy it a few months later and it will taste just as good!

Hopefully my portions guide and tips for smaller and larger weddings will help you start to make sense of all the options available. Of course, I talk through all the possibilities in depth during your wedding consultation. To book yours for 2020 and beyond, contact Caked here.

Caked's top tips for deciding how much cake you need for your wedding day

One of the first things to decide when booking your wedding cake is how much cake you need (or want, two very different things!)

It sounds like a simple decision doesn’t it? Simply make sure there is a portion of cake for each of your guests?

There’s so much more to consider! And ultimately it comes down to how much cake you as a couple WANT at your wedding.

Read on for my top tips on how to decide…

Number of guests

This is one of the first things I ask my couples at a consultation. It also makes a difference if you are having additional evening guests, who will definitely want feeding!

Don’t assume all guests will have a piece of cake, especially if they have been gorging on delicious food throughout the day (see the next section!). Equally you don’t want to run out and will need to account for those who have more than one piece.

The wedding menu

An important thing to consider is what other food is being served throughout the day. If guests have enjoyed a seven course sumptuous wedding breakfast, they may not want a lot of cake straight after the meal. Equally so if you’re opting for evening food e.g. cheese or a food truck.

When to serve cake

Traditionally, the cake is served alongside coffee after the wedding breakfast. However, more and more couples are opting to serve cake as dessert. Offering a few different flavours will keep everyone happy, as well as cream, ice cream and fresh fruit to serve alongside.

Another option is to serve cake after your ceremony - people get hungry waiting for their meal! Remember there are absolutely no rules as to when to serve your cake, and it will definitely get the cake noticed more.

Take-away

You may wish to offer cake boxes to your guests at the end of the evening. Your caterers can prepare cake box portions at the same time as slicing up your cake so that they’re ready for guests to take when they leave.

Keep some!

So many of my couples tell me they never got to try their cake on the day because there was so much going on. What with photos, catching up with your guests, the first dance and everything else, it’s easy to miss the small details. I always advise my couples to save a little cake for the next day for themselves (breakfast anyone?)

If you’re having a gathering the next day, it’s great to have some cake to serve. It will still be delicious!

And of course, all of my cakes freeze well, so if you have leftover cake or a whole tier, it will last for up to 4 months. As long as you wrap it well and store it correctly, it will taste just as good!

Thank you to Divine Day Photography for the photo

So they are my top tips on deciding how much cake to serve at your wedding. The next stage is deciding how that looks in cake form…watch out for my post next week on how to decide how big your cake should be.

It’s wedding consultation season! Caked is super busy at the moment with enquiries and consultations for 2020 and 2021. Contact Claire here to book yours!

Naked, semi-naked, fondant - which cake is best for me?

As with any industry, cake design is full of terminology that you may not have come across until you come to order your wedding cake.

So what on earth is a semi-naked cake? And why are we even talking about nakedness? Here I’ve broken down the main types of wedding cake to make it all a little less daunting.

Naked cakes

Exactly what it says on the tin. It’s naked. Bare. Completely starkers. It’s filled with buttercream but that’s it. I don’t do a lot of naked cakes, as I always advise my couples that the outside edges will become dry - there is no stopping this! But if you have your heart set on a naked cake design, don’t let that stop you.

Semi-naked

This is half and half. You can see the sponge coming through, but it has a thin coating of buttercream around the edge. This is my most popular style of cake as they look beautiful, they’re affordable and the sponge won’t dry out.

Buttercream

This is a fully masked cake, you won’t see any sponge underneath. There are a number of different finishes for different effects. You can have a rustic imperfect finish, a beautiful smooth finish, or striped patterns for extra flourish.

Fondant

This is the traditional style, with smooth fondant icing. It’s what your parents or grandparents wedding cake would have looked like (although theirs would probably have been covered in royal icing which is a whole different ball game and very rare nowadays!) There are endless possibilities with decoration, colour and style. My fondant cakes have a layer of chocolate ganache inside to create a super neat finish, plus it makes it extra delicious.

So they are your four main types of wedding cake. Can’t decide? Why not mix and match! There are no rules when it comes to wedding cake design, so if you like the idea of a fondant tier topped with semi-naked tiers, that’s fine!

Caked designs and creates wedding cakes in Dorset and throughout the south and south west. Contact Claire to book your wedding cake consultation today!

Thank you to Anthony Keiler for the photograph.

Wedding Cakes - The Designs

One of my favourite parts of the wedding cake timeline is the designing. I love getting the creative juices flowing!

At your wedding cake consultation, we’ll chat about your dream cake. Some couples know exactly what they want their cake to look like. Other couples don’t have a clue! It doesn’t matter though. During our consultation, I’ll ask lots of nosey questions about your big day to draw inspiration for your cake design. We usually get to a rough idea of how it will look by the end of the session, after which I set to work.

Whether it’s a simple semi-naked cake decorated with just a few fresh flowers, or a multi-tiered show-stopping cake, I create bespoke cake designs especially for each of my couples. I never recycle old designs. I may only send you one design if you know exactly what you want, or I may send you four. Sometimes there may be a bit of back and forth to reach your perfect cake - that’s fine!

It takes about a week to send designs after your consultation, during which time I’ll be sketching up ideas and final drafts, and the all important pricing. Each design is carefully calculated taking into account cost of ingredients and materials, and time to create.

I love sketching couples’ cake designs, although I have to admit my sugar skills are far better than my drawing skills (which is good I suppose - your cake will always look better than the design!) With a few years of wedding caking under my belt now, my cake sketches are getting better and better, but just in case, all my designs are annotated to give you the best possible idea of how your cake will look.

To start planning your dream wedding cake, get in touch to arrange a consultation, and you can have your very own bespoke designs…and beautiful bespoke wedding cake!

The Frome Wedding Fayre - Sunday 8th September

I’m very pleased to announce that Caked will be exhibiting at the Frome Wedding Fayre on Sunday 8th September. If you’re planning your big day, come along to the Cheese & Grain in Frome to meet a whole host of lovely and unique suppliers.

Be sure to stop by the Caked stand to see my latest cake designs and try some delicious cake!

It’s completely free to pre-register for the event, just head over to The Wedding Emporium’s website here: https://the-wedding-emporium.com/pre-register/

I look forward to seeing you there!

Beating the Heat

It’s the hottest day of the year (so far) and for most that means an uncomfortable day of commuting and generally trying to keep cool. But for cake makers, it poses some particular challenges…

With the summer months being the most popular for weddings – although “off-season” is becoming increasingly popular nowadays – cake designers across the UK have all sorts of strategies for keeping their cakes looking beautiful and fresh.

My own strategies include ice packs taped to the inside of heavy-duty cake boxes, cranking up the air conditioning in the car for a good 15 minutes before setting off and shivering all the way (I’m usually very environmentally conscious but here I’m afraid I have accepted defeat), and keeping my cakes in the fridge for as long as possible before a flurried last minute prep.

In preparation for the big day, it’s always a good idea to discuss where the cake is going to be displayed, and make sure that it won’t be sat in direct sunlight. Venues will be able to advise on where the sun comes in during the day to avoid any such mishaps.

The type of cake is important as well. A fondant-covered cake is much more robust and can be left out without any problem (though still not in the direct sun!), but it’s always best to arrange delivery for semi-naked and especially buttercream-covered cakes as late as possible.

Buttercream wedding cake decorated with fresh flowers - photo by Alexander Newton Photography

 In short, we cake designers do everything in our power to make sure your cake arrives in pristine condition. It’s all about the planning, so speak to your cake maker if you’re worried about anything and they will be able to advise. Particularly as you never know what an English summer day will bring.

Happy heatwave everyone! I hope you and your cakes stay cool!

Love That Wedding Recommended

I’m excited to announce that Caked is now recommended by Love That Wedding! You may notice the new badge on my website, and I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Love That Wedding. They’re a fantastic source of all things weddings in the South West, specifically throughout Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

I recently exhibited at their wedding fair in Salisbury back in March, and I’m hoping to attend more later in the year. The shows are the perfect way to meet all sorts of interesting suppliers in the area and collect inspiration for your big day.

Love That Wedding have been a great support to me while I relocate my business in the West, and I look forward to working with them closely over the next few years!

Dessert tables - when cake just isn't enough

Dessert tables are becoming more and more popular, with couples choosing to offer their guests a sumptuous spread of desserts and treats alongside their cake, rather than a traditional table-served dessert.

This can be a sumptuous display of desserts stretching as far as the eye can see, or simply some mini versions of your main cake or even cupcakes. You really can let your imagination run wild, and certain themes such as colours or flavours can be interweaved to create a gorgeous display.

I created this decadent display of desserts for Mary & Mark last summer. Alongside their show-stopping 4 tier wedding cake, they had brownies, mini cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, marshmallows, chocolate strawberries, sweets and decorated biscuits, all in romantic tones of pink, white and gold.

Louise & Nick opted for smaller wedding cakes rather than one large one as part of a dessert table, along with a macaron tower and more. All of the individual cakes and treats incorporated their colour themes and leaf motifs.

Beautiful photo by @parrotnpineapple

If you’d like to add fewer desserts to your cake table, smaller versions of your cake are a popular option. Serving a selection of mini cakes or cupcakes alongside your main cake creates interest and is a great way of adding portions. They’re also easy for guests to take home at the end of the evening, and children love them!

Caked offers a fully bespoke service for all budgets, so if you’re interested in adding something a little different alongside your wedding cake, get in touch to start designing your truly individual dessert table. Contact Claire at Caked to book your consultation here.

Love That Wedding Show 10th March 2019

I’m thrilled to announce that Caked will be exhibiting at the Love That Wedding Show at Salisbury City Hall on Sunday 10th March!

This is my first wedding show in the area and I’m excited to talk to couples about their wedding cakes, and meet all my lovely fellow suppliers.

If you’re planning your big day come along for what I’m sure will be an amazing day!

Caked has moved to Dorset!

I’m pleased to announce that Caked has relocated to the beautiful West Country.

For 3 years, Caked has been based in London and I’ve been lucky enough to work with so many beautiful venues such as Hedsor House, Kensington Roof Gardens and St Bart’s Brewery. I’ve also loved working with all the amazing wedding suppliers in the area.

Now it’s time for a bit of a change, and I’m delighted to be relocating to Shaftesbury in North Dorset. I’m busy building my cake studio which will be ready for action in a few weeks, and I’ll be hosting wedding consultations there from end of March onwards. I can’t wait to show it off soon!

I’m excited to explore my new area and meet new clients, suppliers and venues. I’m hoping to take full advantage of all the delicious local produce in the area, and integrate Caked into the local community.

I’ll be delivering throughout the South West and further if needed (cakes travel surprisingly well!), so if you’re planning a wedding or celebration soon, get in touch to enquire. I still have some dates free for this summer but don’t leave it too late - everything is handmade from scratch so I only take on a small number of orders per week.

For couples who have already booked for this year and next, not to worry! Nothing will change for you and you will still have your beautiful delicious wedding cake.

Interested in booking a consultation? Click here to contact Claire and start planning your dream wedding cake.

Friday Flavours - Strawberry Prosecco

Chances are, you're ordering a cake to celebrate something - perhaps it's your wedding day, a birthday or anniversary - and what better way to celebrate than with bubbles!

Caked's Strawberry Prosecco flavour is everything you want from a celebratory cake. Light vanilla sponge soaked in a prosecco syrup and filled with prosecco buttercream and strawberry conserve. It's light, it's fun and a little bit cheeky!

Glass of Prosecco optional.

Click here for more information on booking your wedding cake with Caked.

Your Wedding Cake Consultation with Caked

It's a busy time in the Caked Kitchen! Wedding season hasn't officially started yet, but lots of couples are now at the stage of planning all the extras for their day, and most importantly their wedding cake.

A consultation is a great opportunity to talk in detail about your wedding cake. We'll talk about all the aspects of your wedding - your flowers, your wedding breakfast, your schedule for the day - all the details that can affect the cake. You'll be able to flick through some magazines and my portfolio for inspiration. You can even bring along your invitations and dress swatches.

I'll be able to advise how much cake is needed, where the cake should be displayed, and all the other details for your big day. 

All of this over a cup of tea and plenty of cake to taste. It's one of my favourite parts of cake designing! 

Together we'll come to a design you love. This may not be at your consultation, but I will keep designing until you have your dream wedding cake.

Contact Caked to book your wedding consultation! Consultations are a complimentary part of your wedding cake booking - there is a £25 charge but this is deducted from your order at time of booking. 

Friday Flavours - Vanilla Salted Caramel

Salted caramel as a flavour has been a buzz word of the food industry for a few years now. Unlike other trends that may have had their moment (I'm looking at you Cupcakes, Cronuts and Duffins!), salted caramel has proved it is no passing gimmick. 

And there is good reason for that. It just works. 

Cake is sweet, and when you fill or top it with more sweetness from rich buttercream, it can be a little too much for some palates. But with a swirl of salted caramel drizzled on top, or a spoonful (or several!) whipped into buttercream, that saltiness cuts through all those sweet flavours perfectly. 

Which is why my Vanilla Salted Caramel is one of my most popular flavours. If you're more of a savoury person, or you're not keen on overly sweet flavours, this one is for you! At Caked, I use a homemade salted caramel to swirl into the buttercream, it's delicious!

Caked is now fully booked until end of May 2018, but there are still limited dates available for June onwards. Contact Claire at Caked to book your wedding consultation and taste some of the featured Friday Flavours.

Chosen Wedding Fair - Sunday 25th March 2018

Caked will back at the Chosen Wedding Fair this Spring!

Come along on Sunday 25th March to meet some amazing wedding suppliers - Chosen Weddings hand-selects interesting and innovating suppliers, from photographers, stationers, make-up artists, and of course wedding cakes!

Be sure to stop by Caked to see my latest designs and taste some delicious treats.

The Chosen Wedding Fair will be at the Islington Assembly Hall from 11am - 4pm. Visit www.chosenwedding.com to book your tickets, tickets are just £4. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Friday Flavours - Lemon & Lavender

This was one of the very first flavours on my cake menu, so it has a special place in my heart.

Developed for the very first wedding cake I ever made, my good friends Matt & Ari had lavender as the main theme of their wedding. They specifically wanted lemon cake, but when I added the lavender twist, they were sold. Their buttercream wedding cake was decorated with crystallised lavender around each tier.

With the floral twist, Lemon & Lavender is particularly popular for summer weddings. A super zesty lemon & lavender syrup soaks through the fluffy lemon sponge, with an equally zingy buttercream, it makes a perfectly light cake for serving after a large meal.

As one of my signature flavours, Lemon & Lavender is included in most consultations. If you're keen to taste it for your wedding day, contact Claire at Caked to arrange your wedding consultation. Dates still available for Summer 2018!

2018 Wedding Cake Trends? Go With What You Love!

The wedding industry is shaped around trends, and they are there for a reason. Essentially they are a round-up of what is popular at a given time. 

But when planning your wedding, I think it's so much more important to think about what YOU want. Don't worry about what all the wedding mags and blogs are telling you you should be doing. Pick the things you like and go with it.

In fact, the biggest "trend" I've seen recently is a complete lack of theme. Couples seem to be picking what they want because they love it, rather than sticking to a particular colour scheme or look.

That said, it is useful to know what is popular, even if it's just for inspiration. Rather than grandly announcing the 2018 wedding cake trends you "should" be following, I will simply share some elements of wedding cake design that I'm loving at the moment.

I love metallics. Anything gold, copper, bronze, pewter. The shinier the better.

I love natural-looking flowers (whether fresh or sugar). Wild, whimsical, traditional English country garden-style flowers trailing and wafting.

I'm loving a bit of texture, particularly in the same colours. You'll be seeing a lot of white on white bas relief detail from me this year.

I still love marbling, maybe with some brighter colours involved.

And finally, I'm close to loving painted cakes - it's a work in progress!

My final thought on 2018 wedding cake trends? Go with what you love and will make you happy on your big day!

Contact Claire to arrange your wedding cake consultation. There are still dates for Summer 2018 available!

Friday Flavours - Chocolate Oreo

This one's a must for any chocolate lover!

Chocolate Oreo is another popular flavour for weddings. Layers of rich fudgy chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream and crushed Oreos. 

If you're serving your cake as dessert (a great way to save some pennies and make sure everyone tries the cake!), this is a great choice as it's a little richer than other flavours. It's almost more like a brownie than a cake!

If you're keen to try this flavour and more, book a consultation for your wedding cake with Claire. Click here to get in touch.

Friday Flavours - Spice Apple & Chai

This is one of my all time favourite cakes, and it's fast becoming a favourite with Caked customers too!

I created Spiced Apple & Chai when the lovely Rebecca & Nick asked me to create a bespoke flavour for their autumnal woodland wedding last October. After much experimentation with apples, blackberries, toffee and much more, they fell in love with the sweet and warming spiced apple.

The light gently spiced apple sponge is soaked with a warming spiced syrup, and perfectly complimented with a fluffy chai buttercream. It's different, comforting but most importantly, absolutely delicious!

Contact Claire at Caked to book your wedding cake consultation now! 2018 Summer dates are fast filling up so be sure to book soon!

Friday Flavours - Red Velvet

Welcome to Friday Flavours!

Each Friday I'll be showcasing one of my signature cake flavours, and introducing some new ones along the way.

To start things off, I can't think of anything more fitting than one of my bestselling flavours - Red Velvet.

I always find it difficult to describe the taste of Red Velvet. It's an oil-based cake, so not as rich as a cake made with butter. But there's a creaminess to it, a hint of chocolate, and for want of a better word, it's deliciously moist.

No one quite knows the origin of Red Velvet, but it first appeared in America in the 1920's. Many claim to be the inventor of the cake - including the Waldorf Astoria in New York! - but it's generally thought to be a Southern-style cake.

What is certain though is the clear resurgence in recent years, not just in America but worldwide. There are many different recipes, mine took over a year to perfect. I pair mine with white chocolate buttercream, an ideal companion especially for wedding cakes.

So if you're looking for a show-stopping wedding cake, Red Velvet could be for you. I include Red Velvet in all my consultations so if you're keen to try, book in your wedding consultation now!

Click here to book your consultation with Claire and taste Red Velvet for yourself.