Wedding Cake
Andrea Webster is a world renowned cake designer based in the Highlands of Scotland. A freelance baker by trade, Andrea specialises in dramatic, romantic, special occasion cakes. She began her cake business in 1993 and has travelled all over the world with her work, designing cakes for the White House, Vogue, and even Michael Jordan.
Working closely with couples is key to Andrea to allow her to design a cake that truly reflects the mood and theme of the wedding. Each cake is individually designed to allow the opportunity to break the rules and express personal style. No two Wedding Cakes that Andrea has made have ever been the same!
We work with Andrea on a regular basis whether it be for more classic ivory wedding cake styles or more jazzy, innovative, bright, unique designs. From this close working relationship we are able to keep our finger on the pulse of the
Wedding Cake Trends for 2012…
Inspiration from Bridal Gowns
What a bride will be wearing often inspires the wedding cake design, shape, colour and texture. Edible satin ribbons, lace, beading, appliqué flowers, pleats or ruffles lend themselves to creating a gorgeous and unique wedding cake.
Dramatic Color
Many couples looking for something refreshingly different and modern opt for a colourful cake, either in the form of coloured fondant icing or a white or ivory cake with splashes of bright colours. Keeping the palette simple and dramatic will always guarantee a sophisticated yet fun cake. You can also let your wedding cake be your “something blue”.
Buttercream Cakes
Lately brides and grooms have been choosing meringue buttercream icing over traditional rolled fondant. Andrea’s melt-in-the-mouth meringue buttercream contains white chocolate and is not as sweet as fondant. Buttercream-iced cakes can feature sharp edges rather than rounded or beveled edges, giving the wedding cake clean lines and a more contemporary look.
Unique Shapes and Themed Cakes
Stacking different shaped tiers, some circular, some square or hexagonal, creates a modern look. Uniquely shaped wedding cakes are fun and memorable. These can include tiers stacked at odd angles for a Mad Hatter effect or an entire cake comprising, for example, a Caribbean island, complete with palm trees and hummingbirds. These cakes are highly personalised and tell a story about the bride and groom. The choices are endless – all it takes is a sense of fun and a wild imagination.
Wedding Cupcakes or Individual Cakes
These continue to be popular and are a fun departure from tiered cakes. There is no limit to colour and decorations can be sophisticated, such as the couple’s monogram, or pearlescent flowers such as daisies or blossoms. Some couples are choosing alternative confections, such as individual cheesecakes or small tarts.
This year has seen tiers narrow in width but increase in height, even featuring tiers of differing heights. This look is both attractive and modern.
Back-to-Nature Cakes
Tying in with green and eco trends, a popular new look for wedding cakes is rustic and unfussy. Cakes can be completely uniced and adorned with seasonal berries, fresh fruit, wildflowers or leaves, looking simple and untortured yet inviting at the same time.
Cake Calligraphy
Beautiful writing inscribed on fondant cakes can tell a story about the bride and groom or feature a favourite meaningful poem or verse. The couple may wish to design a monogram of their initials or a new family crest to symbolize their union. Some couples prefer a single word, phrase or quote for a simple yet dramatic effect.
The Sweeter the Better!
Those who love sweets may consider a wedding cake decorated with their favourite: liquorice allsorts, marshmallows, candy floss or chocolate truffles. Or the cake itself could be a stack of three giant liquorice allsorts! This can be a relatively inexpensive option and adds a fun element to the big day!
Aubergine
Metallic themes are in and the availability of edible powders and dusts in gold, silver, bronze and pewter enable the cake designer to go to town with exciting metallic details on wedding cakes.
Alternative or Non-Cake Wedding Cakes
Cheese Wedding Cake - Those who don’t care for sweets may consider a “cake” comprising a variety of stacked cheeses – Stilton, Brie, Morbier, Cornish Yarg, etc – as an alternative to a wedding cake. A cheese wedding cake could be decorated invitingly with grapes or fresh figs and surrounded by crackers and condiments. Or for something really different, you could try a Sushi Wedding Cake! It will be the talking point of your wedding!
Flavours
Tasting and selecting wedding cake flavours is one of the more enjoyable parts of planning a wedding. When choosing flavours consider whether the wedding cake will be served as the pudding (larger portions) or after the meal (smaller portions). In the latter case, the flavour chosen should complement the dessert. If the dessert comprises chocolate then avoid serving a chocolate wedding cake as well. If the wedding cake is the main pudding there will be no restrictions to flavour choices. Many couples will order a tier of fruit cake for traditional purposes or to keep, a tier of sponge cake to accommodate those with simpler tastes and a layer of a third, more decadent flavour, quite often chocolate, for the largest tier. Lemon curd cake, hazelnut chocolate and carrot cake with cream cheese icing are further favourites. If you have a favourite recipe or would like to replicate a cake you’ve enjoyed let your wedding cake designer know. It’s impossible to please every one of your guests so Andrea’s advice is to go with what you as a couple really love. As well as the design of the cake, the flavour you choose will be one of the opportunities you have to express your own personal style.