I don't even like cake. But I do like projects, which means I've (perhaps foolishly) decided, among other things, to make my own wedding cake. The other day, after placing a few cake-decorating books on hold at the library, I visited an awesome cake-decorating supply store in North Seattle to see what, exactly, I was getting my hands into (aside from copious amounts of butter and sugar, of course).
After talking to the store's owner for about 20 minutes and jotting down a page full of time-tested advice from her, it turns out that this cake-baking/decorating business isn't going to be as difficult as I had originally thought (famous last words, right?). With some good freezer space, a little help, and lots of Pillsbury-cake-mix boxes (she also gave me a simple and great-tasting recipe whose star ingredient is white cake mix--see recipe below), I'll have my cake made in no time.
It's the day-of preparation that the owner warned me about. Luckily, my paternal grandmother was raised in a bakery, is an excellent cook, and is more than happy to help me assemble the cake on the Big Day. We'll see what comes of one part bride to ten parts stress to 15 parts Pillsbury Dough Boy (hee hee!).
Basic Sour Cream White Cake*
*Taken from the The Cake Mix Doctor, by Anne Byrn.
Vegetable shortening (for greasing the pan)
Flour for dusting the pan
1 package 18.25 oz plain white cake mix
1 cup sour cream (don't skimp on this - it's the secret ingredient!)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Place rack on center oven and preheat oven to 350 deg. F.
2. Grease pan and then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour and set aside.
3. Mix the cake mix, sour cream, veg. oil, eggs, and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer for 1 minute on low. Stop, scrape sides with a spatula, then increase speed to medium and continue mixing for 2 minutes.
4. Pour into pan and bake until light brown and center of cake springs when pressed with finger (35-40 minutes for 13" x 9" pan)
5. Remove and place on wire rack for 20 minutes. Run dinner knife around edge and invert on rack and again on another rack so it cools right side up. Cool appx. 30 minutes. Frost as desired.
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marytkelly
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and placed it alongside this picture of boxes of cake mix. i'm still impressed with your bravery, but damn editors. the cake mix doctor is returning to qvc friday, and this really seems like advertising to me. if you click on the linked blog, there she is, with the wedding cake right there. here's the video, and the wedding cake is the selling point for the book.
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.F08250.desc.The-Cake-Mix-Doctor-Returns-by-Anne-Byrn-wBonus-CakeMix
sorry, that just seems like a super weird coincidence.
@bstrangely: Crazy - I had no idea! The owner actually suggested the recipe (not the whole book), so I don't think it was tied to any sort of advertising. So I just copied the recipe in the bookstore. But thanks for the head's up.
After making some schmancy recipe she probably got from Gourmet magazine, she went out and bought cake mix. The schmancy cake was AWFUL, she said. Tasted awful, looked worse. She swore me to secrecy on this, but also informed me that her sister, who makes wedding cakes for extra money, swears by cake mix and wouldn't use anything else, which my friend only discovered after calling her in tears when the other thing didn't work.
It's all in the frosting, anyway!
Good luck!
http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/how-to-make-marshmallow-fondant
The one warning I would make is that the kind of cake that comes out of a mix doesn't have the same structural integrity of a traditional (typically butter cake) wedding cake. If you are trying to do something with tiers I would be sure to do a dry-run to make sure it works.
Good luck!
You can't go wrong with jamming me repeatedly into buttercream frosting - barring that, you might look into getting a press in pattern stamp. They have them in simple lace patterns, or quilted patterns. I'm going to release one soon that mimics my foot stamp.
My wife was a professional baker in another life and she has made wedding cakes for several of our friends. I think she only remembers the good aspects. I remember the anxiety, dread and multiple trips to the store.
Good Luck!! (marriage this time)
However, my Irish hubby DID make whiskey cakes for the groom's cakes...how many grooms actually BAKE their own groom's cakes! Whatta guy!
I made two wedding cakes for friends at the beginning of the year and I suck at decorating with icing. What I did after frosting the cake was coat the outside of the layers in shredded coconut and edible sparklies in order to make it look more "decorated."
Good luck and I hope you will share pics!
The two tips: make a cake with a solid crumb to handle frosting, transport, etc.
Make it early - over and over if you must as I did - and freeze the layers. Decorate the day before and the cake will thaw just fine in time...oh - and soaking everything in Jameson whiskey just before freezing helps.
Cake was great.
Other nice touch - his nickname was "Block" so we spelled that out in children's wooden blocks next to a bride - all the staid people (this was decades ago when people cared about such things) - meaning his family and my mother, freaked at that.
Still have that "Block" - lost the actual groom in some move a long time ago and never missed him.
and good luck.
first though, you just have to do a test cake. you don't want any surprised.
keep in mind if worse comes to worse, you can pick up a great plain cake at costco, it will be a huge rectangle, they will decorate or not as you wish.
you can buy a few of those and cut them up and decorate according to your plan. they will make a yellow, chocolate or carrot. and they have some terrific fillings, like a strawberry mousse. they're rather dense cakes, not quite a pound cake but not a light crumb either. you can tier them using the cardboard they come on (maybe double it) and bamboo skewers. you can decorate any way you like without having to actually bake a cake.
I like white coconut as a decoration because it gives the appearance of lace and it's easy. some silver jimmies, and viola..instant stun factor.
again, good luck. this is madness, but the best kind. really. you'll be a legend among your family and friends. meanwhile enjoy yourself and don't get too crazy.
So the lesson? Delegate or give yourself loads of time!
PS. Also skip the fondant, unless you are getting married in a hot climate. I find most people peel it off and don't eat it. Buttercream is just as easy to work with and tastes delicious.
Good luck!!
The wedding's not for a few months (I just wanted to buy the cake mix while it was on sale), but I will definitely post pictures, and I'll make sure to delegate, as some sage people suggested!