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Read this on the Courier Post
website, click
here. Cool cakes prevail
By JULIA HAYS • Courier-Post Staff
• October 6, 2008
American humorist James Thurber once joked, "The most dangerous food is wedding cake." Although the line was meant in jest toward the institution of
marriage, the importance and significance of a wedding cake certainly
comes into play as a couple begin planning their impending nuptials.
The cake, a time-consuming task of taste, texture and tradition, is
often one of the last things on the
to-do list, but a well-planned
dessert can keep guests satisfied long after the last bite.
"A
lot of people today seem to be watching cake shows and looking online
and through magazines and have a good idea of the process we go
through," said Al Di Bartolo, partner of Di Bartolo's Bakery in
Collingswood. "It really puts a challenge on us to be able to match
what the couple wants."
The most successful cakes are the ones
where the couple knew what they were looking for and made the choice
based on what they wanted, not what they thought their guests wanted,
added Di Bartolo. On your big day make sure the cake reflects you.
Buttercream icing remains a popular choice for cakes, although the more
expensive fondant icing works well for sculpting and accenting the cake.
Those cake accents and toppers can include fresh or sugar flowers, monogrammed initials or drawings on the cake.
Flavors vary depending on the couple's preference, but popular choices
remain vanilla, chocolate, chocolate chip, lemon, marble and
fruit-based cakes.
"The more traditional cake of one, two, three
layers is done now," said Mohan De Silva, owner of Simplicity Desserts
in Voorhees. "People want more fun, different cakes, like the Mad
Hatter, lopsided layers or layers that are out of proportion."
Does the Mad Hatter sound too conservative for your wedding? Don't worry. Designs get even zanier.
One couple had Friday the 13th in mind, requesting from De Silva a cake
topped with a broken mirror, ladder and other bad-luck charms.
"I asked them if that was really what they wanted, they said yes, so I made it," said De Silva.
The point? Don't be afraid to be honest with potential chefs and
bakeries. Let them know what colors, themes and styles you're
interested in, and see if they can do it.
Looking on a bakery's
Web site and searching for ideas of what you want makes the process
much easier, said Di Bartolo. That way they know what you're looking
for and what won't work for you.
Di Bartolo suggests starting
the cake search six months before the ceremony, so there's enough time
to taste test, shop around and coordinate a design with the pastry chef
you choose.
"The most important thing is what appeals to you,
and what picture you keep focusing on when you're flipping through
options," said Di Bartolo.
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