==== ==== "Cake & Cookie Decorating Just Got A Whole Lot Easier!" Get Instant Access To Dozens AndDozens Of Cakes, Cookies And Candies Online Training Videos And Community. Stories,Recipes, Pictures And So Much More...www.howtoget.us/cake ==== ==== When I was 12 or 13, I remember being the hostess at my cousin's wedding. One of the firstthings that I saw when I walked into the reception hall was this beautiful wedding cake. For years,I dreamed of a fairytale wedding cake just like hers. The cake was tall, separated by columns witha few tiers, although I can't remember exactly how many there were. At the top of the weddingcake were the bride and groom, and on the side were the bridesmaids and groomsmen standingon staircases that led to the top. The staircases were also connected to smaller cakes thatadorned the side and underneath the cake was a fountain. I think many brides remember the eraof the big cakes with all kinds of special decorations on them. I just stood there amazed andlooked at her beautiful wedding cake decked out in the colors of the wedding and dreamed of theday that I would cut into my own wedding cake that looked just like that. That cake was probablythe second most admired part of that wedding. As brides, we want that reaction to our wedding cakes as well. We want people to mill around itand admire the creation that is a symbolic of a couples new union. We have dreams of hearingthose "ooh's" and "ah's" and the conversations about the décor, the colors, and the heightof the cake. The right wedding cake should take the breath away of all your guests, and makethem anxious to take a bite. The wedding cake is one of the major elements of the wedding day. Because it is such a bigpurchase, much time and purpose needs to be dedicated into making the perfect cake. If youhave never planned a wedding before, you may have a hard time figuring out where to start. Well,by the end of this article, I hope that you will have a clearer understanding about what you need tocreate that wedding cake of your dreams. The Shape Basics First, let's focus on the different shapes of most cakes. The shape of your cake is very importantbecause it can affect the number of people that can be served and the price as well. Round: This is the traditional shape of most wedding cakes and is still widely used by mostbrides. Because the shape of the round cake is the most simplistic, it is usually the leastexpensive; plus it's usually easier to decorate. Square: The square wedding cake is, usually, used by brides that want to break away from thetraditional round cakes; but at the same time, they still have the look of a basic wedding cake. Thesquare cake can be more expensive because it may require more labor. Oftentimes, the bakerhas to cut the sides of the cake to make them look sharper and neater.

Heart: For those eternal romantics, this is the cake shape for you. Again it may be a bit morelabor intensive depending on how it is to be frosted and decorated. It's also important to keep inmind that the amount served from this shape may differ from that of other shapes. Mad Hatter: This is for the couples that really want to have a more whimsical & fun feel totheir wedding cakes. These cakes are usually uneven & slanted shaped. This is for the boldcouples that are not afraid to be different. Instead of the traditional wedding décor, thesecakes are usually decorated in bold colors and patterns. Hexagon: This is a cake with six sides. This is another shape that is growing in popularitybecause it is a deviation from the traditional round wedding cake. Again, the price of this cake ismore expensive than that of a round cake because of the time it will take the baker to cut and frostthese cakes, but the finished product can be absolutely breathtaking. The Icing You basically have two different types of icing - butter cream and fondant. Although there are a variety of recipes for making butter cream icing, it is usually made with butter,sugar, milk, and vanilla. It has a thick but creamy texture that is easy to cut through. For a brideon a budget, butter cream icing is a great way to go because it is usually cheaper than fondant. Itcan also be used as a filling for your cake as well. A downside to butter cream is that it can melt inhot settings, so if you are having an outdoor soiree, butter cream icing may not be your bestoption. Fondant is made from sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin. It is very elastic in texture. With fondant,you can literally roll it out with a rolling pin. Because of its strength and elasticity, many bakersuse it for unique architectural designs. It can be shaped and molded into many different designs.Fondant is usually more expensive because it is more labor intensive. Your Dream Wedding Cake One of the things that you may have been thinking about since you got that rock on your finger iswhat your wedding cake will look like. If you are anything like me, you have already flippedthrough the wedding and bridal magazines and even looked at the pictures on the weddingwebsites in order to get an idea of what you want. I think a great way to figure out what you want in your cake is to think about your personality andwhat you like. Do you like for things to be grand and theatrical? If so, you may want a tall cakewith lots of decoration. Are you planning a small wedding reception with a few friends and familyand think that a huge cake for 200 is ridiculous? Maybe you want something simple in stature anddesign. Your personality should be key in deciding what you want. When thinking about mywedding cake, I just thought about my style when it came to decorating and how I dress. I don'tlike for my house to look cluttered. I want everything neat and in its place. When choosingclothes, I tend to stay away from crazy patterns; I like a well-put-together classic, yet modern look.So knowing that I liked things to look sleek sophisticated, and clean, an intricate design for mywedding cake isn't something that I am interested in. I decided that my dream cake would have

three tiers with white frosting and the cake decoration will follow suit. Another good way to figure out what kind of cake you want is to think about the theme of yourwedding. Think about whatever motifs you will sprinkle throughout the wedding, the cake shouldreflect this as well because it will be a focal point in the reception. If you are having an urbansophistication theme, should you really get the grand cake with the tons of flowers flowing from it?Maybe not, however, a cake of this magnitude may be great for a garden theme. So once youpick your wedding theme, your cake will take its shape (no pun intended). Money Saving Tips As you may have noticed, certain small details can really raise the price of your wedding cake.One of the most important things to keep in mind, when choosing a cake, is the amount of peoplethat you plan to serve. Part of your price depends on the number of guests that you will have.This is one reason why cutting the guest list can always bring down budget costs. This isespecially true if you are paying for a cake that has pricing that is based on the slice. For instance,if you have a cake that is $1.50 per slice and you are inviting 300 people, your cake without anydécor will be $450. So one way to keep costs down is to keep the guest list as small aspossible. Another way to keep costs down when it comes to your dream cake is labor. The more intricateyour cake decoration details are the more your costs will increase. If you want a 4-tiered cake witha lace-like pattern, understand that someone must do that pattern which can take hours torecreate. Certain patterns, piping, or detailed frosting designs can take a lot of time and work.Remember, this labor increases your price. So, if you want to keep cost down, make thedecorations simple. Fresh flowers on the cake always bring cost downs. As brides, we are completely intrigued by thegum paste flowers that are edible and beautiful. I mean, they look like the real thing and theymimic every detail of the real flowers. Because they do, these beautiful details cost. If you decideto decorate using fresh flowers instead, your décor can still be as breathtaking without theexorbitant prices. Ribbons are a simple way to bring your wedding colors into your wedding cake design. This wayyou can decorate your cake without raising the price. Because my tastes are quite simple, I lovethe idea of putting a thick beautiful ribbon around the cake and pinning it with pearl pins. This is avery simple way to decorate and the pearl gives a look of sophistication to the cake as well.Again, using ribbons instead of icing as a decoration choice can make for a beautiful weddingcake without the large price. Go to the grocery store. Every visit to the grocery store is like a visit to your cake baker. As Ibegin shopping at my local grocer, I always see beautiful wedding cakes staring at me. These arecakes that are designed by the grocery stores in-house staff. The quality of the cakes on displayis a true testament of the level of talent these bakers have. Who at your wedding will actually say,"This is a terrible cake because it came from the grocery store"? People in the wedding industry,along with many other socialites, will make you feel that a grocery store wedding cake is a cheapcake that will taste bad and is bad for your guests. Don't listen to them. Every cake that I havehad from a grocery store has been delicious, and many of the guests, at weddings that I have

planned, have said that the cakes were delicious (and they had no ideas that it came from theirlocal grocery store). Many grocery stores will work to match your colors as well as your decorationneeds. They are even willing to set up cake tastings with you, and some even have faux layers tooffer! Have a fake cake. Many brides are doing it to get the drama of a beautiful wedding cake withoutthe price. They will have a faux cake, and in the back is a sheet cake cut up for the guests. Thisis a brilliant idea for brides on a budget. Bakers can do faux cakes because many of their storedisplays are fake cakes. This is not something that a baker may offer, but you can always ask. Ifyou want, you can have it where only part of the cake can be fake. This way you can still have thecake cutting experience. Stay simple with flavors. My mom wants chocolate. I love carrot. He likes red velvet. His momhas to have almond. Getting a cake with a variety of flavors sounds grand, but more than oneflavor can make the cost rise. The most inexpensive flavor is probably, the simple white or yellowcake. Some bakers will increase the price depending on what flavor you choose or if you choosemore than one flavor, so this is a good thing to keep in mind. Again, you must ask yourself, willyour guest really have a bad night because the cake was simply yellow? I have never been to awedding where I was just sorely disappointed because of the flavor of the cake. I am usually takenby the wedding cake's appearance anyway. It's very important to keep in mind that, simple shapes equal less money. Wedding cakes areworks of art, and more and more bakers see themselves as artists pushing the limits and makingwonderful edible masterpieces. So, if you want a cake shape that is hard to ice or decorate, youwill have to come out of pocket to pay for it. Round cakes are the cheapest and the easiest todecorate. Whereas, frosting a heart shape cake may take more time and care, and mostimportantly money! Time To Meet Your Baker Before you meet with the baker, you need to have a sure idea of what you want in a weddingcake. If you don't, going to the baker or any other wedding vendor, for that matter, can make yourbudget grow in a matter of minutes. As an example, think about buying a house. You don't usuallygo house hunting unless you have a good idea of what your buying budget is. You have to know"how much house you can afford". The same thing applies to planning your wedding and meetingwith your baker. Make sure you have a firm idea of what your budget is and what it can get youbefore making any visits, because the first thing you will see before you even meet the baker arethe beautiful wedding cake displays, which can carry you into another world. Make sure to shop around. I do think it is appropriate to visit with at least 3 bakers. You want tobe able to shop around for the best deals that you can find. So, don't be so eager to book the firstperson that you talk to. Meet with them. Check out their websites. Do some research. Ask forreferences. I was planning on meeting and booking with one particular wedding baker becausetheir prices were perfect. When conducting research for my clients I always check with the BetterBusiness Bureau. And in this case I found out there were 2 negative complaints related to thisvendor concerning their product and delivery. Research - Research - Research! Make it clear with the baker what your budget is upfront. That way you all know what you are

working with. You can sit and taste all the cakes that you want only to find out that they are wayabove your price. Knowing what the budget is up front helps you and the baker to find somethingwithin your price range and it saves everybody time. Ask questions. Don't be quiet while the baker makes arrangements for you. Make sure all that youwant can be accommodated. That is the only way you will get what you want. Here are somequestions you can ask the baker. o How are your wedding cakes priced? o Can you customize a wedding cake or do you just work with certain styles? o What are your different cake flavors and fillings? o What type of icing do you use? Fondant? Butter cream? o Are there any extra fees that are not included with the base price? o Does the price listed include the top tier? o How far in advanced will my cake be made? o Who will be the actual one baking my cake? o Do you have a cake-cutting fee? o How do you deliver the cake? Get everything in writing. When talking to the baker, make sure that everything is in the contract.If you want the delivery to be at a certain time and the baker agrees, make sure it is in thecontract. This can also include who is actually baking and decorating your wedding cake. Makesure it includes all pricing and what should happen if you cancel. All details should be in thecontract. This way there will be no confusion about anything on your big day, which helps cut outunnecessary stress. It also helps to go over the contract a few days to a week before the weddingwith the baker to make sure that everything you want will be handled. Happy Cake Hunting! http://www.inexpensivelyfabulous.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cassandra_Mallett

==== ==== "Cake & Cookie Decorating Just Got A Whole Lot Easier!" Get Instant Access To Dozens AndDozens Of Cakes, Cookies And Candies Online Training Videos And Community. Stories,Recipes, Pictures And So Much More...www.howtoget.us/cake ==== ====