I’m so excited to share this post with you! Before we dive into it, make sure you grab your favorite treat, because you will want one as you read this. Continuing the bridal wedding series, we are talking all things wedding desserts and cakes. Kelly of Sweethome Cakery gives a behind the scenes look of her business, current baking trends, and steps to take on choosing your wedding cake and desserts!

You are in for a treat!!

Meet Kelly and her business Sweethome Cakery

Hey, there! I’m Kelly. I’m married to my 3rd grade sweetheart. We have two little girls and are adopting our third this year! I’m a self-taught baker and am so grateful for the freedom of working from home that this profession gives me. With a college degree in Automotive Science and a background in mechanics, I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with baking 3 years ago but thank God you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Creating cakes, cupcakes and cake pops for people with dietary restrictions, learning and mastering new trends, and bringing joy to my clients’ events are my favorite parts of being a baker. My husband (aka my taste-tester) is a pastor and sometimes works unconventional hours, so you’ll find me baking away during my kids’ nap-time, after bedtime or bright and early in the morning. I truly love what I do and am so excited to share some of my favorite tips + encouragement for brides-to-be!

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Choosing Your Baker

When searching for your soul-baker, combine a healthy amount of online reviews, personal testimonials and photos of what the baker can cook up for you. Creating a tasty and beautiful cake is the main bit, but there’s more.

You want a baker that strives to understand your vision, has experience and ideas to add, one who pays attention to your details and will be dependable on the day of your wedding to arrive and set-up. 

If you or your family requires desserts that cater to dietary restrictions, have those specific restrictions in mind. Search for bakers that are experienced in such desserts. For example, gluten-free and dairy-free options are pretty common, but vegan and soy-free are tougher to come by. 

Get a few quotes if you can! It takes work to put together a quote for a wedding since there are many factors in play, but it will be worth it to get a good idea of the amount you are willing to spend and what you can get for your money. Your baker’s skill set, experience, and quality of ingredients used will all factor into the price. 

Current Trends for Wedding Cakes and Desserts

Dessert Tables

A delectable array of several types of desserts, encompassing many flavors that gives your guests choices. You can combine a smaller cake with cupcakes, mini-cupcakes, cake truffles or cake pops, all designed to flow together and fit the same style that you chose.  

Semi-naked cakes 

This is a classic that I hope never goes out of style. Semi-naked cakes can have a few different levels of frosting and cake showing, I always ask my brides to show me a photo of what they have in mind so I make sure I can get it right. These cakes are paired beautifully with delicate florals, fresh fruit or greenery. 

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Modern or Rustic cakes with statement toppers 

These cakes demand attention with their smooth, frosted designs. You can choose thin lines for a modern look  or large strokes for a rustic feel. Pair these with a custom cake topper for a beautiful balance of simplicity and boldness. 

Drips

Caramel, white chocolate or chocolate ganache drips add texture and dimension to your cake. Plus an extra splash of flavor if you choose a fruit filling but are missing the sweetness of chocolate or caramel. 

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Flavor Trends for Wedding Cakes and Cupcakes

Choosing your wedding cake flavor can be a big decision, I know it was for me!! Kelly provides a few flavors that are her go to choices for her couples.

• Caramel cake with a salted caramel filling and vanilla buttercream
• Vanilla bean cake with a fruit filling and vanilla buttercream
• Chocolate or black velvet cake with a chocolate ganache filling and vanilla buttercream ** if the bride or groom want chocolate buttercream but they want a white cake, Kelly suggests putting the chocolate buttercream in layers**
• Lemon (or lemon poppyseed) cake with a raspberry filling and a speckled vanilla bean buttercream
• Red velvet cake with a white chocolate ganache filling and vanilla buttercream

Tips to Choosing Your Wedding Cake and Desserts

To help with the wedding cake process, Kelly gives you a few questions to ask your baker when you meet with them and are in the designing process! These tips should help ease the process of choosing your wedding cake and desserts.

Questions to ask your baker:

1. Ask for a cake tasting box. I offer my clients a cake tasting box which includes 3 cakes, 3 fillings and 3 frostings. If they book their wedding with me, that amount they pay for the box gets applied to their final balance. 
2. Ask your baker if they will apply florals for you, and if there is a fee. Sometimes your florist can make arrangements specifically for the cake that can be placed the day of the wedding. In my experience, the florist leaves aside flowers and greenery for me to trim, arrange and place when I set up the cake. 
3. Ask your baker if they have a ‘pure white’ buttercream. When I design wedding cakes, I think about your wedding photos. I offer my brides a “wedding white” option of buttercream that is whiter than my regular buttercream, since regular buttercream has a natural yellowish hue.
4. Do they offer fruit fillings for wedding cakes and cupcakes. If you want a fruit filling, request seedless. That will help you take worry-free photos after putting away some cake. 
5. Ask your baker if you can add a small order of special treats to help curb the cost. If you have guests with dietary restrictions, order just what you need for them and label it accordingly. Dietary restricted desserts are typically more pricey, so if you only need a dozen gluten-free cupcakes, don’t order an entire cake that is gluten-free.
6. Contact your prospective bakers shortly after your engagement! Whether you find your bakers through word-of-mouth, social media or bridal blogs, make contact as soon as you can! Some of the best bakers book out months in advance for weddings because of all the work that goes into planning. 
7. When choosing your venue, think about your cake. Buttercream needs to be in an environment that is 70 degrees or cooler to stay stable. 
8. Meet your baker and count the cost! I like to sit down for coffee with my clients and talk through all the details together to make sure we don’t miss anything. This is also a great opportunity to tune the order to the cost my clients are willing to spend. Some bakers charge more for different flavors or fillings, buttercream flowers, etc. Find a baker that is willing to take the time to help you work within your budget. 

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In summary, when it comes to choosing your wedding cake and desserts, it comes down to knowing your wedding day style and favorite flavors! The rest of the details will come in place when you meet with your baker and start talking out the details!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also love:

http://anamaria-photography.com/tips-to-choosing-your-wedding-photographer/

Go say hello to Kelly: Sweet Home Cakery