Homemade Wedding Cakes

As soon as a couple becomes engaged, the decisions begin: where will the wedding be? how many guests? what will the gown and the bridesmaids' dresses look like? how many attendants is too many? The bride needs to consider which photographer she'll hire, who will officiate, and what role all her friends will play in the ceremony. With all this to worry about, it might seem like dessert is a small issue, but most people view the cake as a grand masterpiece that is the center of the reception. Many, many bakers and pastry chefs are available to create the cake of your dreams. But for a truly unique and personalized wedding cake, more brides are turning to homemade wedding cakes, some created by relatives or close friends, others by the bride herself.

Any bride choosing to go for a homemade wedding cake should begin several months in advance. She'll need to figure out the number of guests and the flavor of cake to begin with. Then she should begin to research recipes, and decide if she will try to bake it herself, or recruit a friend or relative to be in charge of the cake. Another decision to take care of months before the wedding is what the topper will be, as custom made toppers may take a few months to design and manufacture.

Once she's decided these basic things, it's a good idea to do a complete trial run. Yes, that means bake a cake just for practice. While the prototype cake can be smaller, it's a good idea to go through all the steps to be sure it's doable, and to troubleshoot any problems well ahead of time.

Here's an approximate timeline of steps:

• 4 months ahead of time, finalize number of guests, flavor of cake, and decorations. Find a recipe and instructions, either online, in a bookstore, or from a chef willing to share. Choose a cake stand.
• 3 months ahead of time, bake a sample cake in its entirety. This will give time to correct any errors, or to back out and find a baker.
• 2 months ahead of time, place an order with the florist for any fresh flowers that will decorate the cake. Consult with florist regarding how long the flowers will stay fresh once they're on the cake.
• 1 week ahead of time, make any fillings, frostings, or custards called for in the recipe.
• 3 days ahead of time, bake the cakes. Cover well in plastic according to directions.
• 2 days ahead of time, (Thursday if the wedding is on a Saturday) finish preparing the cakes, including inserting the filling or custard, and frosting.
• 1 day ahead of time, pick up the flowers and preserve them according to florist's instructions.
• Several hours before the wedding, transport the layers and the stand to the reception site. Assemble the pieces on the stand, and place topper and fresh flowers.

A homemade cake can be an incredibly meaningful addition to a wedding. With the correct preparation, any bride will be able to accomplish this personalized step.