Wedding Cakes-2004

THE ART OF
THE WEDDING CAKE

The wedding cake can be a focal point, beckoning guests throughout the night with its promise of a sweet ending to the evening's feasting and festivities. While the white cake with vanilla frosting still has its place, today's cakes are themed and sophisticated.

"People have opened their minds to what a wedding cake can be, not just what it should be," says Palmer Butterfield, principal of Palmer Butterfield Wedding Cakes in South Glastonbury, Connecticut, "The sky's the limit. Cakes are more designed, where every element is artfully and thoughtfully integrated," says Butterfield. The design starts with color-a butter cream in soft green, pink, or apricot, completed with a piped white garland. Cake shapes also are becoming more interesting. "Perhaps the base of the cake is a square with rounded sides," says Butterfield, "then round tiers go above that, and it's all topped with a domed tier." Whatever visual style the cake takes, however, one golden rule remains: it must taste good. New York City cake designer Sylvia Weinstock, famous for visual masterpieces highlighted with cascades of butter cream flowers, says that flavors are being integrated in more exotic ways. "We do four slices in every layer cake and have room for three fillings," she notes, "so we might do a chocolate mousse, a caramel, and a nutella filling all in one cake. Each guest can choose a slice of whatever they find most appealing."