My "perfect" cake!

It was a year ago when I met with one of my best friends. She was going through the stresses of planning her wedding and she expressed concern about purchasing her wedding cake.

With no thought I boldly offered to bake her cake. I know…I’m crazy, right?

I was attending a Chef Course at the time and baking nearly twice a week, so I assumed it would be an easy task. Later that day, I called my sister and my mom and explained to them my newest adventure. Both of them seemed nervous at the pressure I had put upon myself.

Well, I had five months to go before her wedding when slowly, the reality began to set in. I am baking a wedding cake? Sure, I bake cakes all the time, but I’m no professional. Suddenly the fear crept in, how will I transport this cake? What if the fondant doesn’t look good? And plenty more where that comes from.

The thing that got me through this challenge, and that hopefully will help others who want to attempt what seems to be “the impossible” is to just simply practice. The truth is, it takes practice cakes, practice frostings and lots of time.

I do not suggest that a bride bake her own cake. Believe me, the money you spend on your cake will be well worth it. However, to those friends and family who love to bake: go for it! Take baby steps and just practice what you are going to do beforehand so there are no surprises.

Create a plan. I baked every layer of my cake and crumb-coated it the day before the wedding. Then on the morning of the wedding, I frosted each layer to perfection. I placed each tier in its own cake box and then put the cake together at the reception hall (before the ceremony).

I’ll be honest, my cake was not perfect, but it was my gift to my friend and I made it with love for her and her groom.

When baking a homemade wedding cake, please keep a few very important things in mind.

1. Structure of a cake. My practice cakes were like a well-planned building. But when I built my cake in the reception hall my nerves made me forget some of my dowels at home. Luckily, the reception hall had some chopsticks and crisis was averted when some of the female relatives came to the rescue.

2. If you use real flowers… You must purchase ones that are made for cakes. That is, ask your florist if they have flowers that have no pesticides to place on your cake. Florists are used to this and should be able to help you if you talk with them in advance.

3. Have a helper. My sister helped me bake the cakes and she was instrumental in making sure all of my measurements were accurate. Having an assistant can really help keep things moving in the right direction.

4. Have fun! This might be the one and only time you will bake something that holds such a significance to someone. Have fun and go with the flow. If your bride has agreed to you baking the cake, she must be an easy-going and unique bride. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Yes, you are hopefully saving your loved one money, but they are getting a truly unique and special gift. Enjoy the moment and don’t forget to take pictures.

*** For the curious: my wedding cake was a chocolate cake with a White Chocolate Mousse filling & Vanilla Frosting. We didn’t go with fondant; partly due to my inexperience and partly because of the flavorless taste.

If you have any other questions about my experience, leave a comment and I’ll get right back to you!