Wedding cakes are a delicacy that has been a favorite since childhood. From a very young age, all children expect mom or dad to come home from work with a sweet prize.
Previously, there was a standard selection of cakes on store shelves, but now it is very wide. When you go to any confectionery shop, you can get acquainted with an extensive selection of fabulous delicacies.
Cake with pastries for a wedding.
What is a cupcake?
It’s unlikely that anyone needs to explain what a cake is, but the American name “cupcake” is not familiar to everyone. In our country, analogues of this confectionery product are more familiar: cake, cupcake. Essentially this is the same thing, that is, a cake, only very small, intended for one person.
Cupcakes at a wedding can be served as a separate dish or in tandem with a cake. On a multi-tier stand, the delicacy looks impressive and elegant.
Photos of wedding cakes with cupcakes
Why do you need a stand?
Three-tier wedding cakes on a stand look interesting even without special decoration. Special platforms for desserts are made of wood, chromed steel, plastic and brass. They can be bought or rented. The following photo of a three-tier wedding cake shows an example of a stand.
The platform for a three-tier dessert can be of two types. Let's look at them in the list below.
- A regular stand on which the lower tier is installed. In this case, your cake will be monolithic, and all three tiers will be fastened together.
- Stand of three shelves. In this case, all three tiers will stand on a separate platform, and they will be connected by a common rod.
Which option to choose is up to you. And if you want to make a three-tier cake into one, check out the master class on how to assemble it.
The problem with a multi-tiered cake is its weight and height - only the bottom tier must weigh at least three kilograms in order to support the two upper “floors”.
To bake and decorate a three-tier wedding cake, the pastry chef must be experienced - after all, the product can simply “spread apart” under the weight of the upper layers. To avoid this, make the bottom layer heavy, consisting of very dense biscuit dough, bake it well and do not add too much cream to it.
The advantages of serving wedding dessert this way
Even if you set out to surprise your guests with a luxurious banquet, you should not order a huge cake weighing several kilograms. It is better to opt for a small one, and along with it serve miniature cupcakes according to the number of guests. You will certainly appreciate not only the aesthetic component of this solution, but also understand that it is very convenient.
- the newlyweds will not have to cut the cake;
- all guests will have the same portions;
- It is easier to deliver many small cupcakes to the banquet hall than one large cake;
- If you make several options for mini-cakes, guests will have the opportunity to choose a dessert to their taste.
Photos of wedding cake and cupcakes
How to make sponge cakes
Ingredients:
- 2-3 glasses of sugar;
- 4 eggs;
- 2-3 cups flour;
- Vanilla sugar optional.
Preparation:
- Beat eggs and sugar into cream until stiff peaks form.
- Gradually add flour and vanilla sugar to the creamy mixture.
- Fill the selected form with dough to about 2/3 of its volume.
- Place in an oven preheated to 1800C for half an hour.
- Each tier must be prepared separately.
- When all the prepared biscuits have cooled, you can start cutting them lengthwise into 2-3 pieces.
Filling – soufflé
Ingredients:
- 1.5 tablespoons gelatin;
- 4 egg whites;
- A glass of sugar.
Preparation:
- Dilute gelatin in water according to instructions.
- Beat the egg whites with sugar.
- Gently add gelatin into the protein-sugar mixture and stir at the same time.
Assembling layers
- Apply the souffle to the cakes in a thin layer.
- Hide in the refrigerator until hardened.
- Assemble a pyramid of cakes.
Decoration can be made from mastic
Masterpieces from mastic: Video
Ingredients:
- One can of condensed milk;
- A glass of powdered sugar;
- One and a half glasses of powdered milk;
- A drop of cognac, no more than a tablespoon.
Preparation:
- Mix powder with milk.
- Add condensed milk and cognac.
- Add food coloring as desired.
- Mix into a stiff dough and wrap in cling film.
- Wait 40 minutes.
- Roll out the resulting mastic so that each tier can be covered.
- When the cake is covered with mastic, you need to mask the joints with cream. If you use a pastry syringe, it will turn out very beautiful.
- You can make a lot of decorations from pieces of mastic: flowers, butterflies, hearts, etc.
- The cake is ready.
Here is a simple recipe that any housewife can prepare. It can be used not only for a wedding, but also for an anniversary. The main thing is desire and a little imagination and then the guests will be amazed by the fabulous treat. And our photo and video collections will help with this.
Photo gallery
How to choose a wedding cake with pastries?
For true professional confectioners, practically nothing is impossible; they can fulfill any whim, realize any fantasy regarding desserts. It is only important to understand and correctly explain what a culinary masterpiece at your wedding should be.
If you choose a serving method such as a cake with cupcakes, it is first of all important that the dessert matches the style and color scheme of the event. Next, decide on the number of guests: there should be enough cakes for everyone. To avoid any incidents, it is better to order mini-cakes with a reserve.
As for the filling of the cake and cupcakes, it can be absolutely anything. Usually cream, jam, as well as raisins and nuts are added inside the treat.
The sponge cake itself can be white or chocolate; if you prefer a specific recipe, you also need to tell the pastry chef about this.
And finally, the cupcake decoration is also selected individually. Some prefer the cakes to be made in the same style, while others, on the contrary, believe that the more varied the choice of dessert, the better.
Fixation methods
There are several options for serving and fixing the product, depending on the weight, recipe of cakes and creams (mastic, mousse, layers, etc.):
- A regular stand of the required size on which the lower tier of the dessert is placed. All subsequent layers rely on the bottom one.
- A stand with a number of tray holders corresponding to the number of tiers of the cake, fastened with a common rod or separate clamps.
- A multi-tier stand, the design of which allows you to place the required number of portioned cakes according to the number of guests. In this serving option, the bride and groom can take their share of the dessert home.
Interesting: edible figurines decorating the top of the wedding dessert are usually left until the first wedding anniversary (if the shelf life allows it) or given to the youngest guests of the celebration.
Stands and holders for cakes can be purchased in specialized stores or rented at a pastry shop when ordering a wedding treat.
The principle of assembling a multi-tiered product (for any version of the recipe) is based on the use of a frame made from scrap materials or pastry wire.
Design options
As a rule, cupcakes are decorated with a fluffy top of airy cream, less often with fondant or glaze.
You can stop here or make the culinary masterpiece even more tasty and vibrant.
- Biscuit and butter cream go well with various berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, blackberries. This design is especially relevant in the summer season.
Cake and cupcakes with berries
- The pieces of fruit on the cake also look quite cute and appetizing. Most often, newlyweds prefer peaches and pineapples. But you shouldn’t choose bananas and apples: although they taste good, they quickly lose their attractive appearance.
- You can also decorate the dessert with icing. This sweet sugar-protein painting mixture easily transforms a culinary dish into a real work of art.
- No wedding is complete without flowers . Did you know that they can also be used in wedding dessert decorations? Flowers for the cake and cupcakes are selected according to the style of the celebration, for example, the same as in the bride’s bouquet. The confectioner can make it from cream, sugar glaze or mastic. But perhaps the most original and impressive option is decorating a wedding cake with cupcakes on a stand using live buds.
Photo of a cake with cupcakes at a wedding using flowers (natural and fondant)
- Figures and inscriptions are most often used to decorate only the cake; they are rarely used for the design of cupcakes. These can be the initials or silhouettes of the newlyweds, wedding rings, as well as any options for paired jewelry, such as birds.
Whatever dessert design option you choose, remember that cupcakes and cake should be harmoniously combined and complement each other, and also correspond to the overall style of the holiday
How to make a wedding cake with your own hands
If you have enough time and energy, you can easily make your own wedding cake. However, remember that cream cakes are not stored for a long time; it is better to prepare them a day and a half before the celebration. The cakes can be prepared in advance, and then just coat them with cream and decorate. But fresh baked goods are, of course, always preferable. If the cake is large and multi-tiered, clear space in the refrigerator so that nothing is in contact with the cake.
For a large cake, purchase a three-tier stand consisting of plates of different sizes. Based on the size of the plates, bake the cakes.
So, the first thing you need to do is prepare the dough. Choose the most suitable recipe. If you don’t know how to make a wedding cake and are afraid of not being able to cope, make the simplest cake layers, but make a richer cream to brighten up all the shortcomings of your baked goods. The simplest cake recipe is eggs, condensed milk, flour, soda and vanilla sugar. These cakes are easy to bake and will definitely please everyone.
To add flavor to the cakes, you can make a fruit impregnation. To do this, just boil the juice with sugar and coat the cake with the resulting syrup.
Choose the cream according to your taste: butter, protein, cream. You can also experiment with jelly creams, fruit jams and jams.
The glaze for decoration is simple: beat the egg whites with powdered sugar.
To make mastic, mix dry milk, powdered sugar, condensed milk and a drop of lemon juice. Using food coloring you can give the mastic different shades, but you won’t achieve a very bright color. To do this, it is better to buy ready-made mastic in bright colors.
When choosing which cake to prepare for your wedding, do not forget to calculate the weight of the cake and your time. Cooking should not be done in a hurry, otherwise you can spoil the treat and become exhausted before an important event.
Serving options
Usually dessert is served at the very end of the festive feast. And if the menu at the wedding was rich and varied, some invitees refuse the high-calorie treat, no matter how appetizing it looks. For this reason, sometimes prudent newlyweds offer their guests miniature cupcakes in beautiful boxes instead of a cake: such a dessert can be eaten immediately or taken away with them.
However, there are many other interesting ways to serve wedding dessert. First of all, the number of cakes is taken into account, but otherwise everything depends on the imagination of the customers and performers of the culinary masterpiece.
- On a special multi-tiered stand, the cake is placed in the upper part, and its small copies (cupcakes) are placed in the lower part;
- If there are only a few cakes, they can be placed on one or more trays;
- Mini-cakes can also be placed on plates for everyone present at the wedding.
Cake with cream cupcakes
Some newlyweds decorate a candy bar (a small table with sweets) and place cupcakes there. In this case, guests independently determine when it is better for them to enjoy dessert. Another option is to take out a sweet treat at the end of the evening, which, by the way, can be made more enchanting and memorable with candles and fireworks.
How to assemble a multi-tiered cake - master class
When assembling a two or three-tier cake, it is important that the lower tier does not sag under the weight of the upper layers. You can easily avoid such trouble with the help of cocktail straws or wooden skewers, which are sold in supermarkets.
If you are preparing a multi-tiered cake yourself, then think about the density of the cake layers, for example, make the bottom tier honey, and the top ones light sponge cake. If the recipe is followed correctly, then the lower tier will not need to be strengthened.
When strengthening the cake in its lower area, determine the center and insert a skewer into it perpendicularly. Measure the length and pull it back. Cut the desired length of the skewer and the same length on the cocktail tube, then insert the skewer into the tube and return the entire structure to the cake. Insert the same elements in several places near the center for strength, and then safely place the top tier on top, which will not crush with its weight and will not damage the base of the dessert.
