'Tis the Season ... Stunning Wedding Cakes

Ana's Custom Cakes

Wedding cakes come in all shapes, sizes and styles these days. Here's a tribute to those who express their artistic creativity in such an extraordinary manner ... creating edible works of art, a true celebration of the senses, for your special day. I'm so in awe of these artists I could literally devote a whole blog to just this one subject. The sugary confection, the visual aesthetic, the taste of these marvels in all their infinite varieties, the combination of talents needed to pull off this exquisite venture ... whew... it's mindblowing. But I should let the artitsts, or is it bakers, speak for themselves.

Ana Parzych's cakes stood for me among the others. The cake above was featured at the Waldorf-Astoria. Edible iridescent orchid pink pearl dust and a hand-piped floral design give this cake its unique beauty. The tiers feature Tahitian vanilla cake with strawberry, white chocolate, and lemon mousseline and dark chocolate cake with espresso, bittersweet chocolate, and hazelnut mousseline. 108 Elm Street, Cheshire, CT 06410. 203-439-7979, anascustomcakes

I've just got to show you some others from Ana's Custom Cakes ... simply gorgeous.

Inspired by a Badgley Mischka Couture wedding gown, this four-tier cake from Ana's Custom Cakes was embellished with fondant lace appliques, and hundreds of edible pearls. Details of the lace were highlighted with piping, which was also used to create the monogram. The cake was completed with a bouquet of sugar roses and berries.

Matt Lewis of Matty Cakes Bakery created this frosted feat of alternative angles known as the Topsy Turvy Cake. Four tiers defy gravity while displaying intricate surface sugar designs and fluffy frosting detailing. 1830 Piedmont Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30324. 404-917-2253, mattycakes.com

Colette Peters, who earned her bachelor's degree in painting and worked as a designer for Tiffany & Co., started Colette's Cakes in 1989. Her artistic background is evident in this whimsical nod to Tim Burton's haunting classic animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas (cake shown in middle above). 681 Washington Street, New York, NY 10014. 212-366-6530, colettescakes.com

Having apprenticed in the West Village for New York master cake designer Colette Peters (featured just above), Amy Beck has come to Chicago bringing her own custom event cakes. In homage to the hydrangeas, cabbage roses, and calla lilies the bride chose for her wedding decor, Amy of Amy Beck Cake Designs re-created the blooms out of sugar, as well as an intricate system of sugar branches to anchor them. 2231 N. Clybourn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614. 312-545-3655, amybeckcakedesign.com

Executive Pastry Chef and Owner Mike McCarey of Mike's Amazing Cakes created this Clocktower Wedding Cake (middle image): The bride and groom were musicians who met in London and moved there after the wedding. They wanted the cake to display their love of music and the city where they met. 4134 148th Avenue NE, Redmond, WA 98052. 425-869-2992, mikesamazingcakes.com

As a natural extension of the season's beauty, Dianne Rockwell, the Cake Lady, creates a bevy of cakes for your occasion. The edible displays of splendor feature handmade sugar paste leaves, flowers, scroll work, lace and more. The Fairy Tale cake (shown middle), gilded swirls become the perfect backdrop for a rich bouquet of sugar blooms- orchids, roses, hydrangeas, forget-me-knots, and ivy- created petal by petal in sugar paste. 239 Sterling Road, Lancaster, MA 01523. 978-365-5092, wwwisp.com/cakelady

Former dancer Ron Ben-Israel fell in love with a chocolate maker while on tour in Canada and traded in his ballet slippers for a whisk and a spatula. Now that's love! Called "the wedding cake master" by Zagat, after years of study in France he calls New York his home (an ample creative stage, oui), and his culinary mastery has become legendary the world over. The stunning peacock cake (center) features five stacked tiers of vanilla and chocolate cake with floral separators of sugar flowers that include deep coral peonies and white cherry blossoms. The sugar peacock perched on the top tier was inspired by the motif of the wedding reception.42 Greene Street, New York, NY 10013. 212-625-3369, weddingcakes.com

Rick Reichart, who co-owns cakelava with his wife, Sasha, designed this colorful sculpted-pillow wedding cake with handcrafted accent pieces for a yoga instructor's tropical wedding. To tie in the Hawaiian component, the bride chose guava and mango flavors for her cake.35 Kainehe Street, Suite 107-108, Kailua, HI 96734. 808-263-2868, cakelava.com

Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes is not known for his conventional take on the almighty cake. His confectionery creations display the wild imaginings of a pastry rebel, though this retro example (center image) shows he also has a soft side. Baltimore, MD. 410-235-9229, charmcitycakes.com

source: delish.com