'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

Wedding Cakes: Edible Works of Art

Who can resist admiring a beautiful wedding cake? I dare say not many. So when I saw this MSN article on new trends for weddings, I couldn't help but be drawn to what they had to say about the wedding cakes themselves.

Trend: Beyond Wedding Cake White wedding cakes are popular for every season, and of course, chocolate always reigns for groom's cakes. But with cake bakers nowadays offering so many delectable flavors and fillings, why not try a seasonal selection?

What's hot now: Get inspired by the summer flavors you loved as a child. Think fresh strawberries and whipped cream filling for a strawberry shortcake-style wedding cake, or a citrus-infused filling like Key lime, lemon, or orange vanilla buttercream that honors a summertime fruit.

Now this I have to balk at. MSN Lifestyle suggests the following, "Beyond the cake, consider serving other desserts. A big-hit idea we love: Hire an ice cream truck to arrive at the end of the night offering summertime favorites -- the perfect nostalgic, late-night snack for your guests."

Uhhhhhhh ... how about - No! Are they kidding? Is this really becoming an acceptable wedding cake substitute? A drive up ice cream truck delivering popsicles and ice cream-on-a-stick. Please, please, say it isn't so. Maybe it's just the southern belle in me. Ice cream, ice cream, we all scream, "Foul!" Well, if I had my say that's what we'd be screaming on this idea. Ugggh.

Anyway, in honor of all the true artiste bakers still bearing their creative souls through extraordinary cakes for our weddings, I show these beautiful works of art to tease and tantalize your senses (and sense of decorum to any thinking an ice cream truck serves as a trendy or proper wedding cake option). xx

Cicely & Devard: A Blue Wedding in Houston, TX
The three-tier cake was made with two flavors of chocolate—“Devard and I couldn’t quite agree on one,” Cicely admits—and frosted in blue and brown. Each tier was edged with brown ribbon, and a cluster of truffles topped it off. Cake: Susie’s Cakes, Houston; Photo By: Goen South

Diemmai & Huy: A Spring Wedding in Houston, TX
At the center of Diemmai and Huy's reception, the wedding cake held court -- a three-tier square strawberry cheesecake frosted in layers of white and pink, and adorned with a cascade of orchids. Photo By: K&C Photography

Aimee & Don: An Outdoor Wedding in Merion Station, PA
The couple cut into the three-tiered white cake, iced in red fondant and served with fresh berries. “The cake was nicely displayed in the window and, luckily, didn’t melt!” Aimee says. Photo By: Rebecca McAlpin, New York, NY

Brittany & Jason: A Traditional Wedding in Minneapolis, MN
Miniature cakes wrapped with fondant in different patterns to look like presents topped each reception table and acted as centerpieces. Brittany and Jason chose four different flavors, including white cake with fresh raspberries and devil’s food cake with Baileys Irish Cream. “They tasted amazing!” Brittany says. Cake: Gateaux, Inc., Minneapolis; Photo By: Red Ribbon Studio, Minneapolis

Erin & Nick: A Traditional Wedding in St. Louis, MO “It turned out exactly how I pictured it,” Erin says of the four-tiered cake frosted with ivory buttercream and filled with delectable layers such as white marble cake with Bavarian cream filling. The couple’s married monogram graced the top tier, and hydrangeas in between each tier added height to the confection. Cake: Lubeley’s Bakery, St. Louis; Photo By: John Fedele Images

This four-tiered cake is decorated with modern scrollwork and dozens of tiny butterflies. Cake by Cakegirls

Lauren & Andy: A Traditional Wedding in Pittsburgh, PA
Lauren and Andy cut a three-tiered cake patterned in their wedding colors. The bottom tier featured salmon, pink, and brown stripes; the middle layer was quilted and polka-dotted in the same hues; and the top was brown with pink polka dots. Fresh flowers topped off the confection. Cake: Creative Cakes and More, Pittsburgh; Photo By: Araujo Photography

Meagan & Zach: A Red and Purple Wedding in Carmel, CA
Meagan and Zach’s guests enjoyed a three-tier, fondant-covered cake adorned with sugar flowers. Inside, the confection featured vanilla cake with a chocolate mousse filling. Cake: Parker Lusseau Pastries, Monterey; Photo By: Rebecca Hutchins, RAH Photography, San Francisco

Allison and Mark: A Summer Wedding in Brooklyn, NY
The four-tier square cake was vanilla with vanilla buttercream filling and dark chocolate fondant frosting with a white Swiss dot motif. Cake: Cheryl Kleinman Cakes, Brooklyn; Photo By: Red Ribbon Studio, Minneapolis

Stephanie & Ted: An Outdoor Wedding in Orlando, FL
Stephanie and Ted’s guests enjoyed a three-tiered cake covered in ivory buttercream and adorned with ivory dots and swirls as well as a sage green ribbon at the base of each tier. Fresh flowers topped off the confection. Cake: Party Flavors, Ocoee; Photo By: Garrett Nudd Photography, Orlando

5 Stylish Wedding Themes And don't be afraid of cakes with color. This lavender rolled fondant cake topped with sugar-made white anemones is a showstopper, both unique and stylish. Cake: Elisa Strauss for Confetti Cakes; Photo By: Photography by Mary Ellen Bartley

Heather & Renzo: A Outdoor Wedding in Santa Barbara, CA
The mod black-and-white, five-tiered cake featured three layers of coconut creme, one layer of fluffy lemon cake with a lemon-custard filling, and one layer of chocolate cake with mocha creme filling. Cake: Decadence, Santa Barbara, CA; Photo By: Jose Villa, Santa Barbara





sources: msn.com, The Knot