cake plate

Great Gifts for Cake Designers

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Erica OBrien in cake plate, Featured, petalsweet, Wedding Cakes | Leave a comment

Gift giving can be challenging. There are those gifts that only certain people would appreciate (say, a new fly fishing pole) and then those gifts that almost anyone would love. I suppose getting a gift for a cake designer is a lot like that. Sure, I have a whole list of cake design tools that I would absolutely love, but they’re somewhat specific to the kind of cake design I do. There are, however, a whole lot of gifts that would be great for any cake designer, from the passionate amateur to the consummate professional. Here are a few favorites.

1. Cake Design Classes. I learned from Jaqueline Butler that it’s important to continually refine our skills. Like doctors, dentists, hairstylists and other professionals who must stay current with the latest developments in their field, so must cake designers. Of course for aspiring cake artists, classes are the best way to learn the craft. But even for experienced or expert decorators, there’s always something to learn. Thanks to Jacqueline, I now treat myself to at least one class each year. I would love it if someone treated me to one.

Recommend: Craftsy Cake Decorating Classes. Craftsy classes are inexpensive, interactive, and professionally produced. They’re taught online, and students get lifetime access.

2. Cake Stands. The cake stand does for the cake what the high heel does for the leg: makes it appear taller, more regal, and just plain better. Every cake needs a cake stand, and every designer should have at least a few classic stands in her collection.

Recommended: Martha Stewart Whiteware Collection. These cake stands are classic, sturdy, and at around $29 (less if you catch them on sale), a real steal.

3. Gift Certificates. A great one-size-fits-all gift, gift certificates will allow your favorite cake designer to get just what she needs (or, better yet, wants) for Christmas.

Recommended: Global Sugar Art. A great selection with an easy to navigate website. They ship quickly too.

4. Cake Design Books. There are many to choose from, and not all are created equally. Some are more visually appealing while others have more practical information. Spend some time perusing before you choose. You’ll want to keep in mind that while there are many excellent cake design books out of England, a lot of the products they use are not widely available in the U.S. (or must be imported at great expense).

Recommended: Elisa Strauss’ Confetti Cakes Cookbook. I’ve gotten so many great tips from her (scalpels instead of x-actos? Genius!) and I rely pretty much exclusively on her fondant measurement chart. Plus, she’s totally adorable.

5. Cake Design Magazines. Cake design magazines have come a long way since I started decorating 18 years ago, and magazine subscriptions are (at least to me) one of those things you might want but wouldn’t necessarily get for yourself.

Recommended: Cake Central Magazine. A relative newcomer only in their third volume, Cake Central Magazine launched in 2012 and is the product of the popular Cake Central website. The magazine features trendy cake artists,  recipes, and tutorials for everyone from the novice to the professional cake decorator. Gorgeous photos and good production quality.

6. Gifts That Spoil: Massage. This is not directly cake related, but just imagine how great a massage would feel after standing on your feet all day (and often way into the night), or, for that matter, any time.

Recommended: Yelp. Search “massage” and find reviews for local spas.

Thanks so much to my Facebook friends for their input. And Cory, if you’re reading this, I’ll take #6. Have a great holiday everyone!

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The Wedding Cake: Big Dreams on a Small Budget

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Erica OBrien in cake plate, cake plateau, cake topper, DIY, faux tiers, for the baker, for the bride, wedding cake size | 2 Comments

Size does matter, especially when it comes to your wedding cake. For many brides, the bigger the better. Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of a five-tier cake, but the reality of your budget won’t allow it. Not surprising. In today’s tough economy, many brides are forced to find creative ways to stretch their budget, and get more for less. Below are five practical and relatively inexpensive ways to make your wedding cake appear bigger.

1/Increase the Number of Tiers. In a traditional wedding cake, each tier increases in diameter by 4″, so a cake for 100 guests typically has three tiers: 6″, 10″, 14″. Let’s say you have your heart set on a four-tier cake, but you only have 100 guests. Adding an 18″ tier would be cost prohibitive, not to mention extremely wasteful. By decreasing the difference in size of each tier, you could have a four- or even five-tier wedding cake to serve 100 guests. For a five-tier cake, the diameter of the tiers would be 5″, 6″, 7″, 8″, and 9″. The less space between the tiers, the taller and leaner your cake appears.

Keep in mind that this also gives your cake a more streamlined, modern look. Notice the difference in the two cakes below. Both serve 100 guests. The one on the left is a traditional, three-tier cake with three inches between each tier. The one on the right has only a one-inch difference.

2/Elevate your Cake. Another way to increase the grandiosity of your cake is to lift it.

Cake plateaus are more traditional looking, have wider bases, and usually come in gold or silver. (They tend to be pricey, but you can recover almost all of your money by reselling on ebay.)

The term cake plate and cake stand are used interchangeably to mean a plate on a pedestal. Cake stands range from antique to vintage to brand new, with looks ranging from traditional to modern. One caveat of a cake stand: A standard cake stand will accommodate a cake up to 10″ in diameter, while the largest tier of a typical wedding cake is anywhere from 12″ to 18″. Be sure to confirm with your baker the size of your largest tier before you purchase a cake plate so you know it will fit.

A traditional cake plateau (left) and a reproduction milk glass cake plate (right):

Make your own. There are many creative ways to create your own cake stand, but there are some challenges. First, wedding cakes can be extremely heavy–hundreds of pounds–and you have to make sure that your structure can support the weight. Also, your stand should be proportionate to your cake in both height and diameter, so check the dimensions with your baker. Lastly, some designs look better in theory than in practice. Although a glass vase filled with lemons and used as a cake stand might sound like a great idea, it doesn’t mean that it will have the visual appeal that it does in your head. Purchase some dummy cakes in the sizes of your tiers and play around with different ideas before you invest a lot of time and money (not to mention emotion) into your DIY cake stand.

3/Add a Faux Tier. Many cake designers are happy to add a faux (or fake) tier to your wedding cake. Since faux tiers are non-perishable, the designer can work on it weeks in advance (at his or her leisure), so they are generally less expensive than a real tier.

4/Add a Cake Topper. Vintage wedding cake toppers can be found at flea markets, garage sales, or your grandma’s attic. Ebay always has interesting finds as well (just search “wedding cake topper”). Adding a topper will give your cake more height, creating the illusion of a bigger cake. We found the custom toppers below on etsy.com:

5/Use a Smaller Table. The larger your table, the smaller your cake will appear. A cake with a 12″ bottom tier would be dwarfed by a 60″ round table. Using a smaller table will make your cake seem bigger in proportion.

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