Bake Your Own Wedding Cake?

If you are an experienced baker, then YES! Baking and decorating your own wedding cake can be a satisfying way to add a personal touch to your wedding. It is also a great option if you have dietary restrictions and already have tried and true cake recipes that meet those needs. It is, however, a lot of work! Instead of a large wedding cake, consider baking and designing a cutting cake. A cutting cake is a smaller cake that is cut for photos, while cupcakes or sheet cakes are served to guests. This approach to a DIY wedding cake makes it easier and less stressful to create your own cake. This post will provide you will all the supplies and ideas you need to get started planning, baking and decorating your own wedding cake. First, the fun part: browse online for flavor combinations, decorations, frosting, toppers and other ideas!

Note: if you have very little cake baking experience, baking your own wedding cake may be stressful and disappointing. If you decide to go ahead, make sure to leave plenty of time to practice, practice, practice!

Tools For The Best Bakes

If you are an experienced baker, you may already have a few of the tools listed in this post. If you have been getting by without them, then now is a good time to add these tools to your arsenal. The right tools will help you achieve a perfectly baked cake, when it matters most! Quality baking pans ensure cake is baked evenly. Parchment paper helps prevent cake from sticking to the pan. A cake leveler can salvage the most uneven layers. Sturdy bamboo skewers help keep multiple layers aligned.

Line pans with parchment paper to help release the cake from the pan. 

Pro Tip: Make Ahead & Freeze

Undecorated cake can be baked and frozen ahead of time. You can also freeze buttercream frosting until you are ready to assemble your cake. Buttercream decorations, such as rosettes, pearls, stars, and shells freeze well, which can save time and stress later. Store decorations in a glass container to prevent your decorations from being crushed by bags of frozen vegetables, etc. Like everything else in a DIY wedding, be sure to practice baking, assembling and decorating your cake.

Frosting or Fondant?

Frosting or fondant is a personal choice! Fondant creates a smooth surface and can be moulded into detailed decorations. Frosting, such as buttercream frosting, creates a more natural surface and can be piped into all kinds of flowers, shapes and decroations. Both fondant and frosting can be purchased premade or made at home. From personal experience, buttercream frosting and decorations freeze well, which can be a time saver! 

Pro Tip: Gel Icing Colors

Gel food coloring, like Wilton Icing Gels, is the key to achieving vibrant and evenly colored frosting. Traditional liquid food coloring adds water to frosting or fondant, which can ruin the consistency and ruin the cake. Gel coloring comes in a variety of colors, allowing you more control and options for color blending. No matter what kind of coloring you choose, make and color enough frosting in the color you need all at once. 

Tools For Design & Decor

There is no limit (other than time and skill) to how you decorate your wedding cake! Leave your frosted cake plain and add a simple topper, or go all out with flowers, swags, ribbons and edible shimmer. A simple frosting decorating kit should include, at minimum, piping bags and a variety of frosting tips. If you have a specific frosting tip you are looking for, check directly with a manufacturer, such as Wilton. For fondant, a variety of cutting tools, brushes and rolling pins can help you create flowers and other decorations. The tools listed below assume you have some experience and skill in cake decorating. If you do not, don’t worry, there are plenty of premade decorations (edible and not edible) that make creating a beautiful cake a piece of cake! 

Add texture to minimalist cakes with frosting combs.

Edible luster dust comes in a variety of colors and add glamour to any cake.