East End Wedding Experts Roundtable: Wedding Cakes

Brides and grooms the world over know you can’t have a proper wedding without some form of cake. Here, a pair of East End cake experts share some pointers for selecting a wedding cake, addressing guests’ dietary restrictions and more.

What’s one important, but often overlooked, thing to consider when selecting a wedding cake?

You don’t have to settle for just one flavor in your cake. You can have multiple flavors so all your guests are happy. Many people also say to me, “No one eats the wedding cake!” I couldn’t disagree more. The wedding cake gets overlooked sometimes when people have this mindset. It’s the last thing your guests are going to eat at your wedding so they will go home with that fresh in their minds.

I’ve always noticed that once they do “the bride cuts the cake” people get their palates ready for cake. It’s so important to remember that. It’s always the perfect ending to any night. Who doesn’t love coffee and cake after a beautiful meal and celebration? — Christina Bisbee, Sugar Sugar Custom Cakes, sugarsugarcustomcakes.com

One thing that’s overlooked is remembering that this is your day. Make sure you get the flavors that you like and want to be a part of your special day. Don’t worry what “Uncle Henry” likes. This is your day. — Michael Guasta, Pure Sugar Inc., puresugarinc.com

Which style of wedding cake do you think is more popular right now, and why: basic traditional or sentimentally personalized?

The last few years have been more minimalist yet traditional. White buttercream, fresh flowers and three to four tiers. Nothing too over the top. Some want a textured, lined buttercream while others like a smooth clean icing. Many people do love adding something sentimental to their cake especially when it involves a beloved pet like a cat or dog. Some love to emulate details from their dress or the cake top from their parents’ wedding. — Christina Bisbee, Sugar Sugar Custom Cakes, sugarsugarcustomcakes.com

Right now the most popular wedding cake style is “old-school piping.” Lots of overdone buttercream ruffles and swags. This style was popular 50 years ago, and it’s making a comeback. — Michael Guasta, Pure Sugar Inc., puresugarinc.com

How do you recommend addressing vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. wedding guests in terms of the cake?

We will usually make a side cake for serving when addressing these issues if it’s a few guests with dietary concerns. If it’s the bride or groom, we will usually make one of the tiers geared towards their dietary needs so when they do the cutting ceremony they can taste the cake without issues. — Christina Bisbee, Sugar Sugar Custom Cakes, sugarsugarcustomcakes.com

When dealing with certain allergy with cakes, such as gluten-free or non-dairy or vegan, I offer to make a small cupcake for those individuals that can’t have regular cake. If it’s the bride that has the allergies, I’d make her a small bridal cake for herself. — Michael Guasta, Pure Sugar Inc., puresugarinc.com

What’s something unique about the cakes that your business creates?

The unique thing about Sugar Sugar Custom Cakes is we are one of the few left that have been doing this for 35 years. We’ve seen so many trends come and go and have the ability to work with every medium when it comes to creating a special wedding cake. Whether it’s buttercream or fondant is no longer the big dilemma. We work with things such as rice paper sculpted to create beach waves or modeling chocolate to sculpt a bride and groom. We strive to bring our clients’ cake dreams to fruition no matter how crazy it seems. — Christina Bisbee, Sugar Sugar Custom Cakes, sugarsugarcustomcakes.com

What’s unique about Pure Sugar cakes is that they taste very flavorful and not overly sweet like most cakes tend to be. And the design is geared towards the couple’s wants and needs specifically. — Michael Guasta, Pure Sugar Inc., puresugarinc.com