Getting Started on Making and Decorating a Wedding Cake

For a bride on a budget, paying $8 per slice for a wedding cake may seem outrageous! But what are the alternatives, particularly when you don't have any baking experts in your family? The answer is - making a wedding cake is really not that hard. This is an illustrated step-by-step guide for beginners to making and decorating a wedding cake.

As long as you allow yourself enough time and patience and look for simple yet beautiful decorating techniques such as the ones included here, you should be fine. The instructions and decorating techniques are aimed at someone who has some baking experience, but has never made a tiered cake or a wedding cake before. I don't think a bride or groom should add making a wedding to their long list of things to do, but certainly one or two bridesmaids or groomsmen should be able to accomplish this feat.

You should use a recipe specifically designed to be a wedding cake as it will ensure that it is sturdy enough, and that it makes the right amount of batter and icing. I use this recipe from epicurious.com and it is one I recommend. It makes three tiers of 12", 9" and 6", as well as a massive amount of icing. Best of all, it is truly delicious.

On the last page of this step-by-step is a schedule for when you will need to bake and assemble each part. When ready, first assemble all of the tools you will need:

• all ingredients for baking and icing the wedding cake. The recipe above calls for 5 pints of raspberries but I find that due to spoilage, I need to buy 6 or 7.
  
  
• 12", 9", and 6" cake pans, each 3" tall. (available at craft stores and baking supply stores).
  
  
• parchment paper to line the pans
  
  
• a large serrated knife
  
  
• cardboard circles (available at baking and craft stores) in 12", 9" and 6"
  
  
• 10 non-flexible straws
  
  
• an offset spatula
  
  
• a platter to serve the wedding cake on – perhaps a plank of wood wrapped in aluminum foil
  
  
• To add the optional monogram: a pastry bag with a round tip between size 3 and 7 for piping, and a toothpick for tracing the monogram.
  
  
• fresh flowers for decorating. Ask your florist to order you unsprayed flowers.
  
  
• Many people find that a lazy susan platter is helpful when trying to get a smooth surface on the cake, or when doing piped designs.

Lastly, you will need to clear a large space in the refrigerator, perhaps taking out a shelf.

Once you've baked the wedding cakes, it is on to step 1 – cooling and torting the wedding cake

Please note: This recipe makes a three-tiered wedding cake, each tier containing three layers. To avoid confusion, I will refer to each of the three parts of the totally assembled cake as a tier, and to each horizontal slice of those tiers as a layer.

Special thanks to Maria Knapp, About.com guide to Theater for helping me with this guide.

• Step 1: What you'll need, and how-to cool and tort the wedding cake
  
  
• Step 2:Filling the wedding cake layers with preserves and fresh raspberries
  
  
• Step 3: Adding Cream Cheese Icing to the Wedding Cake Layer
  
  
• Step 4: Icing the three layers with a "crumb layer" of icing
  
  
• Step 5 - the critical step of adding support and stacking the layers
  
  
• Step 6: Creating a smooth final layer of icing on the wedding cake
  
  
• Step 7: Decorating the Wedding Cake - Simple and Easy Ideas
  
  
• Step 8: Decorating the Wedding Cake Platter
  
  
• Optional Step: Adding a Monogram to the Wedding Cake
  
  
• The Finished Wedding Cake! and a Schedule for Assembling