How To Create Your Special Wedding Cake

Wedding cake tips

So first off, congratulations on your engagement!

You have probably realized by now that planning a wedding is a huge effort. And if you're like most people, you have never purchased a cake that costs more than $40, or had to think about designs and flavors or colors for a cake.

We deal with a lot of brides and grooms, and we've made wedding cakes of all shapes and sizes and flavors and designs. From elegant, classic white tiered wedding cakes to XBox-shaped cakes (yes, someone ordered an XBox wedding cake!), we've seen and baked and decorated and eaten a lot of cake. So here's some advice for you.

How should it look?

The first decision you should make about your cake is how it should look. We've all seen those sculptured, amazing cakes on the Food Network, and maybe you're thinking you want YOUR wedding cake in the shape of your house...or your car…or a life-sized replica of your favorite cartoon character.

Sorry, but Starry Nights doesn't do those kinds of cakes.

Why not?

Well, those gorgeous "sculpture" cakes are wonderful to look at, but to mold them so impressively requires very hard, dry cake, with no filling or mousse inside. You'll notice during those TV shows that bakers are literally sawing the cake "blocks" like they're made of wood. And if it looks like wood, it's going to taste like it too!

So we don't think cake should only be looked at. At Starry Nights we believe cakes should be gorgeous, and taste absolutely delicious. Have it all!

What flavor do I want?

The second cake decision to make is flavor. Starry Nights offers over 20 gourmet flavors, from Signature Chocolate Truffle to The Dublin Irish Cream to The Sevilla Orange Creamsicle. And we're so sure our cakes are the best in the area, we always- ALWAYS- offer a complimentary tasting and consultation before you decide to hire us.

Now, any reputable cake baker will offer a free tasting. If you're not allowed to taste your cake before it's made, that's a bad sign- they're usually hiding something. For example, some high-end bakers in the Puget Sound area actually use boxed cake mixes, Crisco- or shortening-based "frosting", or keep their pre-baked cakes frozen for weeks or months before turning those freezer-burned blocks into your expensive wedding cake. Don't be afraid to ask your baker what ingredients he's using, if the cake is baked from scratch, and if it's freshly baked.

What decorations do I want?

The third decision is decoration. At Starry Nights, your decorations are completely independent from your cake flavor. We can frost that Signature Chocolate Truffle Cake in white buttercream with scrollwork, or we could frost our Malaysian Mango Cake in bright reds and pinks to match your bridesmaids' dresses. For best cake results, bring in a swatch of your bridesmaids' gowns, a paint chip that matches your wedding colors, or magazine pages featuring cake photos that you really like. We want to make the most delicious, personal cake for your special day.

And now the budget...

And finally…you have to make a decision about the cost. At Starry Nights, we want to bake the best cake for your budget, not ours. So how do you save money on a wedding cake?

  • Sheet cakes are much cheaper than tiered wedding cakes, because the artwork isn't as time consuming. So you can order a smaller tiered cake for the photos and your wedding party, and serve the rest of your guests cost-saving sheet cakes, in exactly the same color and flavor as your tiered cake. The cut slices will look and taste identical!
  • Cake decor like fondant, marzipan, and gum paste are expensive, and they're not very good to eat anyway. Covering your cake in our buttercream is not only the most delicious option, there's also no extra fee!
  • Order your cake in one uniform flavor, instead of several different flavors.

At Starry Nights, we promise that your wedding cake will be fresh, beautiful, unique, and delicious. After all, as Chef Matt says... life is too short to eat bad cake.