One of the high points of wedding planning for many couples is choosing their wedding cake. But before you start trawling through the incredible list of flavours, frostings and cake toppers (so distracting), first you’ll need to choose a baker who you can trust.
There are some specific questions you need to ask to avoid the disappointment of a low-quality product (and service) down the track.
And, given that often a wedding cake is on display, a centrepiece of the reception and a stunning photo opportunity, you want your wedding cake to look nothing less than beautiful with an attractive shape and design, from start to finish - not melting in the Summer heat halfway through the night.
Before signing the contract, you need to know if the baker is experienced at making, delivering and setting up the type of wedding cake you’re looking for and what a typical wedding cake costs.
Start with asking for recommendations, looking at reviews and asking couples who have been recently married. Performing your due diligence at the start of your search can save heartache later on in the planning process.
In this article, we'll be looking at the top 10 questions you need to ask your wedding cake baker to make sure the best and yummiest cake is delivered for your wedding and also some crucial pieces of information that are required for a baker to give you an accurate (no scary bill at the end!) quote.
Information Required by the Cake Baker
Just as you have lots of questions, your potential wedding cake baker also needs to ask you some questions regarding the style of your wedding, the season you’re having it in, and the type of cake you want (fondant covered, semi-naked, fake cake with a slab cake in the kitchen) to give you an accurate quote.
According to multi-award-winning and 28+ year experienced family bakery, Heidelberg Cakes, some of the information required by the baker, include:
The date of your wedding. This helps them check their schedule to see whether or not they will be available to take, create and deliver your order.
The number of guests that you want to serve the cake to (including wedding party, vendor meals and for freezing for your 1st wedding anniversary).
How many tiers would you like?
Whether you want a cake with fondant or buttercream frosting.
What budget you’re working with.
A short description of how you want the cake design to look.
The address of your wedding venue, for the cake delivery.
Will the cake be used for a full-size dessert portion, a coffee portion, or for a take-home wedding favour? If other desserts are served as part of your meal package, coffee portions are fine. If the cake is the main, or only, dessert of the night, then dessert portions are the way to go.
Will the cake need to be individually plated or served on platters?
Before signing a contract agreement, confirm if the vendor is licensed and insured. It’s smart (for both your peace of mind and the health and safety of you and your guests) to ensure that your cake vendor is covered by insurance and has the required council food preparation certificates. This will prevent you from taking any unnecessary risks.
Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Cake Baker
Your baker can make or break the day when it comes to your wedding cake. That's why it's important to thoroughly question potential wedding cake makers and, even more importantly, get a sample of their delicious work before booking them in for your big day.
Below are the top 10 best questions you should ask your wedding cake baker!
1. Can I taste the cake before I decide on the flavour?
While the most popular flavours are still berry, lemon and chocolate, there are so many amazing, imaginative and taste-bud tingling cake flavours that are possible for your wedding cake.
Pina Colada, pistachio, lemon elderflower, citrus blends and almond cakes are some new and unique wedding cake flavours that bakers are offering engaged couples.
If a baker prefers to work from an inspiration photo from their couple, there may not be an opportunity to sample your wedding cake before it’s made.
Larger cake-making businesses often provide sample tastings to give you a better idea of the quality of their ingredients, baking consistency and their flavour options.
2. What fillings and flavours do you offer? Do you use fondant or buttercream?
Whether you're looking for white chocolate and raspberry, pina colada, or pistachio flavour for your wedding cake to give it a unique point of difference, you must confirm with the baker to find out if they offer these exotic options.
It’s also good to be aware that not all bakers create wedding cakes with both fondant and buttercream frostings and design options. If you have a preference, confirm your baker can deliver that for you.
3. Do you box your cakes and provide cake stands?
To ensure your cake is packaged attractively, kept bug and smudge-free and arrives safely, you need to confirm with the baker whether or not they box their cakes.
Some bakers may also have cake stands they rent out for couples. You could request to see photos to decide the best fit and presentation for your wedding cake.
4. What are the prices of your wedding cakes, and is a booking fee required?
Usually, wedding cake prices change depending on how detailed the design is (because more detail = more hours = more $$), the number of tiers, the flavour mix, and the fillings used. Often wedding cake base prices are determined by the number of portions or number of wedding guests you’re wanting to serve.
If a cake baker doesn’t require a booking fee to commit to you and your wedding date, you need to be asking why.
Working within the terms of the agreement you sign means that you respect your baker’s time and expertise and they have all the information at hand ahead of time and can arrange for the materials and labour to make your wedding cake to your specifications.
This makes the process easier for you, too - no going back and forth with times, ideas and changes. It’s respectful, and more often than not, contractual to pay the initial booking fee of the wedding cake cost when it’s due to confirm your booking.
The average cost of a wedding cake in Australia is $537 so keep that in mind, depending on your wedding budget, you may want to explore a single-tier, simple buttercream design, rather than an intricately decorated, gold leaf, multiple tier fondant wedding cake.
If you’re working to a budget this article from the 2021 Winner of the Australasian Cake Oscar Awards Haute Couture Wedding Cake Designer of the Year, Terresia Welch of Lyons Den Cakes might help.
Lyons Den Cakes
5. What kind of ingredients do you use? Are there vegan or gluten-free options?
Depending on your guest’s dietary needs or personal preferences, you may want to confirm if your wedding cake will be free from protein cereal grains for your gluten-free family and friends or if the baker uses organic ingredients.
Some other dietary concerns include lactose intolerance, wanting a vegan option or being allergic to nuts.
Have a chat with your wedding cake baker at the beginning of your planning to work out an offering that all of your guests can enjoy. Sometimes bakers can offer specialised and individually portioned desserts if there are only a small number of wedding guests who have specific needs.
6. What's the delivery process, and is there a delivery fee?
The best time to have your wedding cake delivered is approximately 4-8 hours before your reception starts and preferably in a refrigerated and purpose-built food transportation van.
This buffer allows the cake delivery driver (sometimes the baker themselves) plenty of time in case of traffic, road closures, difficulty finding your venue, setup time etc.
Also, if they charge a delivery fee, you want to include it in your total cake budget to avoid any last-minute panic or a surprise bill.
7. Do you have inspiration photos from past couples?
Your wedding day is not a practice run for you, so be sure that your wedding cake is not a practice run for your baker.
Beware of cake makers who are unable to show you photos of their past work.
When a baker is able and proud to show you photos of their past work, it helps you to visualise what they are realistically able to achieve for you and also give you some cake design ideas and inspiration.
8. How far in advance will my wedding cake be made?
Considering that most experienced and in-demand bakers have many clients on any given week, your cake could be baked 2-3 days before your wedding. Large custom-designed cakes with complex decorations take many hours to bake, cool, fill, assemble, refrigerate, and decorate.
Professional bakers use several tactics, including using syrups, industrial fridges and fillings to ensure that your cake is kept chilled and moist right up until the moment it’s served.
9. Can I use my florist to add fresh flowers to my cake design?
You may want your florist to provide extra flowers to garnish your wedding cake design.
First up, ask your baker about their requirements for the fresh flowers; will they need to be prepared a certain way (perhaps pruned, extra-long stems for easy insertion or wired), delivered on a particular day or adhere to specific food-safe standards (i.e. dried flowers are treated with chemicals that you do not want seeping through your cake)?
There are times when it’s advantageous for the baker to arrange the flowers due to time, budget and food safety requirements, so it’s best to work this out at the start.
Lyons Den Cakes
10. Will you cut and serve my wedding cake?
Depending on the wedding cake maker, your venue and the timing of your reception, a wedding cake baker may sometimes serve the cake to your guests.
When a baker doesn’t physically serve the cake, they often deliver instructions on how the cake is to be refrigerated or stored, what size portions are intended, dietary restrictions and any other condiments or garnishes that are to be served.
Conclusion
A professional wedding cake baker is not just a cook, but also a decorator, an artist and a master problem solver.
Early open communication with your wedding cake baker and setting clear expectations in the form of a contract are key to ensuring your wedding cake is exactly how you want it on the day.
If you’re not having your baker or caterer cutting and serving your wedding cake, consider buying a wedding cake cutting guide - it’s an excellent investment to make sure you don’t butcher your gorgeous dessert.
We wish you the very best experience both in the search for and in the delicious result of, booking the perfect wedding cake baker for your big day. Unbridely Suppliers of wedding cake makers in Adelaide are excellent places to start your research and you can also get some fresh inspiration should you be needing to book in another State or Territory.
