Wedding Cakes
The wedding cake, with its dainty trimming, highlights the wedding breakfast.
It may be round or square and consist of one, two or three tiers.
Choose a good reliable recipe for the cake mixture making the cake at leash
four weeks before it is to he iced. The flavour will improve by keeping, and the
cake will be less likely to crumble when cut.
Decorating a wedding cake is not beyond the scope of the home decorator. The
first point to consider is the size of the cake and then the size of the tins.
If a two or three-tiered wedding cake is to he made, first decide the
diameter of the bottom tier. so that the second and third tiers are
proportionally smaller. Unless this is done. the balance of the cake will be
wrong and the effect will be spoilt.
For a three-tiered cake, the relative diameters are: 28 cm for the
bottom, 20 cm for the centre and 13 cm for the top.
For a two-tiered cake, the bottom cake should be 28 cm and the top 13 cm.
Any difficulty be experienced in obtaining these exact sizes. remember to
keep the upper tiers on the small side. If the top tiers are too large, they
will give- the cake the appearance of top-heaviness.
A wedding cake should be covered with two coats of icing. the first an almond
paste (either the rich or the economical mixture) the second a royal icing or
fondant paste. Rich almond paste is expensive to make and may be omitted when
the final covering is fondant.
When using royal icing for the final coat. it is essential that a covering
paste be used. finless this is done. there is danger of the crumbs discoloring
the royal icing.
Fondant paste forms a perfect covering: it is easy to apply and, unlike royal
icing. does not set hard. It gives a smooth. even surface and may he tinted with
vegetable colouring to the shade desired. Using a sharp knife, level the surface
of the cake and brush away any crumbs. If a perfectly flat surface is desired,
the cake may be turned upside down. but the slightly rounded top gives the home
decorated cake a better appearance.
Fill in any cracks with scraps of either almond or fondant paste. As the
final covering will take the contours of the cake, it must be smooth.
Brush the surface of the cake with egg white, or thinned apricot jam which
has been pressed through a sieve. This will make the fondant or almond paste
adhere to the cake when cut. If almond paste is used, it is advisable to apply
it at least one week before putting on the final icing. Unless this is done,
there is a danger that the oil from the almonds might spoil the icing's
appearance.
If time is vital, brush the almond coating with dissolved gelatine to seal in
the oil and allow to dry overnight.
Assembling the cake
Each tier of a wedding cake requires a base of either thin ply wood or thick
card- board. covered with gold or silver paper. Allow a border of 8 cm to 10 cm
round the bottom tier and 8.6 cm round the second and top tiers. This board
provides a thin base for the upper tiers, and it also prevents the pillars from
cutting into the cake they are supporting.
Thin wooden skewers. threaded through the middle of the pillars. and long
enough to touch the board supporting the cake. act as props. They should he
leveled off with the top of the pillar.
A wide frill of gathered tulle round the edge of the board of the bottom tier
gives a pretty effect. It should be placed in position before the iced cake is
arranged on the board. A few dabs of royal king will ensure that the tulle is
kept in place.
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