Featured on the cover of the Martha Stewart Weddings magazine (Winter issue), this cake is covered in fondant with a VERY simple edging of piped pearls at each layer.  This unique wedding cake is adorned with multi-colored butterflies (from Floraltrims).  Is that gorgeous or what?!

Ideas to make this YOUR stunning cake for your wedding include

• coordinating the butterfly colors with your wedding colors
• A simple ribbon trim at the base of each layer could substitute for the piped pearls
• You could easily frost this cake with buttercream

(Picture courtesy of WeddingBee Pro)

Just like every girl loves a great pair of shoes…
Every cupcake loves a cute little liner.

Notice the cute little liners the baker used on the photo on the left (we found this gorgeous photo here).  The variation in colors really plays off the white tiered cake stands.

Here are some great cupcake liners that would be great to use for your wedding cupcake recipes.

When the light is on the doughnuts are hot!  And this is one HOT cake!  Arranged on a cupcake stand, this unique wedding cake is actually made from Krispy Kreme doughnuts!

(http://www.10News.com)

And the finger-licking-wedding-goodness doesn’t stop there.

Yes, those favors are actually twin packs of Krispy Kreme donuts!  Who wouldn’t love to find this waiting at the door?  Whether your guests wolf them down in the car or save them for breakfast the next day, they will be thanking you to the very last finger lick!

(photo courtesy of brianmazanec)

These will be gracing our Easter dessert table! If you would like to see a “get started with cake decorating” video, sign up for our newsletter in the top right of this page.

video courtesy of the Culinary Institute of America

Making mini wedding cakes can make a large task seem much more manageable and is a great way to stretch your wedding budget.  There is a huge selection of cake pans that will help you create your own mini wedding cakes.  You can use a smaller round cake pan to create a mini layer cake.  Or you can choose from a variety of baking pans to create individual mini wedding cakes.

The cupcake wedding cakes pictured above were from the wedding of “the youngsters” over at This Young House. Be sure to check out their blog as it is fabulous.  It details all of the stylish home improvements they do to in and around their 50 year old ranch.  These folks have some serious style going on!  They have been featured in many magazines and even on CNN.

When you visit their blog, be sure to check out the tab at the top that says Wedding Album.  They had a very intimate wedding in their own back yard and the page is FULL of fabulous DIY wedding tips and money-saving ideas for your wedding.

They chose to purchase their cup cake wedding cakes at a favorite local bakery.  Using a simple cupcake recipe, this can easily be done at home as well.  The youngsters chose to forego the cupcake stand and arranged the cupcakes for their wedding on one long table.  Don’t they look divine?!

A simple and easy way to make a beautiful cake is to start with the Nordic Ware Rose Bundt Cake pan.

The Nordic Ware bundt cake pans are high quality and the cakes come out of the pans with ease (be sure to use Baker’s Joy spray to coat the pan).

As you can see from the finished cake, you won’t need to mess with decorator’s icing.  A simple glaze would be just enough to sweeten the cake.  Or, better yet, a dusting of powdered sugar would be beautiful.

Coconut Bundt Cake With Powdered-Sugar Glaze

]]> http://www.weddingcake101.com/wedding-cake-recipes/rose-bundt-cake-and-coconut-wedding-cake-recipe/feed 1 http://www.weddingcake101.com/cake-decorating-supplies/heating-cores-used-in-wedding-cake-recipes http://www.weddingcake101.com/cake-decorating-supplies/heating-cores-used-in-wedding-cake-recipes#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:46:56 +0000 admin http://www.weddingcake101.com/uncategorized/heating-cores-used-in-wedding-cake-recipes  

If you have been doing some research in the field of wedding cake recipes and wedding cake decorating you have, no doubt, come across the mention of a “heating core”.

A heating core is a device you can use to heat your larger cake layer up from the center.  It is primarily used to help cook the center of your cake, avoiding over-done edges and under-done centers.  Without the use of a heating core, you may find that your cake edges get done while the inner section is still liquid.

When would you need a heating core?  The use of the heating core is recommended for cakes that are 10″ or more in diameter.

How do you use a heating core?  You want to prepare your core just like you do your pan.  If you are greasing and flouring your pan, do the same with the core.  Place the core in the pan before pouring in your batter.  Pour the batter around the core and then pour some batter inside the core, attempting to have the same height inside and out.

After you bake the cake, remove the core.  Use the cake that was in the center of the core to “plug” the hole left by the core.  When the cake is iced you will not see the core… and chances are this layer will have another layer on top of it anyway.

These tasty little numbers can be filled with your choice of jams and/or lemon curd (which can be found at your local supermarket).  

Make the cake ahead and cut into hearts.  Freeze the hearts (without filling) until the Big Day approaches.  Defrost and bring to room temperature.  Fill with desired spreads and then dust with powdered sugar (using a little tiny wire strainer or a shaker).

Raspberry Lemon Heart Cakes

adapted from Bon Appetit Feb. 09

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, warm
1 cup whole milk, room temperature

Filling:

Raspberry jam or fruit spread
Purchased lemon curd

Adorn with:

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line heavy 18 x 12 x 1- inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until very pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in butter, then milk. Fold in flour mixture, then beat just until blended, about 30 seconds. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking sheet.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cake begins to color on top, 26 to 28 minutes. Cool cake completely on baking sheet on rack.

Using 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 8 hearts from cake (cover and reserve leftover cake). Spread thin layer of jam over top of 1 cake heart. Spread 1 heaping teaspoon of lemon curd over; top with another cake heart. Repeat with remaining hearts, jam, and lemon curd. Sprinkle each with powdered sugar.

Are you a Twinkie Lover? 

Get on over to the Hostess Site for the directions for this cutie pie!

And for the Super Mario lovers of the world, a Mario wedding cake.

And who doesn’t love Peeps?

Enough with the sillyness though. I hope this will help you to realize that your cake should be whatever YOU want it to be.  A formal multi-tier cake is NOT the only thing out there.

That made me think about all of the fabulous shaped pans that one could use for individually sized wedding cakes.  These mini cake pans can be used over and over.  You can bake a batch, let them cool, and then freeze them until the Big Day gets closer.  Your cake baking tasks could easily be spread out over time.  And these would not require you to buy a lot of baking pans or materials.

Here are just a few possibilities for making your own wedding cake using Bundt mini cake pans from NordicWare.

Nordic Ware’s Sweet Heart Rose – makes 12 mini cakes

Nordic Ware Mini Bundt Cake Pan – set of four

Even though I am an experienced baker, I don’t enjoy decorating a cake with a decorator’s bag of icing.  I have the bags and the tips and have even taken a few classes.  I have tried to make myself like decorating a cake.   I just don’t like to do it.  I guess I would much rather enhance my cake with a simple decoration of fruit, flowers or toasted coconut.   It’s much easier and, in my opinion, makes a much prettier cake.

If you’re planning to make your own wedding cake you may be worried about decorating the outside with piping or fondant.  No fears – here are some tips to for creating a beautiful wedding cake without all the fuss. 

1.     Consider using a nice buttercream frosting and top with beautiful fresh flowers.  You can ask your florist for flowers to match your bouquets.  If you’re getting married in a warmer climate, fresh picked flowers are gorgeous and budget friendly.  Getting the buttercream smooth on the sides is not hard and the “waves” on the top can be covered with the flowers.

2.    Go simple – let your cake stands or display pieces shine.  Your cakes can look gorgeous on their own- without fondant.  Beautiful cake stands are available all over and they are something you can keep forever (or send home with your guests).  And watch for cake plates that you can stack.

(pictured are stands from Martha Stewart’s collection at Macy’s)

3.    What fruit is in season during your wedding?  Nothing is more spectacular on a cake than fresh fruit.  Strawberries, raspberries, you name it.  It’s simple, affordable and “oh so good”.  Fresh fruit can top your cake, line where your two layers meet, or decorate your cake plate.

4.    Glazes can be your best friend.  Consider making smaller, individual cakes with a simple glaze rather than frosting.

5.    A simple dusting of confectioner’s sugar or cocoa can dress a cake up in no time.  Use a stencil to create an intricate design on top of the cake.  No fuss layers of frosting, whipped cream or fruit filling can go between the cake layers for added flavor.

I have a favorite baking pan – one that I bought ages ago in a bakery supply house. I recently took a cake to a party in it and my brother-in-law asked, “Who brought the cake in the cool “old school” pan?. I didn’t realize that “old school” could be applied to bakeware but I guess I was wrong.

I do indeed love this pan – it never lets me down. It bakes evenly with no hot spots. It cleans up beautifully. And while it does have some age spots (discolorations really), it is not one bit rusty and the finish is not wearing off in spots like so many of my cookie sheets. It is thick without being heavy. It never lets me down. I do love it!

And when I recently had to pitch a nasty non-stick muffin pan because it had rusty spots all over it, I dug through my baking cabinet only to find a nice little aluminum muffin pan hiding in there. I think I picked this one up at an auction actually. I made muffins in it last week and that muffin pan performed just like “old school” cake pan. Even baking, easy to clean, looked like new after it dried. So that got me to thinking about the content of the baking pans I like to use.

I have never been a fan of non-stick pans but they are all over the place! It really is hard to buy a pan that is not non-stick. Not my favorite because I cook A LOT and I tend to wear that finish off in no time. And I really HATE the airbake pans. That’s an article all in itself! So, I have recently decided that I will buy no more of those pans or cookie sheets. My favorite metal of choice when it comes to baking is aluminum.

In baking a cake, go for aluminum. You won’t be sorry! You will be rewarded with a cake that bakes evenly throughout, is easy to clean, and lasts forever. Be sure to check out the aluminum Wilton wedding cake pans (which can be used for any cake by the way) I have featured in the right side of the blog!

It may be easy to choose which cake pan shape you like but

what if you want to make a wedding cake recipe that does not specifically call for the pans you want to use?

Remember that baking time and temperature is determined, in large part, by the size and volume of your baking pans.  Making your recipe and your cake pan compatible is crucial to your success.

If you find a recipe you love but need to change the pan size, be sure to adjust your recipe.  That may mean making more batter, changing the baking temperature, or lengthening/shortening the baking time.   Don’t be alarmed though – iit just takes a bit of thought and planning. Trial and error is crucial so plan on making a test cake to see how it all turns out.

Here is a link to a great table of conversions for changing up your cake pan size:

Wedding Cake Pan conversion