The picture-perfect wedding cake is fresh and flavorful too

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Wednesday, April 7, 2004

The picture-perfect wedding cake is fresh and flavorful too

By SUSAN PHINNEY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Selecting a wedding cake is no stroll down the aisle.

Bakers who have earned the brides' seal of approval

Forget the generic white cake iced in white: There are flavors, fillings, styles, colors and decorations to consider. And it has to taste good.

"Today, wedding cakes are expected to be fresh and flavorful. Couples want gourmet cakes, cakes with more than one flavor," says Seattle pastry chef Bonnie Lyons. It's not unusual to have two kinds of cake and two or more different fillings hiding under the icing.

"You can have as many flavors as tiers," says Lyons, owner of New Renaissance Cakes.

Cake traditions have changed. Couples tend to marry later. They've sampled a lot of desserts, attended numerous weddings, dined in assorted places, perhaps visited other countries. They have specific ideas about what's to be served at their wedding receptions.

Tracy Norlen wanted an angel food cake for her Feb. 14 wedding. The bakers she consulted discouraged her, saying it would be difficult to assemble and serve. "I gave up that dream and went with a lemon butter cake. I was familiar with Macrina Bakery. I had a tasting and we went with them."

The frosting was white chocolate/cream cheese. Fillings were lemon curd and fresh strawberry. "I was particular about getting the cake I wanted, one that tasted good," Norlen says.


		Karen Ducey / P-I
	Bonnie Lyons, pastry chef and owner of New Renaissance Cakes, works piping beads around one of her cakes. This style is an example of the starting-price cake. It costs $272, with delivery included, and serves 64.

Before Tessa Dul was married last summer, she sampled lots of cakes. "We went to a bunch of places but they were too dry, too sweet or didn't taste good. A friend recommended B&O Espresso on Capitol Hill -- a coffeehouse known for its desserts. She opted for a cake buffet with several different cakes -- an option more and more couples are choosing. Instead of just one cake to wow guests, there are several.

An article in The New York Times credits the Internet for liberating wedding cake customers with cakes that can be inspected in virtual galleries and even sampled via FedEx.

There's also the Martha Stewart influence -- so overpowering that pastry chef Suzanne Chesley of B&O Espresso simply shrugs and says "I do a lot of Martha Stewart." In her 17 years on the job, she has grown accustomed to having customers arrive clutching a page torn from Martha's magazine, or clutching one of her books.

Chesley is part of a new generation of pastry chefs who treat cakes as dessert, not just a photo prop. They're devoted to fresh ingredients--butter, eggs, fruits and flowers. They not only meet with customers, they actually create the product. It's not a job passed on to an assembly line.

These cakes are not inexpensive. Seattle-based wedding planner Stephanie Solomon says cakes here average about $4 per serving -- costs comparable to those in Los Angeles but lower than New York City.

While couples are opting for gourmet cakes with plenty of flavor, they seem to be staying with traditional tiered designs. Fresh flowers seem to be more popular than sugar roses or detailed designs in frosting. And doll-like bridal couples that have topped cakes for years are rarely used.

"Difficult decorating raises the cost of the cake," Lyons says. Her most expensive cake, a lavishly decorated and authentic Victorian design that's one of her specialties, is $1,300 or $6.50 per person for 200 guests.

Lyons says it's not uncommon to have a smaller tiered cake for the bride and groom to cut, backed up with a sheet cake. The tiered cake may serve 100, the sheet cake another 100. It not only saves money, but the sheet cake is very easy to serve.


		Karen Ducey / P-I
	Bonnie Lyons of New Renaissance Cakes applies a homemade raspberry liqueur of raspberries, brandy and merlot to a three-tier wedding cake. "You can have as many flavors as tiers," says Lyons, who works by appointment only.

Seattle is blessed with a wide array of bakeries, producing a wonderful array of cakes, but not all brides have to buy them.

When Summer Halas was planning her wedding on Whidbey Island last summer she checked out Costco cakes, thought they were delicious and planned to buy several and decorate them with fresh flowers. Then a relative offered to bake the cake as a wedding gift.

Halas was given a chocolate wedding cake in three tiers with three different fillings: Mocha, raspberry and orange liqueur. Fabulous cake. Wonderful gift. Lucky couple.

CAKE QUESTIONS

Before you join the Americans who spend about $2 billion annually on wedding cakes (2002 statistics from the Association for Wedding Professionals International) there are more than a few questions you should ask, questions that affect the quality and cost of your cake. For example:

Does the baker, pastry chef, caterer provide cake tastings?

If not, look elsewhere.

Does the baker use all fresh ingredients? Does the price include delivery and set-up costs?

If not, expect $30-$45 in addition to the cake price for delivery in Seattle, more for suburban areas.

Does the number of servings include the top tier?

Many couples like to save and freeze this tier for an anniversary celebration. Sometimes you have to order more cake in order to save the top.

Do I have to return a plate, pillars or other elements to the bakery following the wedding?

Some bakeries require a deposit that's forfeited if they're not returned. Others include them in a cake's cost.

What does your site/caterer charge to cut and serve the cake?

Site fees are often based on food/beverage minimums. At the Fairmont Olympic, cakes baked in-house are $8-$9 per serving with service, and are credited against the minimums. If you bring in a cake from another source, it charges $7 per plate to serve. C'est Cheese, a Mercer Island catering firm, charges $25 per hour for someone to cut and serve a cake, plus $1.20 per person for silverware and plates. First Baptist Church of Seattle has one charge for the wedding ceremony, and an additional $500 fee to use its reception hall. This covers tables, chairs, china, silver -- everything but the food. Wedding planner Stephanie Solomon says cutting and serving costs can be 50 cents to $1.75. She recommends having a professional cut the cake so portions are correct and it serves the intended number of guests.

How far ahead do I have to order the cake?

Plan on three to six months ahead if you're marrying between June and September. Otherwise, most cake providers can work on shorter notice.

How many other cakes are you doing the day/weekend of our wedding?

Most professionals limit the number to about five or fewer cakes per weekend but some Seattle bakeries do them by the dozens during wedding season.

Ask if the baker or chef you're talking with will do the baking and decorating, or if it will be assigned to staff.

If not, there's a greater chance for miscommunication.

-- Susan Phinney

P-I reporter Susan Phinney can be reached at 206-448-8397 or susanphinney@seattlepi.com.

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