I’m only here for the cake!
When you’re my age, it’s not uncommon to spend most of your summer weekends at weddings.
While most people are scrutinizing the bride and her dress, I usually direct my attention to the cake – or whatever is being served for dessert.
And if you’ve ever been to a wedding, you know that wedding cake is… well, it’s a gamble. You never quite know how it’s going to taste, and whether the filling is real fruit, or that dreaded fruit-flavored gel.
I spent the last two weekends at weddings - both of which had creative alternatives to your typical wedding cake. Check it out:
Wedding #1: In addition to a regular wedding cake, this wedding had a cake in the shape of Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a picture of the cake, but the cake below is very similar.
The beauty here is in the fondant – or as I like to call it, “Sugared Play-Dough.” If you take away the fondant, it’s just a sheet cake cut in a diamond shape.
When it comes to wedding cakes, most pastry chefs fall into one of two camps: the buttercream camp, or the fondant camp.
Observe the difference:
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Both cakes are incredible. The buttercream camp might say that the cake on the right looks tacky and cartoonish, while the cake on the left has a classic, timeless beauty.
But it can also be argued that fondant enables a chef to take creative risks that could never be done with buttercream. If the cake on the right was made with buttercream, it would melt within an hour. As you can see, each kind of wedding cake has pros and cons.
Wedding #2: This wedding decided to forego cake altogether, in favor of a fun alterative that was popular with every wedding guest, from the 5 year olds to the 80-year olds: cupcakes!
Are these adorable or what! The couple provided three flavors for the guests to choose from: chocolate, vanilla, or lemon. In addition to being the perfect serving size, the cupcake tower created a really cool centerpiece for the room.
A quick side note:
If you ever have the chance, take a minute to observe how people eat cupcakes. It’s hilarious. Last weekend, I witnessed the following techniques:- The Scrapers: these are the people who scrape off the frosting and just focus on the cupcake itself.
- The Inhalers: these are the people who don’t even bother with taking bites – they just put the whole thing in their mouth.
- The Face-Smushers: this technique is favored by the 5-to-10-year-old crowd. And me. The goal here is to get the cake and frosting all in one bite. It usually involves getting frosting all over your face. But us Face-Smushers don’t care.
- The Utensil-Users: Think Mr. Pitt on Seinfeld, when he ate his Snickers bar with a knife and fork. These people cut into their cupcake with utensils, and usually have a napkin on their lap. Naturally, they are the sworn enemies of the Face-Smushers.
Coming Soon: Finding the best hot dog on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
