Delishiously Defined

Let's continue on our journey through cakelishousness!

Your wedding cake is an investment of $3 to $9 per slice or more depending on what you choose. So to avoid wasting this money, the goal is to find the bakery that creates the type of cake you like. Isn't cake just cake? Nope! Just like there are many types of frostings, there are as many (more really) cakes!

If you are visiting a bakery, it's helpful to know the lingo. Not all bakeries will make the same type of cake as their standard wedding cake. And not all bakeries will make the same type of cake taste ...um...tasty! :) Like frosting, cakes are more or less defined by their ingredients. The main categories are 'butter cakes' and 'sponge cakes'. Within those categories are the specialty flavors.


Pound Cake: This dense butter cake is often used as a wedding cake because when done properly is moist and sturdy. Traditional recipes consist of 1 pound each of butter, eggs, flour and sugar plus the flavoring and leavening. This makes quite a large cake! Most recipes call for creaming the butter however I have found a recipe from the fabulous Cooks Illustrated to be the best ever and it's a little non-traditional in the mixing method. A membership will be required if you want to check out this recipe, but they'll give you a 2 week membership for free - a great deal! They have the best recipes ever! My husband particularly likes their equipment reviews and the taste testing so we have several (I think 6) of their cookbooks, many magazines and have not been disappointed with anything we've tried (which is really A LOT!) I'd recommend getting the full membership so you can start your marriage with an arsenal of great recipes!


(Side note: Obviously, you are not going to ask the baker their process for mixing and making a pound cake. But if you are looking for a consistently great recipe for entertaining at home or if you're adventurous enough to DIY your wedding cake, Cooks Illustrated has the best!)


Chiffon Cake: Chiffon cakes are not technically 'butter cakes' because they don't have butter. Instead, the fat in this recipe comes from oil.  This creates a moist light cake. They lend themselves well to refrigeration so fillings of fruit and custards work nicely with chiffon cakes.


Sponge Cake: This cake, as suggested by its name is like a sponge. It's got some squish to it but firm enough to bounce back. It's not overly sweet and a little on the dry side, so a sugar syrup is often poured over the cake. There is little or no fat (butter!) in this cake and most often the egg yolks are beaten separately from the whites. Sponge cakes typically don't have any fat in them... except the Victoria Sponge cake, brought to us by Queen Victoria of course who, was said to enjoy sponge cake with her afternoon tea.  BTW- she also brought us the white wedding gown!


Genoise Cake: from France, a sponge cake using whole eggs rather than separating the yolk from the white to be beaten separately. This can be a very dense batter, thick enough to be piped or spread on a flat sheet without running all over the place.  As you might imagine, this thick batter creates dry cake! But this variety that is really great for soaking with liquors or flavored syrups!

So that's what goes into the main types of cake that bakers will use as their basic wedding cake!  Which one is the best? Well, that's what you and your fiance have to decide. 

By popular demand, next week we'll talk MORE about cake but get into international delights and non-traditional wedding dessert options! Woohoo!

Defining Delicious!!

My Aunt Dolly made the greatest cakes the world has ever known, including wedding cakes! She passed away when I was around 3yrs old. We made a real connection in those few years though, so when I create an awesome cake, I know she had her hand in it.   And yes, I did just say I create awesome cakes because I have been known to do this from time to time.  I've created some real disasters also!  Experience is the best teacher! lol!   Someday Aisle Do will have a cake division but meanwhile I love sharing my practical cake knowledge. 

There are many trendy things happening in the world of wedding desserts.  Maybe I'll make this a series and talk about the other less traditional but very cool dessert options out there. (should I?) But for the moment, I'll focus on the traditional wedding cake!  There are enough aspects of wedding cake that we could talk about this all week and still have more to say next week.  So let's get on to it.

What makes a delicious cake?  Well, there's a variety of cake types, frosting types and endless flavors to choose from. So it might help to know what is what so if you are heading to a wedding cake tasting, you can compare apples to apples and buttercream to buttercream!  

Buttercream Frosting - in it's most basic form:  butter (unsalted), powdered sugar (10x Domino is my favorite, recipe on the side of the box!), flavoring/extracts (vanilla, lemon, almond, etc. ) and a scant amount of liquid (milk or water) to make the mixture smooth and spreadable is all beaten together until fluffy.  The more liquid added, the less likely this can be used to make frosting flowers and other piped decorations.  Buttercream frosting could get fancier by adding cream cheese.

 - note, if this is made with shortening rather than butter, 1- it would be decorating frosting and used to make roses and other flowers that need stability.  2. It will not be nearly as tasty even with extacts. 

Buttercream

French Buttercream -  Rather than powdered sugar, granulated sugar is made into a hot syrup and poured into beaten egg yolks. This is beaten until cooled and then butter is added in - twice the butter of the above buttercream frosting!  So this is a rich flavored and creamy frosting.

Italian Buttercream - similar-ish to French Buttercream.  The hot sugar syrup is poured into beaten egg whites, making this a fluffy and light tasting buttercream.  It takes to flavorings / extracts well.  It's also going to be closer to a pure white than it's French cousin.




Not really Swiss or Italian Buttercream, but close variation called White Mountain Frosting.


Swiss Buttercream - good gracious, does every country need their own version? Well darn good thing the Swiss got in on this, because this is quite tasty, albeit a tad more technically involved.  There is no sugar syrup that is poured into this, it's just egg whites, butter and sugar (and flavoring / extracts as desired)  But since you don't want to serve raw egg whites, this frosting is beaten in a bowl over a hot water or steam bath.  Also called a Bain Marie. 

Fondant - This is a rolled out dough-like coating.  It has a smooth satin finish (although any of the above buttercreams when applied by a real cake-pro can be just as smooth!) and it can give a rounded edge where the top of the cake  I honestly couldn't tell you how to make fondant because when I have used it, I just bought it. I know there is powdered sugar, glycerin, gelatin, shortening and flavoring.  There are homemade varieties that use marshmallows as the base.  I haven't tried this, but if you like marshmallows I'm sure it would be delish! Not all commercial fondant is created with good taste in mind, but there are a few good ones!  Satin Ice and Fondarific are brands that deliver a high quality and tasty product.  If you are considering covering your wedding cake in fondant, definitely ask to taste it or ask them which brand of fondant the use if they don't make their own. 

The stars, letters, cap and gold stripes made of fondant.

Chocolate frosting!  Before I sign off (we'll talk the cake part of the wedding cake tomorrow!)  I would really be unkind to not mention chocolate frosting!  All of the above can be made as a chocolate variety. However, chocolate is a very temperamental little son of a gun. You can't just add chocolate and expect that it will be a delightful chocolate version of buttercream - or anything for that matter. 

Over the years, I have made an undisclosed amount of really heinous chocolate frosting.  I am not even kidding! I would not kid about nasty chocolate!  So here's what I've learned - if you taste a chocolate frosting and it feels dry, flat, and just short of good, it's because cocoa powder or melted chocolate alone was added to the existing frosting recipe with hopes for the best. 

Alternately, some bakeries will make a ganache which is fine, but ganache is ganache and buttercream is not ganache! Chocolate needs some extra love and care.  I use both cocoa powder and melted chocolate and I find a the pinch of salt I typically don't add to a regular buttercream, adding it to a chocolate buttercream frosting is kind of necessary.




Chocolate!  Before I learned how to make good chocolate frosting!


Tomorrow we'll talk "cake"!  Just cake and nothing but cake!

Spring Gown Collection

Here's how you know you have chosen the right gown - you put it on and you can almost hear choirs of angels singing!  I've heard others say the same. But ok, I'm a fickle person when it comes to fashion. I'll admit that much! When I went gown shopping, I was almost afraid to look and more afraid to buy because I know myself and thought I'd pick the wrong gown.  And I was all about the gown so this really kind of terrified me. 

Well, here's an interesting revelation- When I first saw my gown, it was on a mannequin in the shop window.  It was not remarkable enough for me to even think about trying it on. But after a few "so so" gowns, the sales lady brought in the one from the window.  I had my choirs of angels moment and bought the gown. It was like -OMG a totally different gown on me!   To this day, I LOVE that gown.  17 and a half years later, all things being equal, I'd pick the same gown! (I was 8 when I got married! ;) lol!) But, really I would! In fact, I think the true test of loving your gown will only come years down the road, when you look at other gowns and think you absolutely got THE gown!

The gowns that I see now that really make me oooooo and aahhhhh are strikingly similar to my Priscilla of Boston silk and tulle ball gown of yesteryear!

So given that description, is it any surprise that I really love this gown! 

Mia Solano M1155L

I think it's just stunning! 

Check out more of Mia Solano's spring collection!

Fabulous Giveaway!

Calling all engaged couples!!

Follow @colincowie on Twitter!!

He'll be announcing an amazing giveaway

Monday - 2/14- Valentine's Day!

Fanciful Finds

I'm always searching for better ways to organize my stuff. It's kind of a never ending search, even though there are lots of great tools out there. What I really need is someone to just do it for me.  I like the creative side of creating but not so much of the clean up and organize it side.  You can probably relate!So I picked up the latest Cloth Paper Scissors magazine in hopes of finding some ideas and started scouring it last night. Yeah!! Found some great organization ideas for all my glitters and ribbons and stuff!

But I love when I find something unexpected!!   How about some fanciful little sparrow clips? Check'em out:



at Stacks and Stacks




At Organize It

 

What would you do with them at your wedding you ask?? Think about your favor bags, OOT Bags, clipped to napkins, in wishing trees! I can think of plenty of ways you can incorporate these cuties into your wedding day! These would be really fun for a spring wedding, aviary inspired wedding, or anyone who just wants something whimsical and different.

Being a practical person, I like that they have a usefulness for after the wedding but not being chotched up with a monogram or wedding date, your guests may actually enjoy using them.

 -side note alert -
Seriously... the practice putting the names or monograms or dates on things guests take home should take a hiatus until about 2060. Then everything old can be new again and this Charlotte wedding planner just may be too old to remember that I thought it was "chotchy" the first time.    And since I'm on a tangent, my mom said "chotchy" all the time. In her definition it's something that gets wrecked, specifically by adding too many details that basically ruins your artwork... however, I just looked it up at www.urbandictionary.com to see if it was a 'real word' and wow, probably not telling my mom after 30years of using this word how derogatory it really is based on some of the street slang offerings. She'd probably be aghast! Or maybe she knows. wow, then I'd be aghast! lol!

Alrighty, let's get back on track! These clips really economical too! They come in packs of 16, for under $20 depending on where you buy them. Each photo caption is linked back to the source sites if you care to shop. They are also at Amazon, but best deal I found so far is $10.99 at Stacks and Stacks!

Happy Planning!

Can Stylish Plans, Slumber Parties and Amusement Parks Really Coexist!?

Feature Article
by Tracey Baxter

At The Bridal Showcase, the biggest question I heard was “How do I choose a venue?” The best place to look first for a great venue is right in your own mind! No joke! Think about the style of your wedding.  Really imagine it – if you could be ‘on location’ in the perfect venue for your wedding, what do you see in your mind?  Are you in a ballroom or lakeside? If you are outdoors in your vision, you have effectively eliminated a lot of venues right off the bat! Or if you are in a mansion or historic site you’ve also effectively eliminated many! This is great! You’ve saved yourself time and energy and can avoid visiting places that you wouldn’t prefer to host your wedding ceremony, reception or both.






When choosing a venue, when you walk into the space, do you feel like it conveys your style? Keep in mind; I am using the word style – not the word theme! Eliminate theme from your wedding vocabulary and think style. Themes are for 2nd grade slumber parties and amusement parks. Both fun? Absolutely! But theme is not fun for at least 90% of weddings! Now, yes there is that 10% or less that want to do some sort of over the top “theme” but pulling that off without creating a hot mess needs cautious planning! In my experience theming is not what most brides are looking to achieve on their wedding day – it’s style!






Let’s talk for a minute about this because if not theme, what constitutes style? Style is not something that you beat your guests half to death with by making everything matchy-matchy like something out of "The Stepford Wives". It’s not the favor tags, seating cards or other details, although those elements can enhance the style if used properly! Style is like the big picture. Style is a ribbon of continuity throughout your wedding that creates a feeling or ambiance. Style starts with your save-the-date cards or invitations, ends with your thank you cards and includes everything in between, but it is not any of these elements individually. So now with style clarified, again picture your perfect wedding day. How does the venue make you feel? When you go on site to check out a venue if you don’t get that very same feeling you’re imagining at this moment, you’ve not found your venue yet.






The reason finding a venue that is suitable to your event style is critical is because to create that feeling of your style, in a space that doesn’t naturally convey it, can quickly become time consuming and costly. To a degree, it’s like reinventing the wheel! Yes, you can bring the outdoors in but if a ballroom is bright yellow and grey, it will be take more to mask that décor and create something natural and outdoorsy, than if you found a ballroom with a more neutral or green décor scheme that could easily blend into your style.






On the other hand, if you are not locked in to a specific color swatch yet, then the ballroom or other location you select can determine your scheme so you are easily coordinated with the style of the room.  And there is really nothing wrong with that approach as long as you walk in that space and feel “Ah” instead of “Blah”.



So that is the essence of venue selection!






Your Wedding Planning Homework:


Connect with a venue this week! Remember while visiting to really envision the style of your weeding and how it will appear.










copyright 2011 Aisle Do


Want to use this article in your e-Zine, blog or website? You may as long as you include this complete statement:

Wedding Solutions Specialist Tracey Baxter publishes the "Aisle Do" bi-weekly e-zine. Get your Free Report: "From Drab to Fab - The Five Secrets to a Show Stopping Favor Display” available  at http://www.aisledoweddings.com/