PRACTICAL MATTERS

Having determined the look and taste of your cake, you now need to take your chefs hat off and put your practical hat on (for this we would suggest a bowler or stove pipe hat, although a cop or trilby will do just fine!).

There are a number of considerations you will need to make, otherwise all the effort you put into designing your cake will be wasted - so let’s look at each one in turn.

Serving Sizes

If you read the article entitled The Taste, you will be aware that certain cakes will provide more servings than a like-for-like cake of a different type. You will need to know how many servings you need to get out of your cake, and then discuss the options with your cake maker to ensure that this number of servings (plus a little extra for contingency purposes) is achievable from your design. You may need to increase the circumference/width of your cake(s) or add an extra tier to achieve this, but your cake maker will advise as to the options.

With regards servings, you will also need to know whether or not you want to cater for your Reception and ‘Evening Do’ guests or just the Reception ones - you should also factor in any friends or relatives who are unable to make it on the day (elderly grandparents for example). As soon as you are aware of the slices available from each tier, you must pass this information onto the catering staff in advance of the day – they will need to know when to serve and how small to cut the pieces in order to achieve your needs.

If you are giving handouts of the cake to guests as they leave, you should inform the catering staff how to package them (cake boxes or good old fashioned cling film are two options).