Wedding cake

[AimingForElegant]

Hi all,

This is my first thread, please be patient with me! One of DP's family is getting married in November and I've offered to help out with sourcing a cake. They are already having cupcakes for eating, but they want a "proper cake" (their words) to cut, and save the top tier for a future christening. They would be happy with shop bought cake, but if possible, I'd like to try and do something myself for them rather than buy it in as I thought it would be a nice gesture. I can bake already, although nowhere near as wonderfully as some of the people on here (I've seen the photos!).

So my question is - does it have to be fruit on top for it to last (made and fed)? How long would it last for if I did that? Is there another way around this to create a layer that lasts? And I presume I need to do a fruit bottom layer, or else the top will sink?

Yes, it needs to be fruit to keep and the bottom layer will need to be fruit otherwise it will sink unless you do stuff with rods to hold it up.

I made a wedding cake that was then used 5 years later as a christening cake (I actually reiced it for them), and it was fine

You're right that you need a fruit cake to keep for more than a week, but the bottom tier doesn't have to be, it can be sponge or choc, and dowelled. Its easy enough to do, and lots of vids on yourube to talk you through. For a smooth finish, do a crumbcoat on the sponge and 2 thin layers rather than one thick layer of marzipan on the fruit

I'm a home baker that sells, so if you need any advice don't hesitate to ask

Yes top tier would need to be fruit but bottom layers could be whatever you wanted. There is an easy vanilla cake recipe on the BBC Good Food website that is absolutely gorgeous. You pour a vanilla syrup over before you ice it. It's divine & went down so well at our wedding that several guests had thirds & my DH didn't get any!

Your best bet (other than youtube videos) is if you can find a friendly local sugarcraft shop. They can help with cake tin (and stand) hire, dowels and boards, and general advice and guidance.

Basically, though - what everyone else said! You can dowel a sponge cake easily enough to hold a fruit cake top tier, and a good fruit cake will last for months/years if stored carefully (or indefinitely if frozen).

You are splendid, thank you! I'll be off to the posh sugarcraft shop at the weekend, and on youtube. DP will clearly be forced to eat copious amounts of trial run dowel cakes from now until November; I got the impression they were settling for all fruit for the tiered cake but they would have preferred at least some sponge so this is good news.