Making Wedding Cakes

The real do-it-herself bride who enjoys baking could consider making her own wedding cake. Otherwise, she could talk her mom or another relative or friend into making it for her, perhaps in lieu of a gift. It's not terribly difficult, and for an experienced baker, it might even be fun. Certainly, making or having someone make the cake will be much less expensive than buying one from a professional baker.

Recipes abound on the Internet. Here are a couple from the Wilton website:

Classic White Cake

6 cups sifted cake flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
3 cups sugar
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
12 egg whites
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease bottom of pans and line with waxed paper or parchment paper, or use Wilton Cake Release (Click here for complete instructions on preparing baking pans.). Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Set aside.

With a mixer at slow speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with milk. Beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Pour into prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Makes 12 cups batter.

Butter Cake

This cake has a firm, moist texture that makes it perfect for tiered designs. We've added almond flavor to give it a richer taste everyone will love.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 teaspoon Premium Almond Flavor
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray pans with vegetable pan spray, or use Wilton Cake Release (Click here for complete instructions on preparing baking pans.) In mixer bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and almond flavor. Mix flour with baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, starting with the flour. Pour into prepared pans. Refer to baking chart, for baking times and temperatures for specific pans. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Loosen sides and remove. Cool completely before decorating.

Makes 7 1/2 cups batter.

As for icing, here are a few more Wilton suggestions:

Buttercream Icing

(Medium Consistency)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

YIELD: Makes about 3 cups.

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

(Stiff Consistency)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup cocoa or three 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
3-4 tablespoons milk
Cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Chocolate Mocha Icing: Substitute cold brewed strong coffee for milk in Chocolate Buttercream recipe.

Darker Chocolate Icing: Add an additional 1/4 cup cocoa (or one additional 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted) and 1 additional tablespoon milk to Chocolate Buttercream Icing.

For Thin (Spreading) Consistency Icing: Add 3-4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

YIELD: Makes about 3 cups.

All you have to do to make a classic tiered cake is to pour the batter into 6", 8", and 10" cake pans, and bake each layer individually.

Once the cake is done, don't ice it immediately. First, freeze it for several days. Then, two or three days before the wedding, take it out and let it thaw overnight, and then frost the cake.

You can find exact directions for every step of how to bake the cake, frost it, decorate it, and transport it to the wedding online. The Baking 911 website listed below, for instance, gives very detailed instructions for every step of the way. The key is to start early, give yourself at least five days to prepare the cake, and make sure you have extra icing in case of emergencies.