You have a party coming up, perhaps an 18th birthday party or an anniversary party or a baby shower. You know you need a beautiful cake that will wow your friends and family, but how do you decide what to tell your cake maker?
There are some key things that your cake maker will ask:
· The type of party
· How you might like it decorated
· What flavours you might like
· The number of guests
· What your budget is
Let’s look at each of these.
Type of party -
There’s a big clue in the type of party you’re going to be celebrating. Birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, hen parties, divorce parties, retirement parties, graduation parties – oh so many reasons to celebrate with a cake! All of these have a different vibe, and you would want something different for each celebration.
If you’re having a birthday party, is it for a special number, a 1st birthday party or an 18th birthday party or a 40th birthday party for example, and therefore do you want it to say the number on the cake or perhaps the name of your special someone?
If you’re celebrating an anniversary, how many years is it, perhaps a silver or golden wedding anniversary?
If it’s for a baby shower, you might like to consider the baby’s gender or keep the cake gender neutral.
Decoration -
Next, you might come up with a few ideas about the style of cake based on the type of party and the types of decoration.
A party for a golden wedding anniversary would likely be for people in their 70s and so a cartoon theme might not work - you might choose a gold theme for example with some elegant flowers.
A baby shower cake might have a model of a baby or some baby equipment, like a bottle, rattle, toy, etc.
A graduation party cake might include a scroll and a mortar board.
You need to decide whether you’d like a fondant covered cake, or buttercream, or ganache. Briefly, fondant often has a smoother look in a solid colour, with a surface that toppers and decorations will stand out on. Buttercream is ideal if you’d like a textured look or an ombre graded colour. Ganache is also smooth and ideal in warmer weather as it is structurally safer than buttercream, but colours might be more limited.
Your cake maker will suggest cake toppers which might consist of handmade flowers, characters, animals, objects, etc, made from flower paste or fondant. Some cake makers make their own toppers and others choose to source these from other creators.
A child’s birthday cake might have fondant wild animals and leaves or trees on it, a hen party cake might have a champagne bottle and glasses, and a retirement party cake for a postman might have a post-box and some letters.
There are endless choices, and your cake maker will discuss these with you, but it’s good if you have a couple of ideas when you talk with them. If you have some pictures of cakes that you have seen, you can show these to your cake maker for inspiration but remember that they won’t copy another cake maker’s design. You want your cake to be unique and so does your cake maker.
Flavours -
Have a look at the cake maker’s list of flavours and pick what you think the recipient of the cake might like. There may be some opportunity for variation if you have a particular flavour in mind.
Number of guests -
It is important to have a good estimate of the number of guests – a three-layer single tier 8” cake can serve 24 people. Your cake maker will provide a cutting guide to ensure that everyone gets a slice of the amazing cake.
Budget -
It’s useful to have an idea of your budget – well-designed cakes made with good ingredients and beautiful decorations take time and effort. You absolutely get what you pay for with good quality cakes. More on this in another blog article.
Happy designing! Happy celebrations!
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