Re: Black Wedding Cakes
Black Cakes are Beautiful
Black buttercream and pressed edible flowers
Highly saturated colors make for show stopping centerpiece cakes.
Dark wedding cakes make a statement. They stand apart and tell a story about defying tradition and embracing authenticity. But choosing such deeply saturated colors comes with some important considerations. As Portland’s premier Spooky Bakery, I’ve made enough moody cakes to have some insight into this process.
Fondant vs. Buttercream
The biggest consideration you’ll have to make when opting for a cake finished with any highly saturated color is whether fondant or buttercream is better for your design. Many folks hear the word fondant and immediately get ‘the ick’. But, my friends, it’s a very important material in the cake world, and it’s worth weighing the pros and cons of both choices before making your decision.
Red buttercream with fondant drop strings
Buttercream:
Pros – Less expensive, great for vintage style piping, generally folk’s preferred finish for taste.
Cons – So much food coloring! This will stain mouths and clothing. It will get everywhere. If you’re not cleaning your knife in between slices, it will stain the inside of the cake as well.
Yes- this much food coloring can impact the taste a bit.
No- I do not make color free buttercream by using black cocoa or other ‘hacks’ to achieve a black color. I am very, very familiar with the way my buttercream works from start to finish and at all stages of temperature and color. I ensure consistent results for my customers by using one very reliable buttercream recipe.
I do my absolute best to mitigate these issues by:
Fully icing your cake in a layer of white buttercream and then using the thinnest layer possible of the colored buttercream for the final coat. This way that color isn’t directly touching the cake underneath, and you have the best chance possible of eating around it and still having some buttercream with your cake slice. I also use an immersion blender when color mixing to get as deep a color as possible for as little dye as possible. But it’s still a lot of coloring.
Black buttercream cake with fondant drop strings
Fondant:
Pros – The food coloring is kneaded into the fondant, which means all the color can be easily peeled away from the cake so you can avoiding eating it entirely. No stained mouths, no stained clothing. These cakes are also super stable so they’re great for long drives and being displayed at venues that don’t have refrigeration, or any other niche situation where we need some extra stability.
Cons – It’s much more expensive to finish a cake this way. It’s not the best option for vintage style cakes that need a lot of layered piping (though string work is still possible for fondant designs!), and some folks just don’t like eating it and don’t want it on their plates.
I do my absolute best to mitigate these issues by:
Fully icing your cake with dark or white ganache underneath the fondant. The fondant will peel away from the sides of the cake easily once your slices are cut, and you still have a delicious piece of cake to serve to your guests that is fully iced. I can also create more minimal vintage style cakes with fondant string work, and we can plan for some finish work on site if necessary.
I can’t help that the cost of going this route is what it is. But, if avoiding eating extra coloring is a priority, it’s worth considering the benefits of choosing a fondant cake when you want a unique color.
Fondant and ganache cake with minimal buttercream piped borders
All that said, certain cake styles require one finish or the other, or will require you to make compromises to your vision.
There are also more practical considerations to take into account when deciding on fondant vs buttercream- such as how far your cake is traveling and what sort of refrigeration your venue offers.
A spooky compromise- white fondant base with black cake lace, buttercream piping, and black crystal center tier
Considerations like those listed above are a big part of the reason it’s important to go with a seasoned wedding cake vendor.
If you’re hiring someone to create a moody cake for your event, don’t try to save a dollar by going with an inexperienced baker. I gather a lot of information from my wedding clients during our initial phone consultation, and can usually advise which option is best for the unique set of circumstances dictated by your event planning.
I know what questions to ask to help you understand what your own priorities should be in relation to all the other plans you’ve made for your wedding. Preventing potential problems that you never would have considered? Well that’s half the reason we consult ahead of quoting, so that you have a solid plan for your cake design, display, and service.
Faux geode cake, black fondant and rock sugar
I love a moody wedding cake.
I’ve built my brand around spooky, colorful, fantasy themed wedding and event cakes that feel elegant and high end- not just Halloween-y (unless that’s what you want!).
If you want a dark, spooky centerpiece cake? I would love to create one for you.
But I also work to make sure that my customers are fully armed with the knowledge they need to make good decisions. Sometimes, after going through the whole shpeal, couples will opt to stick with a lighter colored cake and include darker elements in the design to match their vibe and avoid the color. Sometimes, they sign off on teeth staining icing because they want what they want and consequences be damned. Sometimes they’ll opt to push the budget up to get what they want without the mess.
White buttercream cake with black buttercream stenciled designs
There is no singular right or wrong answer when it comes to designing a spooky wedding cake. The choice you make will be the one that best balances your budget, aesthetic, and dessert experience.
Cake Cutting Photo by Joelle Dardis
Let’s talk Cake Florals
Who’s bringing the stems to the table?
Designing a floral cake starts with asking the right questions.
Are you in love with heavy rose cascades, or do you have a vision of a pressed flower cake? Maybe you’re planning on turning your venue into a whole forest inside your industrial loft? Or are you skipping the flower bouquets and bar arrangements but still want to see blooms on your cake? There’s no wrong answer- but these are questions you should ask yourself early in the planning stages when booking your cake and your florist.
Tying your cake florals in with the rest of your décor is a classic method of creating a cohesive look between some of the major elements in your reception space. But this leads us to the most important question:
Who is providing the stems for the cake?
Bouquet by Songbird Floristry
Photo by Freckle & Flirt
If you’ve already hired a florist for your event, requesting extra stems for your cake is a simple add on. But it’s important to be specific and to send them reference images that showcase the style of arrangement, and to let them know how much cake you’re ordering.
If you just request extra stems- that’s exactly what you’ll get, extra stems. Some florists have more discretion here than others- I’ve walked into venues and found a bucket of blooms waiting for the cake, and at other times been handed a dixie cup. Give your florist the information they need to provide you with the correct amount of blooms for your vision.
Pros to going this route-
You’ll save money ordering stems from a florist vs hiring me to source them for your cake. They’ll match perfectly. You have access to a wider variety of flower styles, and more control over the entire look. If you’re planning on any sort of floral arrangements or bud vases on the cake and dessert table, the colors will be perfectly harmonious.
Considerations-
Decorating a cake with florals on site is a rush, I love doing it! But on site arrangement means a longer set up, and that time needs to be factored into the delivery timeline and associated costs. Some styles of floral arrangements require structural support as well, so it’s important that everyone is on the same page regarding the final design and what it’s going to take to get there.
But what if you don’t have a florist at all, or if you’re DIYing your wedding flowers?
I am happy to provide stems! I work with great wholesale florist who lets me wander through their back cooler, and will break into bundles for me so I can pick and choose the right quanitity for your cake. And in the summertime, I have a running order with a kid in my area whose parents help her run a flower business with her home-grown blooms. Once a week I get a beautiful drop off of dahlias, greenery, and other food safe flowers, all lovingly grown on their property.
This is perfect solution when you aren’t already hiring a florist, but it can get expensive, and I can’t always be specific about what you’ll receive. It’s a long drive to my wholesaler, and whatever source I’m using- I am limited to what’s in the cooler on that weekend.
