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