Wedding cakes and desserts

I think a new little dessert shop just opened up over by the outskirts of Chicago, and I noticed they’ve been running ads for all these fancy cakes and pastries. Maybe since they're the new kids on the block, they might have some opening specials or discounts running? It wouldn't hurt to go check it out and see what's what, I guess.

Here is my small contribution to this discussion. Just over a year ago, I was hunting for desserts for our wedding (our anniversary is coming up soon😍). It seems even after all this time, the same few bakers are still being mentioned. Here is my experience...

A little boutique bakery – they are nearby, and I bought some treats from them for a birthday about three years ago; they were decent. We also ordered a chocolate cake for an event once, which was delicious, light, and very tasty.
Aspen style, Asheville - far too industrial for my taste.
Kansas City – I bought a pound of sweets just to sample them, though they might be slightly overpriced. They made us a cake because it was included in our catering menu; my husband wanted something specific (just so he could have his way😁), and the two-tier vanilla chocolate parfait cake was truly wonderful.
We almost signed with Kansas City (despite all the negative comments I read on various forums) when I happened to pass by a florist one day and saw their dessert boxes (brought by newlyweds after their wedding). I tried the Canadian cream cake (which is my absolute weakness; honestly, that alone is enough for me😁), and it was excellent. I grabbed the number and called the owner. She invited us to come in for a tasting. We went on a Saturday afternoon, and since someone was there before us, I took a quick look around; everything was brand new, clean, and tidy. She brought out the samples, we tasted them, and we booked them. She even gave us some to take home to see if there was anything we didn't like or if we wanted a variety she didn't currently carry. At that time, the price per pound was $25 (so the pricing hasn't changed, which is commendable🙂). They delivered everything to our house and then to the hotel. Everything was packaged beautifully with no extra fees. In total, we ordered 38kg. Of that, 26kg went to the hotel (for 160 people), and both my guests and I were extremely satisfied. These are Smith pastries
I am not saying the others were bad, but they simply weren't "it." I prefer that authentic, homemade flavor combined with great presentation.

I see that micka used them too. I am sorry I didn't see your post when you were asking about them earlier. I should have shared my experience sooner, but perhaps it will help someone now. I am glad you ended up happy with them.

Overall, high praise for Mrs. Smith regarding quality and service. I still recommend them to everyone today!😍

Hey everyone,

We stopped by the local bakery today and picked up this cake:



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The bottom layer is a rich chocolate parfait loaded with chunks of both white and dark chocolate, while the top layer is pure strawberry bliss with actual pieces of fruit... yummmm...

looks 👍👍

That cake looks incredible, Edward Lopez21! Once this wedding wraps up, you absolutely have to post a photo so we can see how they pulled it off 👍

Ugh, I seriously need some help here... I'm trying to pick out some pies and pastries, but I'm stuck between three different spots:
Kansas City, NutriCorp, and Tom and Ann
I haven't tried anything from any of them, so I'm basically flying blind... if you guys have any thoughts or reviews, please, please help me out 🤷😕
thnx 😍

aurorice, this cake is 😲 😲 🙏 🙏 way too much.

Sean Fox said:Ugh, I seriously need some help here... I'm trying to pick out some pies and pastries, but I'm stuck between three different spots:
Kansas City, NutriCorp, and Tom and Ann
I haven't tried anything from any of them, so I'm basically flying blind... if you guys have any thoughts or reviews, please, please help me out 🤷😕
thnx 😍

I had some from Tom & Anna, but I don't really remember how they were. It was ages ago at a wedding. Still, I'm considering hiring them because this one lady keeps telling me everyone loves their desserts. Not sure though...
There's also Sweet Secret in Upper Stupnik. Their parfaits are seriously good—tried them several times. Only thing is, a pound of sweets costs a fortune $30.

Hey guys, where can I pick up a decent cake in the suburbs of Chicago?

hmm, head over to the States and grab some Horak tortes—they aren't half bad if you ask me. You can usually order them online, though their main bakery is tucked away in downtown Chicago rather than being easy to find.

Sophia Gray8 said:Wait, aren't macarons French? Pretty sure I saw them listed on the menu at a local bakery here in the States. 🙂

Technically, they are French in origin, but these specific ones probably made their way over from London...🙄

You can pick some up in NYC at just about any decent pastry shop nowadays...😉

Sean Fox said:Ugh, I seriously need some help here... I'm trying to pick out some pies and pastries, but I'm stuck between three different spots:
Kansas City, NutriCorp, and Tom and Ann
I haven't tried anything from any of them, so I'm basically flying blind... if you guys have any thoughts or reviews, please, please help me out 🤷😕
thnx 😍

I actually had Tom and Anna at my first wedding about eight years ago, and they were absolutely phenomenal...
But honestly, over the last few years, I’ve only grabbed them once a year when a coworker brings them in for birthdays, and they just don't hold a candle to how they used to be... it's kind of disappointing.
As for Madaric, it's nothing special—those Russian pastry bites felt like eating soap... just really sad.

Last Saturday, I was at this birthday party and ended up having a slice of one of those ganache cakes from Memphis—it was honestly just delicious... 🙂

feralmoose32 said:Last Saturday, I was at this birthday party and ended up having a slice of one of those ganache cakes from Memphis—it was honestly just delicious... 🙂

We ended up trying some treats from Sugarland on Sunday, and let me tell you, their ganache is nothing short of phenomenal! My partner is a huge fan of the four-flavor chocolate cake, and honestly, that dark chocolate sponge is just 😍 perfection. Personally, I was completely won over by the iced lemon zest with raspberry, though my partner found it a bit too tart for their liking—but I live for those kinds of flavors! In the end, we've decided to stick with the classics to make sure everyone is happy, so we’re going with the four-flavor chocolate.

Richard Myers13 said:We ended up trying some treats from Sugarland on Sunday, and let me tell you, their ganache is nothing short of phenomenal! My partner is a huge fan of the four-flavor chocolate cake, and honestly, that dark chocolate sponge is just 😍 perfection. Personally, I was completely won over by the iced lemon zest with raspberry, though my partner found it a bit too tart for their liking—but I live for those kinds of flavors! In the end, we've decided to stick with the classics to make sure everyone is happy, so we’re going with the four-flavor chocolate.

We ended up serving their frozen treats, the four-flavor chocolate, a raspberry parfait, and even added an extra frozen dessert on the side, and honestly, it was more than enough to satisfy 50 people 😁

You might want to grab one more lighter variety, though... because that chocolate selection is definitely meant for the hardcore chocolate fanatics 😉

Alright ladies, now that the wedding craziness has finally settled down, I can actually sit here and give some credit where it's due. 😁

We ended up ordering our dessert spread from Accenture over in Columbus, and honestly? They were a total knockout...

The only thing is, we made a last-minute call to have them served on actual platters rather than just bringing out the trays, so we did end up shelling out a little extra for the service...

Around here, we usually stick to making croquante, but after seeing all these photos, I think I’m going to go with a cake instead.

Anyone been to Lido lately? What’s the verdict?

I’m hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction here, because I posted over on the wedding planning thread about having a ceremony down in Florida, but I didn't get much of a response, so I thought I'd try my luck over here instead... does anyone have any stellar recommendations for wedding cakes or dessert catering in the Tampa Bay area or somewhere nearby?
thx

Monika made this cake and honestly, it was incredible—everyone couldn't stop raving about it. Four different flavors, decorated perfectly on top, and they knew exactly what we were looking for. We got exactly what we expected.

Cake


The happy couple with their cake😍