Wedding cakes and desserts

Then you get even more flavors to choose from... everyone has their own favorites.

wiredranger10 said:If a pastry chef actually knows what they're doing, you shouldn't have any issues with juices leaking out of the cake. Personally, I think having a wider variety of flavors is always the better way to go.

🤦
Honestly, this is the first time I've ever heard such a thing.
I am of the opinion that providing a wider variety is the superior approach, and from what I have observed, that is almost always how it is handled.🤔

They’re probably talking about fruit from the windward side, maybe because it's softer and lighter. That would explain why the girls are scared to put it in the youth layer where everything gets stacked up.

Yeah, you don't just stack frozen wind because of how it's made. Take my word for it, I'm a pro pastry chef like 🤣

Yeah, you're right, but you could just pop it on top and call it a day.
I was actually talking about that bolded part regarding the juice leaking. 😁

I was told you can't pair ice wind flavors or softer cakes with a cake decorated using that specific frosting—I can't be bothered to Google it right now, but I think it's called ganache. If we want ice wind, it really needs to be topped with whipped cream. She suggested we just make two cakes instead: one beautiful one for the photos, and then a separate one made with whipped cream on the side.

Laura Harris said:We could probably use something a bit lighter—maybe an ice cream cake or something chilled. Anyone here actually tried making one?

We considered an ice cream cake, too. Ultimately, we backed off. Too much risk with the logistics—transportation, storage, serving. It was July, and the heat was absolutely brutal. The pastry chef suggested a mix of parfaits and mousses instead. We went with chocolate mousse on the bottom tier, hazelnut and pistachio parfait in the middle, and strawberry chocolate parfait on top. It stayed perfectly chilled. Honestly? It tasted exactly like ice cream.

silentnomad8 said:I was told you can't pair ice wind flavors or softer cakes with a cake decorated using that specific frosting—I can't be bothered to Google it right now, but I think it's called ganache. If we want ice wind, it really needs to be topped with whipped cream. She suggested we just make two cakes instead: one beautiful one for the photos, and then a separate one made with whipped cream on the side.

The scenery was alright. Reminded me of a quick trip to the Catskills once. Nothing special. 😉
Yeah, plenty of girls on here have had all sorts of wild flavor ideas. But the pastry chef shut them down pretty quick—turns out you can't just throw any random flavor into a tiered wedding cake or a fondant design. It doesn't work. Not always. 😁

silentnomad8 said:I was told you can't pair ice wind flavors or softer cakes with a cake decorated using that specific frosting—I can't be bothered to Google it right now, but I think it's called ganache. If we want ice wind, it really needs to be topped with whipped cream. She suggested we just make two cakes instead: one beautiful one for the photos, and then a separate one made with whipped cream on the side.

Fondant is that outer layer, and since it reacts poorly with whipped cream, you need a much denser frosting to make it work. If you're set on using Chantilly, you’d probably need a wafer layer underneath before applying the fondant. Honestly, though, I don't get the hype surrounding Chantilly cream. To me, it's usually mediocre. It's decent when you get it from places like Magnolia Bakery or Sugarman, but most of the time it's a mess. The layers are often too thick, and they don't set right, so you end up with all this extra moisture leaking out instead of just fruit juice. Most bakers just pile on thick layers, and frankly, it looks sloppy.

It’s honestly ridiculous how they categorize things like Icebox cakes or parfaits under basic cake headings, just grouping them in with standard chocolate or Ferrero types...

And you could always just wrap everything in plastic wrap. We actually used plastic wrap for our Icebox cake, and it kept the whole thing completely contained without any mess or leaking at all.

I have a question about something. What’s actually considered the standard amount of food per person at a banquet table? I was chatting with the owner of Kašnar's pastry shop—they partner with my venue—at a wedding expo held near the Gateway Arch, and she mentioned they usually budget for about 10 ounces per person. Isn't that a bit low?

Some people think it’s plenty, others think it’s barely anything. For us, we only saw about $2 per person, which feels pretty thin. But I guess for someone else, that might actually be too much...

Angela Smith2 said:I have a question about something. What’s actually considered the standard amount of food per person at a banquet table? I was chatting with the owner of Kašnar's pastry shop—they partner with my venue—at a wedding expo held near the Gateway Arch, and she mentioned they usually budget for about 10 ounces per person. Isn't that a bit low?

I'm aiming for 10 ounces per person. I might grab an extra 2 or 3 pounds just to top off the platters on the tables if needed. Since we're doing a cold buffet outside the restaurant in the afternoon that includes sweets, I think 10 ounces plus the cake should be plenty for the indoor portion. Besides, I'm the type who'd rather run out than have food going to waste...

You talking about those desserts sitting on the table?
I went to this wedding about a year ago where they didn't even bring out the sweets until coffee was served. 😲
But I'm used to them being out there from the start. 😁
Honestly, I don't think anyone even touched the dessert at that wedding because we were all stuffed from the main course.
Compare that to the wedding where I was the maid of honor about six months back—they put the dessert out right away and everything vanished. People were probably grabbing like 5 ounces each.

And yeah, you could totally put ice cream under the cheesecake without an issue... let the bakery figure out how to layer the cheesecake on top of it.
I'm with Sanja on this one. At weddings I've been to, the ice cream is always such a total mess. It's honestly pathetic.

Angela Smith2 said:I have a question about something. What’s actually considered the standard amount of food per person at a banquet table? I was chatting with the owner of Kašnar's pastry shop—they partner with my venue—at a wedding expo held near the Gateway Arch, and she mentioned they usually budget for about 10 ounces per person. Isn't that a bit low?

It isn't. That’s a standard amount for dessert per guest. Someone always eats more, but then there are people who won't touch a single bite. Try buying half a pound of cookies and putting them in front of you. You'll see how small that pile actually looks. It's not as little as you think.🙂

If you're still worried about having enough, just go with 15 ounces to be safe.👍

Exactly. You’ve got some people who won't touch a single dessert, while others are capable of polishing off an entire platter by themselves. 😁

When we were at a friend's wedding, she budgeted about three ounces per person, and the desserts at our table were gone instantly—they didn't last the whole night. It's kind of annoying, I guess. I'm probably one of those people who will have a cookie or two, but there were plenty of younger guests at our table who just go all out on sweets. 🙂

We had one of those dessert stations with little cups, truffles, chocolate fountains, pastries... and people were constantly hovering over it and snacking all night long. 😁

Exactly. I had a woman tell me that if I thought a certain amount might be too little, I should just budget for an extra five pounds of food just in case I need to top things off. But in my case, dessert and cake are already baked into the menu price. Now, the catering service works with two different local bakeries, and if I remember correctly, when I called the second one, she mentioned they usually budget about 20 ounces per person. Honestly, at the price point I'm paying for this menu anyway, I’d much rather have more dessert than less—that way I don't end up having to pay extra for those additional five pounds of food later. Plus, if there are leftovers the next day, I'll just give them to people to take home, and I'm sure they'll be gone in a flash. 🙂
I also have a dessert table included in my menu, featuring various cakes and pastries. So, I don't really get why there would be more sweets sitting on the guest tables in addition to everything on the dessert table?

wiredranger10, who designed that lovely table of yours? 🙂

Abraham Lincoln used to work for us. They have a Facebook page and a ton of albums if you want to check them out 🙂

Has anyone here ever ordered wedding desserts or a cake from Sweet Tooth over by Columbus?
They seem incredibly affordable, and I’ve heard nothing but good things from people who used them for events. Apparently, they offer delivery, so I was wondering if anyone has actually had them deliver all the way out to Washington, D.C., and what that experience was like?

wiredranger10 said:Abraham Lincoln used to work for us. They have a Facebook page and a ton of albums if you want to check them out 🙂

How much did yours cost and how many people were there?