Wedding cakes and desserts

analoggardener51 said:Regarding white chocolate, I've been told by several local bakeries that it just isn't as "flexible" as dark chocolate. It's highly probable that a glaze made from it will crack in certain spots.
I saw this firsthand at a bakery in Cleveland when the clerk pulled a birthday cake out of the cooler that was entirely coated in white chocolate, and the icing was already splitting apart!
So, proceed with caution if you choose white chocolate.

Now, this is news to me... I remember one birthday—not mine, mind you😍—where they used a white chocolate glaze in Vincennes, and honestly, it was absolutely fantastic.

I’ve never personally heard anyone mention that before, but I saw it with my own eyes... so clearly, they weren't lying to me!

analoggardener51 said:I’ve never personally heard anyone mention that before, but I saw it with my own eyes... so clearly, they weren't lying to me!

That cracking issue really boils down to the specific type of chocolate you're using for the glaze and, more importantly, how you handle it—there’s definitely some kind of trick to it. One major factor is the temperature; if it's too low, the chocolate is just going to snap—it all depends on whether the chocolate is, say, more of a creamy variety.😬

I am looking for some guidance or perhaps a solution to a bit of a dilemma. How many individual pastries should I prepare if I'm hosting a gathering for 130 people? Additionally, I am trying to figure out the right amount of cake needed—both for the main event and for what we might serve at home for just the two of us... Thank you 😘

I believe the standard is about 8 ounces per person. The venue told us we’ll need roughly 65 pounds of dessert for 120 guests. We haven't finalized the headcount yet, so the total amount remains uncertain; our range is quite wide at 120 to 180 people, though I’m expecting closer to 150. As for the cake, they suggested five tiers. For my side of the family, we did 25 pounds for about 80 people, while his family did 22 pounds for roughly 40.

Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to our resident legend, Ante Šimić—who, let's be honest, seems to be everywhere on this forum lately—for handling the logistics for my wedding over at the Antunović estate.
He actually gave me a call today to check if I’d sorted out the desserts and the cake yet. He offered to pass my number along to a local baker he knows who specializes in wedding sweets—some new boutique setup—so she could reach out to me directly.
I told him, obviously, go ahead, and now I'm just waiting for her to get in touch. Once she does, I'll post the details of the conversation here.
Has anyone else heard from him regarding their plans?

He didn't actually give me a call, but he did mention he had someone lined up for the cookies... though apparently, when he reached out to his dear friend, the response was simply, "We don't need any cookies, we already have a cake." 😁
Let me know once you manage to dig up more information 😉

northernhawk87 said:He didn't actually give me a call, but he did mention he had someone lined up for the cookies... though apparently, when he reached out to his dear friend, the response was simply, "We don't need any cookies, we already have a cake." 😁
Let me know once you manage to dig up more information 😉

At this point, I'm just playing the waiting game until his wife gets back to me.
Hopefully it happens soon—I'd rather not book other bakers if I don't have to. I'll keep you posted, obviously.

swiftmarlin27 said:Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to our resident legend, Ante Šimić—who, let's be honest, seems to be everywhere on this forum lately—for handling the logistics for my wedding over at the Antunović estate.
He actually gave me a call today to check if I’d sorted out the desserts and the cake yet. He offered to pass my number along to a local baker he knows who specializes in wedding sweets—some new boutique setup—so she could reach out to me directly.
I told him, obviously, go ahead, and now I'm just waiting for her to get in touch. Once she does, I'll post the details of the conversation here.
Has anyone else heard from him regarding their plans?

It's nothing unusual—they typically partner up with about three different dessert caterers (maybe even more by now).😉 I think I have a whole list of their preferred vendors tucked away in my inbox somewhere... honestly, I'm surprised he didn't just send that over to you during the initial planning stages.😕

Sam Kim12, I have a feeling we might be looking at this from the wrong angle entirely... 😕 He provided us with a comprehensive list of local bakeries and catering options back then, yet he made a point to mention that "he" also offers homemade treats. Apparently, his wife handles all the baking 🤔 or some variation of that story. It was presented as something very much "his own" specialty. I didn't bother pressing him for more details, though, because honestly, we already have a wife who has been our go-to baker for every single family celebration for years now.

northernhawk87 said:Sam Kim12, I have a feeling we might be looking at this from the wrong angle entirely... 😕 He provided us with a comprehensive list of local bakeries and catering options back then, yet he made a point to mention that "he" also offers homemade treats. Apparently, his wife handles all the baking 🤔 or some variation of that story. It was presented as something very much "his own" specialty. I didn't bother pressing him for more details, though, because honestly, we already have a wife who has been our go-to baker for every single family celebration for years now.

No, no, that's not it at all... they work with these independent pastry chefs who handle the cakes and sweets for their venue in Philadelphia—but there's actually one specific baker who handles the desserts for their hotel bakery over in Spain (plus, their own in-house chefs prep stuff for that bakery too 😉), and lately, they've probably expanded that even further. 👍

This isn't some high-end bakery—it's more like a woman baking at home (if I'm reading him correctly).
I have a similar take when it comes to bakeries myself.

hmmm 🤔 I suppose I shall have to ask him directly... hopefully he was just being foolish at the time, because he did, quite clearly, say "my wife." 🤣

I recently heard some rumors—not directly from him, mind you, but from folks who work over at Anthony’s place—that he and his wife have split up. Since I live right here in the neighborhood, I pretty much know everyone personally, so word travels fast. How much truth there actually is to it? Who knows.
As for choosing Anthony, it was a no-brainer since we’re always around that area; it’s our neck of the woods and our church is nearby. But honestly, the biggest selling point was the venue—the hall is absolutely stunning.

Hey, I’ve got a bit of a dilemma.

I am seriously struggling to find a decent bakery anywhere in California.
I spotted two spots in Seattle (County and Snow White) that seem alright, but nothing in California is hitting the mark.
At the last wedding I went to out in California, the cake was... well, let's just say it wasn't exactly gourmet.
It was all fluffy, watery, and loaded with cheap frosting, when honestly, I was dreaming of one of those gorgeous marzipan masterpieces 😍

And honestly, I have this feeling that if you go to Chicago, places like Vince or Isaac and Mary are probably going to be way more professional and actually delicious than some random little mom-and-pop shop in the middle of nowhere.
Whatever, maybe I'm just being biased. 😬

Does anyone know a legit, high-end bakery in California?

swiftmarlin27 said:This isn't some high-end bakery—it's more like a woman baking at home (if I'm reading him correctly).
I have a similar take when it comes to bakeries myself.

But wait, who ever said anything about commercial bakeries?
Good grief, we’re talking about home bakers—you know, those women who—and let's be clear, not all of them—run small businesses out of their homes. They bake everything: for their own weddings, for their little boutique shops, or even providing desserts for a local hotel's daily menu under contract (I know people who do this firsthand, so I'll clarify that since she didn't explicitly state it).

BTW: I highly doubt they split up—why else would he still be wearing a ring and constantly bringing up his wife?😉

northernhawk87 said:Sam Kim12, I have a feeling we might be looking at this from the wrong angle entirely... 😕 He provided us with a comprehensive list of local bakeries and catering options back then, yet he made a point to mention that "he" also offers homemade treats. Apparently, his wife handles all the baking 🤔 or some variation of that story. It was presented as something very much "his own" specialty. I didn't bother pressing him for more details, though, because honestly, we already have a wife who has been our go-to baker for every single family celebration for years now.

Since his wife does the baking, once we checked the prices, it was clearly $22/lb, so it's definitely her work; I've actually met her.
I'm not sure though, because we have someone too, a relative of ours. 🙄
So, I'll see.

So, I finally went in today to get the cake order sorted out. The lady behind the counter was super helpful; she actually sat down with me so we could hammer out all the details together. We settled on a five-tier masterpiece—layers of chocolate, Black Forest, chestnut, and two layers of strawberry—all sitting on this gorgeous crescent moon stand. It’s going to be finished with white fondant and these lovely pink satin bows wrapped around each tier, topped off with little pink rose decorations... honestly, based on everything we discussed, it’s going to look just like a giant little confectionary dream. I'm just crossing my fingers that nothing goes sideways at the last minute and we don't end up with something completely different showing up at midnight, though I really, really hope that doesn't happen...

Regarding those decorative ribbons used to wrap around cakes—what kind of material should I actually be looking for? From the photos I've been browsing, it seems like some people use satin while others go with paper.

Does anyone have any insight??😵

Mark Kelly4 said:Regarding those decorative ribbons used to wrap around cakes—what kind of material should I actually be looking for? From the photos I've been browsing, it seems like some people use satin while others go with paper.

Does anyone have any insight??😵

Well, the lady I spoke with mentioned they usually go with satin, though I guess I’m not entirely sure if there are other options out there. Personally, I don't think paper would work very well, mostly because I imagine it would be a real struggle to tie a pretty bow with it, and honestly, I'd be worried that if the cake has even a tiny bit of moisture to it, the paper might end up bleeding dye onto the frosting. I can say for certain about the satin ones, though...