Conference turris::cooks

    A regular frosted cake (no filling) should stay fresh 3-4
    days - the cake won't dry out as long as the icing covers
    it.  Once you cut into a cake, however, that's when it will
    start to taste stale (drying out, absorbing odors).
    
    However, if you're having a cake with filling, I'm wondering
    if the filling will seep out or make the cake soggy if you
    make it too far in advance.
    
    Anyway - good luck!
    Pam

    
    At my wedding I had a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting nad
    when we froze the top layer for 1 year it was great when defrosted.

    You best investment, of you plan to do it yourself, will be
    professional equipment, such as square-corner pans (Wilton is a
    popular brand), pastry bags and various tubes, icing colorings,
    etc.  They aren't that expensive, and make a world of difference.
    You can even teach yourself, which I did.  I now make all the special
    occasion cakes in my family (haven't done a wedding cake yet, though),
    such as Christening, Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding Shower, Baby
    Shower, etc.  If you use all white icing, it's easy to cover up
    a mistake...just smooth it out and try again.  A caution about cream
    cheese frosting - my wedding cake fell over during my reception
    because it was heavy (carrot cake), and the cream cheese frosting
    started to soften under the lights.  Luckily my Mom caught the top
    layer before it hit the floor :) Made for an interesting cake-cutting
    ceremony!  Go ahead and try it.  Buy a little book on decorating
    techniques, make the cakes a few days before and freeze them, and
    use professional equipment.  You'll be happy with the results and
    the $$ you save...also the taste!
    
    Sarah
     

	The caterer who made the cake (Carrot) at my wedding gave us this
	tip about storing:

		Wrap the tier first in plastic wrap. Then alternate
		wrapping the cake in aluminum foil and small waste-
		basket (bathroom size) bags. Do the foil/bag 4/5
		times.

		We opened the cake the following year, and it was 
		just as fresh as the day it was served at the 
		reception.

	Good luck!

	Marc (also in SHR)

    
    
         I don't know about making your own.  I just got married, and
    the last week was so hectic, I was going crazy.  It seemed to me
    that $120 for a cake was the least expensive thing.  I decided to
    save money by letting my Mom make the Bridesmaids dresses, and she
    made all the food at my sister's wedding.  I agree that the word
    "Wedding" will tack on another 50-500% to the bill, and it doesn't
    seem fair.  I could have had a friend make my cake, but all her
    pictures showed the cakes looking lop-sided. (Maybe it is difficult
    to set them perfectly straight on tiers.)  Really what I'm trying
    to say is be careful, because this day should be very special, and
    I wanted my day to be *perfect*.  I know that if I had to worry
    about making a cake, I would have had a nervous breakdown.
         You might think about ordering a two-tier cake, and then a
    sheet cake on the side?  The sheet cakes can be made to match the
    wedding cake, and (for me) the sheet cake for 25 people was about
    $20 dollars.  It's a lot cheaper that way. If I had wanted to add
    a fourth tier, It would have been another $50, still only serving
    another 25 people.  This is in Colorado, so I'm not sure about the
    prices where you are.  The total cost for my cake(s) was $150.00,
    and it was supposed to serve 175 people.
         Have fun planning the wedding, we had a lot of fun on our day!
    
    
    Willa
    
    P.S.  We ate our top tier a month later. We couldn't wait to celebrate
          again!   

    Years ago I remember my aunt baking the cake herself and taking
    it to a bakery for frosting/decorating.  In my memory, it seems
    they talked of it in terms of POUNDS of frosting.  I do remember
    it tasted and looked great!
    
    Good luck,
    Judy

    See also 318.* for some do-it-yourself ideas.
    
    

    
    There's a new cookbook out called "The Cake Bible" by Rose 
    Beranbaum.   It contains a section on making
    wedding cakes.   Everything from baking, to storing, to
    moving, to cutting.  She also has several wedding cake
    recipes, and lots of decorating ideas.   
    
    It's a wonderful book, crammed with lots of good information!!
    
    Carolyn

    I have a question about wedding cakes.  I have recommendations from
    family and friends for three wedding cake bakers.  My fiance and
    I want a carrot cake, and he is fussy about his carrot cake.  We
    would like to ask each for a sample, maybe a one tier cake, for
    flavor only.  We are willing to pay for it (especially if it's good!)
    :-)
    
    Is this the way it's done?  How have others done it?
    
    Thanks.
    
    Elaine
    

    Granted I'm not married yet, but I find it perfectly acceptible
    to ask for a sample.  After all, you are the paying customer.  If
    the bakery wouldn't let me have a sample, I would think tehy are
    trying to hide something and I wouldn't buy my cake from them.
    
    	-Nancy

re .15

We got a great carrot cake w/ cream cheese frosting for our wedding.  It came 
from the Dutch Kitchen Bakery in Fitchburg.  It's in a small shopping plaza 
next to a Victory Market on the corner of John Fitch Highway and Summer St.  
They are a regular bakery, too, and you should be able to get a sample of 
their carrot cake (maybe even by the slice).

						     
							- JP

Hi all,

We are coming up on our one year anniversary, (how time flies), and I wasn't
sure how to go about defosting the top of the wedding cake.  

I had someone follow all the wonderful instructions we got from this file, so 
it is wrapped real good, (foil, plastic, foil, plastic) and then into a cake 
box.  

My questions are:  How long should it defrost?  Our house is around
75-80 degrees, so can it defrost in the fridge (how long will that take) or 
should it be on the counter?

If I recall, from the small piece I had, it was a great cake and I want to make 
sure that I don't do anything wrong in defrosting it.

Thanks for the help.

Linda 

    Check out the weddings notes file - note 79 and the later replies. 
    LAB::WEDDINGS

	Lynne Baril did our wedding cake, and we're still getting 
raves about it, it was DELICIOUS!  She was great, and had a lot of ideas, 
and was extremely reasonable, price wise.  She works out of her house in 
Dracut, and her number is (508) 957-7588.  I have pictures of our cake in my 
office at LKG.  
	She doesn't just do wedding cakes, she does any occasion.  Just tell 
her, or show her what you want, and she'll make it.

Tracy