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Waterfront views, decks, great living spaces, spa bathrooms, this home has it all! |
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A Tradition of Luxury and Grandeur
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Water's Edge offers the most spectacular views of the Manhattan skylines anywhere on the East River. |
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Simply put, we want your experience at Silverfox to be a memorable one. |
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Since you were a little girl you have been dreaming about your special day; it all starts here. |
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Sweet, sweet inspiration
By Bernadette Doran
Any way you slice it, today’s wedding cake is a delicious expression of individuality. As personal a fit as the wedding dress, it comes in a variety of flavors and fillings, shapes and designs.
Gone are the days of the rubbery yellow layers. Now your luscious flavor choices include buttermilk spice, espresso, poppy seed, hazelnut, banana, carrot, angel food, chocolate chip, and more. The filling adds more imaginative flair – pistachio cream, passion fruit mousse, marzipan cream and apricot, chocolate hazelnut praline, coconut cream and pineapple, and lemon curd. Too many to decide? Go for a multi-flavored cake, with different flavor/filling combinations at every tier.
As for design, three trends are showing up at all the best weddings:
Urban Chic – Architectural simplicity is the hallmark of this very sophisticated approach. Layers can tower in tall, thin stacks, or sit solidly in smooth, low rounds. Fondant icing gives a polished, porcelain finish and can be shaped into fabric-like swags and drapes. Decoration is simple but elegant: 24-karat gold leaf, edible pearls, gold and silver beads. If flowers appear, they’re understated classics, like hand-sculpted calla lilies or a single, large gardenia.
Wit and Whimsy - Fantasy is the driver here, and anything goes! Look for mixed shapes, vivid colors, themed decoration, all designed to put a smile on your face. Round, tufted tiers can rise like an exotic castle straight out of The Arabian Nights. Square, round and octagonal layers in bright stripes or neon polka dots climb at crazy angles, imported from the “Mad Hatter” tea party. Marzipan seashells, seahorses and coral inspire the mermaid in you. Stacked layers like beribboned “presents” make the dessert a giant’s gift.
The New Romantic - Lush and verdant, these cakes are a garden come to life, and nature herself is the inspiration. Generous cascades of flowers or fruit – real, marzipan or sugar paste – tumble down pastel-tinted tiers. Gum-paste butterflies hover above blossoms, and sugar ribbons fall languidly from layer to layer. Marzipan or gum-paste trellises give structure to small bouquets or a trail of ivy.
Krispy Kreme Takes the Kake
Actually, it’s very French: The croquembouche, a stack of glazed creampuffs, is the traditional wedding cake a la Francais. So the clever American reinvention should come as no surprise: A towering stack of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
About 18 months ago, a Maryland couple called Krispy Kreme headquarters asking if they could make a doughnut wedding cake. The answer? No, we don’t bake cakes, but we sure can help you build a cake out of our doughnuts. Since then Krispy Kremes “cakes” have been popping up at wedding receptions around the country. The Southern-based doughnut maker now gets more than 150 inquiries a week.
Couples love them because the doughnuts are delicious, it’s a fun trend, and the portions are already conveniently single-serve. Some how-to tips from Krispy Kreme executive chef Ron Rupocinski:
• Choose a local bakery to help you design and assemble your doughnut cake.
• Just like any other wedding cake, have it express your personality and the overall style of your wedding.
• A four-tier cake (with tiers that are 18, 14, 12 and 8 inches) will serve 50-55 people, one doughnut per person. Your bakery advisor will help you assemble the right-sized doughnut cake.
• Any variety of Krispy Kreme doughnuts will work, but keep it light. Original Glazed are the lightest variety, and therefore work best for the top tier.
True to Tradition
Are you a sentimentalist who prefers tradition to trend? There are plenty of time-honored favorites to choose from, one more beautiful than the next. The traditional cake has tiers built on supporting pillars, uses white butter cream to achieve an abundance of textured flowers and trims, and has a topper, usually a bride and groom.
Want to update just a bit? Consider nontraditional flavors for both the cake and filling: chocolate sour cream cake paired with fudge and apricot, or lemon chiffon cake coupled with lemon curd.
Want to make it even more traditional? Use the topper from your parent’s wedding cake or a special piece of jewelry that’s been in the family for a generation or two, placed atop the cake like a tiara.
Quick Bites
• How much does the cake cost? The average is about $7 a serving (that is a $1225 cake serving 175). Genuine works of art by leading cake designers can boost that number to as much as $25 per person.
• Meet with at least three bakers and sample 10 or more cake flavors and fillings before deciding.
• Book appointments during the week rather than on the weekend to get more time and attention.
• Order your cake three to six months before the event. n
Bernadette Doran is free-lance writer and cake lover who lives in Oak Park, Illinois.
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