We get asked about groom’s cakes often, because folks in the mid-west are not too sure of the role of a groom’s cake and if it is necessary at their wedding reception. The groom’s cake is a southern tradition that has gained popularity across the country. Back in “the days” the wedding cake was always a white cake with white icing and the groom’s cake was a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Now days, the wedding cake can be any flavor available. The groom’s cake is more often a cake that reflects a hobby or an interest of the groom.

So much of the wedding day is geared to the bride, that it is nice to give some attention to the groom on that special day. The groom’s cake is a nice way to also showcase the groom and give him a moment in the spotlight! Sometimes the cake is place on the table with the wedding cake, but more often, it is given a special table of its own.

It would be unusual to go to a wedding in the south and not see a groom’s cake. Here in central Indiana we generally see about 20% of the wedding receptions having a groom’s cake. Sometimes the groom’s cake is not taken into account for the number of guests attending, but often the groom’s cake and the wedding cake are both used to account for serving all the guests. For instance, if you are expecting 200 guests at the reception, you could plan on a wedding cake for 170 guests and a groom’s cake for 30 guests. Occaisonally we see the groom’s cake being used for the dessert at the rehearsal dinner. Wherever it is used, it is usually a conversation piece!

Choose a groom’s cake for your reception and surprise him!

So we are off to a good start for 2012! Wedding cakes, like clothing, cars, hair, etc., change styles yearly.  An experienced eye can look at a wedding cake and often guess very close to the year it was made. So that being said, what should one would look for this year?

We are seeing BIG flowers on cakes now.  Sometimes it is just one really large flower as a focal point.  If the cake is more than three tiers, then there are often several large flowers.  Instead of seeing a “bouquet” of flowers on top of the cake, now we will be seeing maybe just one large flower and it is often set more to the side of the cake and even sitting on the edge of the cake tier.

We are also seeing cakes that sometimes have no toppers.  It used to be that if we saw a cake like that, then we would think that someone forgot the cake top!  Now, don’t be surprised!  If there is no topper, than the design from the side of the cake is usually carried over to the top of the cake.

We are also seeing ruffles alot and this comes from the bridal gowns.  The skirts of the gowns now are sometimes filled with rows of ruffles, ruffly flowers, or feathery ruffled fabric.  It is common for the bridal gowns to influence cake designs, just as the popular fashion colors influence the colors in the wedding.

Still in style though is the cake stacked directly on top with no pillars between the layers.  We are seeing some of the tiers of the cake taller than the traditional four inch tiers.  Some of the tiers are six or seven inches high.  Taller and shorter tiers are usually alternated in the design.

Buttons, bows and brooches are still popular along with jeweled belts wrapped aroung the cake.  We are still seeing the influence on ruching in the cake designs also.  All in all, it is mainly fashion that influences cake design, so if you look at today’s brides, you will see the inspiration for their wedding cake!