A wedding cake on a stand is a stylish and elegant solution for an important event

The multi-tiered wedding cake did not always have such a familiar look to us. In ancient Rome, for such a ceremony, an ordinary bread cake was baked, which the groom broke into pieces and treated to the guests together with the bride. In Rus', they baked a loaf with decorations, from which the newlyweds were invited to bite off a piece at the end of the wedding.

It was believed that whoever gets the most piece will be the head of the family. Part of this ritual of greeting the newlyweds with bread and salt has survived to this day. The wedding cake, in its familiar form, first appeared in Europe at the end of the 18th century at royal court ceremonies.

Wedding cakes on stands

Stands (aka whatnots) in cooking are structures on which a cake or other desserts are placed

They can be made of colored plastic, silver or gold metal, glass and even wood. Also, cake stands are divided depending on the number of tiers.

If the wedding is planned with a small number of guests, then there is no need to order a huge cake with several floors. In this case, an elegant single-tier stand is more suitable, which, by the way, can also be beautifully decorated in the style of the celebration.

Cakes from two to five tiers are found at magnificent and crowded holidays. Confectioners warn that the lower part must weigh at least three kilograms, otherwise the structure will be extremely unstable. However, to give the dessert luxury and majesty, you can artificially create volume by using a large amount of whipped cream and light flower buds. An even more original and quite acceptable option is to make the lower tier from inedible material, that is, a dummy of a sweet delicacy.

Two-tier wedding cake with a dummy bottom tier

By the way, the stand itself can be single-tiered, but the cake on it can consist of two or more floors.

How are wedding cakes with 3 tiers or more assembled?

In order to treat all invited guests to a piece of the wedding delicacy, the weight of the dessert is calculated in advance at the rate of 100-200 grams. per person.

Therefore, for convenient placement and beautiful external design, the product is prepared in several tiers. In this form, you can create a confectionery masterpiece weighing up to 20 kg.

There are several options for creating “floors”:

on the rod;
on a stand;
in the form of a pyramid.

An impressive multi-tiered dessert can be prepared using a variety of stands - separate supports to protect the upper tiers from sagging.

On the rod

One of the options for creating a “multi-story” structure is the assembly of sponge cakes using a single support rod.

For this type of assembly you will need round trays with different sizes from 20 to 40 cm and plastic or metal tubes.

A large base cake is placed on the lower tray, in which a hole is made with a special knife and a tube-rod is inserted.

The cake is filled with a creamy layer and decorated with inscriptions, fresh flowers and figurines of swans. The next tray, smaller in diameter, is screwed to the tube, on which the next cake is placed. Further assembly of the “floors” is carried out in a similar order.

To assemble the delicacy on the rod, it is recommended to use light, airy sponge cakes that retain their shape well and are easy to cut.

On a stand

A two-tier or three-tier white wedding cake on a special stand has a magnificent look.
Each tier is placed on a separate plate-stand, which allows you to combine the beauty and volume of the cake with ease of cutting. To make the stand structure, white plastic, silver chrome steel, and yellow brass are used. At an eco-wedding, it is customary to serve dessert on a stand made of natural wood.

In the form of a pyramid

If it is not possible to use a multi-tiered stand, but there is a great desire to see a multi-tiered cake at the celebration, then you can assemble your dream dessert without special supporting structures.

In this case, you can prepare cakes of any geometric shape of different sizes and sequentially stack them on top of each other in the form of a pyramid.

Only sponge cakes are used as the base, which will occupy about 90% of the entire structure of the delicacy. If you make the cakes of small thickness, then when serving, such a structure may fall apart even before the ceremonial presentation to the table. There are several recommendations for assembling the “pyramid” dessert:

Impregnation of sponge cakes should be done carefully, in small portions, so that the sponge cake does not turn out soggy.
The cream layer should not be too large. For better stability of the cream on sponge cakes, it is recommended to make a layer of more than 5 mm.
It is recommended to limit the number of tiers with this type of assembly to a maximum of 3 or 4 layers.

If the sides of the “pyramid” layers are made with ledges up to 10 cm, then such a cake will have to be cut from the top tier.

Do I need to decorate the stand?

There is no definite answer to this question, since it depends on the individual preferences of the newlyweds, the style of the wedding and the appearance of the stand itself. Some designs are so elegant and beautiful that they do not need additional decoration.

A small three-tier wedding cake on an interesting stand: the cake looks chic and neat at the same time!

However, if you get a not very attractive plastic shelf, you can decorate it harmoniously. Most often, the same elements are used to decorate the stand as on the top of the cake. You can also apply:

Crystals and beads;
Rose petals;
LED garland;
Braid, satin ribbon.

Where can I get a special cake stand?

This problem does not always arise.

Most confectionery shops offer their customers to rent a stand from them, immediately including it in the price of the dessert

If after the celebration the structure is returned safe and sound, part of the money is returned to the newlyweds.

You can also purchase a bookcase at a specialized store or make it yourself. Only in the second option, before placing several cake layers on the structure, you need to check it for strength and stability.

Decorating a festive dessert: interesting ideas

What impression the main dessert of the celebration will make on those present depends on your imagination and the skill of the confectioners. Everything is evaluated as a whole: the taste of the delicacy is of great importance, while its appearance, which whets the appetite, also plays an important role. There are many options for how to decorate a wedding cake on a shelf; only a small part is presented below.

Wedding cake with open layers, decorated with plants

flower composition

The cake is often decorated with the same buds that are used in the bride's bouquet and wedding interior design. You can make flowers from chocolate, icing, cream or mastic. But most of all I admire the living buds on dessert, especially those that can be eaten:

angelica;
cornflower;
primrose;
monarda;
carnation;
chrysanthemum;
chamomile;
lavender;
violet;
lily;
nasturtium;
rose.

Three-tier cake with miniature flowers

Open wedding cake with natural flowers

Open two-tier cake with slightly dried flowers: perfect for a boho or rustic wedding

Simple one-tier wedding cake with flowers on a stand

Toppers

Perhaps the most common decoration for a wedding cake is figurines of the newlyweds. Alternative options are wedding rings, a pair of swans, flags with inscriptions. Toppers are divided into edible (made from sugar mastic, marzipan, frozen chocolate) and inedible (made from cardboard, paper, plastic, felt, skewers and ribbons).

Wedding cake with a topper in the shape of newlyweds on an original stand

Fruits and berries

Desserts with berries look especially elegant; they go well with a creamy layer, making the high-calorie dish lighter and more delicate. You can make a choice in favor of one or another berry based on your own taste preferences, as well as taking into account the color scheme of the celebration. Most often, confectioners use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries in cake design.

Wedding cake on a stand with berries

If there is no suitable shade among the berries, you can expand the palette with the help of fruits. When the cake is large and multi-tiered, some even manage to decorate it with whole fruits, for example, pears or apples, and the dessert looks quite attractive.

Wedding cake on a stand with fruits and berries

Macarons

The legendary cookies are not only delicious, but also very beautiful; they can be absolutely any color. So why not use macarons as a wedding cake decoration?

It is important to note that the main ingredient in this sweetness is almonds, which can cause allergies. It is advisable to first find out from the invitees whether they have such a disease. However, this rule also applies to other dishes on the holiday menu.

Macarons can be placed randomly on the cake, for example, one part on the top tier and the other on a stand. Also, such cookies of different shades are often used to decorate desserts in the ombre style, covering the entire side parts with them.

Wedding cake with macarons

Decorating cakes in three tiers or more: fashion trends

A two-tier wedding cake is a real “pearl” of the celebration, and the ceremony of serving it certainly causes real delight among the invited guests.

Recently, new fashion trends have emerged:

Hanging.
Inverted.
Asymmetrical.
Prints.

A wedding cake with several tiers should harmoniously combine aesthetics and grace with wonderful taste.

Hanging

Recently, there has been a fashion to serve a three-tiered dessert on a stand attached to the ceiling structure. Outwardly, this unusual delicacy resembles a crystal chandelier and attracts everyone's attention. The result is a real miracle composition that decorates the celebration.

In this video there are several options for hanging cakes:

To create a hanging cake, you need to spend a lot of time: calculate and make a hanging structure, cover it with fondant in the color of the cake. The tiers (25.18 and 13 cm) are assembled and placed on a stand, which is suspended from a hook from the ceiling.

The preparatory work takes a lot of time, but the result is simply stunning. This wedding cake will be remembered for a long time.

Upside Down Cakes

For those who love originality, you can offer an unusual three-tier “upside down” wedding cake.
On a beautiful lace metal stand, with the help of special hooks, the largest cake measuring up to 25 cm is fixed at the top, a medium cake measuring 18 cm in size is suspended from it, and the smallest cake with a diameter of up to 13 cm is attached at the bottom.

The result is an inverted structure that seems to float in the air.

The pendant elements are covered with mastic in the color of the cake and decorated along the edges with threads of beads, cream curls and fresh flowers.

Asymmetrical

One of the fashionable trends in wedding fashion has become asymmetrical “ladder” cakes with tiers offset to one side.

To prepare an asymmetrical dessert, sponge or shortbread cakes covered with mastic and decorated with edible flowers, berries, beads or figurines of the bride and groom are suitable. The base cakes can be of any geometric shape.

When assembling the cake, the top layer is placed on the bottom layer and moved with ledges on one side.

The third, smallest cake is placed on the adjacent cake in a similar manner. It turns out to be a nice original ladder.

Prints

A fashionable novelty for wedding cakes in recent years has been decorating them with prints made from edible rice paper with food coloring.
This method of decoration creates incredible scope for ideas and themes for the original design of the main wedding attribute - the wedding cake.

These can be floral prints, delicate watercolors, floral patterns, but the real hit is considered to be a photo print of the newlyweds - a romantic photo of the bride and groom.

To create such a spectacular design, prints are applied to edible rice paper and colored cake paste.

Unusual cake presentation

When it’s time for tea, you can simply announce this to the guests, because sometimes the cake itself is so original that it doesn’t need a special presentation. However, the ceremonial removal of dessert accompanied by music or drumming will definitely not be superfluous. The following ideas will also give you a lot of positive emotions:

classic rolling out on a trolley;
the waiter knocking over a fake cake and then bringing out the real dessert;
a trick involving turning an object into a cake (a special artist should be hired for this);
fire show;
lowering treats from above on a suspended structure.

UNUSUAL CAKES (continued)

All unusual cakes are based on a non-standard idea. Backed by the high skill of the confectioner, it leads to impressive results. Next is a selection of original cakes that combine high craftsmanship and an interesting idea.

Chandelier cake (hanging wedding cake)

What you see in the photo is not a luxurious chandelier, but a grandiose cake that seems to violate all the laws of gravity. It was developed and created by pastry chef Kimberly Bailey of The Butter End Cakery in 2013. The grandeur of the idea required precise engineering calculations. While hanging cakes aren't anything unique, an upside down cake with real lights and hangings is something new. The amazing cake became a real hit at the wedding of American starlet Kaley Cuoco, known for her roles in the TV series “The Big Bang Theory” and “Charmed,” and Ryan Sweeting, a famous American tennis player. The chocolate-almond-cherry cake set the trend for upside-down wedding cakes , becoming a major trend for 2014.

Cake “Lady of the Lake”

American pastry chef and chocolatier Karen Portaleo is famous for her stunning cakes. One of her favorite themes is the image of the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake or Lake Fairy (Lady Of The Lake) is a character in the cycle of legends about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, extremely popular in English-speaking countries. She is the keeper of the legendary sword Excalibur and the teacher of Lancelot of the Lake.

Before becoming a pastry chef, Karen Portaleo worked as an advertising prop artist and clay sculptor. She inherited her love of cooking from her grandfather, a baker.

Now among her clients are Elton John, Demi Moore and other celebrities. Her master classes are popular among aspiring food designers.

cake “Lady of the Lake” (fragment)

Archaeological cake

In 1985, near the English city of Lechlade, one of the largest Anglo-Saxon cemeteries was excavated by archaeologists. It dates back to the 5th - 8th century AD. The richest grave belonged to a young woman 25-30 years old, whom scientists nicknamed “Mrs. Getty” because of her wealth and large number of grave goods. The found objects are exhibited at the Corinium Museum (Cerenster). In 2013, Corinium initiated an unusual competition. The museum team offered to create a cake based on their archaeological collection. The Laura Kerry cake was recognized as the best. The model for it was the gold “Mrs. Getty” pendant, inlaid with 5 garnets and decorated with gold filigree.

Hyper realistic cakes

Lyuba Zlatkova lives in Sofia (Bulgaria). Her main occupation is being the mother of four sons. But cooking is just a hobby for her. She baked her first cake for her own 33rd birthday. In 5 years she managed to achieve impressive results. According to Lyuba, to bake a good cake you need only three things - quality products, talent and love. The most interesting are her hyper-realistic cakes .

hyperrealistic cake (fragment)

The cake called “Soup Recipe,” which Lyuba Zlatkova baked for the birthday of her father-in-law, a cook by profession, looks no less realistic.

All the vegetables are made from sugar dough, and the cake itself is in the form of a pan with soup.

cake “Soup Recipe” (fragment)

You can see more unusual cakes here or in a selection of articles about amazing culinary and creative masterpieces by selecting the “cakes” tag from the tag cloud on our website.