The trend is toward elaborately decorated, three-dimensional creations
in sophisticated flavors
Today’s brides know plain-Jane buttercream is blasé. Those kitschy plastic couples atop the wedding cake? Passé!
We spoke with three area wedding cake specialists — Andre’s Confiserie Suisse, Cakes by Cheri and Son and Natasha’s Mulberry & Mott — and let them read the tea leaves for us.
The consensus: Today’s brides are looking for classic looks and flavors, modernized for 2008.
René Bollier, vice president in charge of operations at Andre’s, is working with brides who are stacking squares atop circles, in varying thicknesses and circumferences.
“They don’t want static tiers,” Bollier says. “They want a combination of squares and rounds and different heights in tiers.”
All three cake specialists acknowledge that today’s wedding cakes are three-dimensional, layered with ruffles, bows, sculpted flowers, leaves and vines, and even objets d’art, such as an exquisite Wedgwood blue cameo crafted by Natasha Goellner of Mulberry & Mott.
Many cakes are coated in rolled fondant, a pliable water, sugar and cream of tartar mixture that can be molded and caressed to fit any shape. The elaborate decorations are made from either royal icing, an icing made of confectioners’ sugar, egg whites and lemon juice, or gum paste, a pliable, durable “sugar dough.” Both are sturdy yet malleable and easily coaxed into just about any shape a bride could covet.
And while chocolate and vanilla may work for a birthday cake, come the big day, brides want something far more sophisticated.
Cheri Elder’s most popular flavor is white chocolate with raspberry curd. At Mulberry & Mott, brides can go even more exotic: pistachio cake with peach buttercream or lemon cake with blackberry buttercream, for example. Or they can mix and match, choosing different cake and buttercream flavors for each tier.
Other notable trends: Elder is working with brides who are choosing black and white for their colors and others wanting to re-create vintage, flocked wallpaper patterns on their cakes. These require cutting stencils and significant handwork.
Goellner, who starts with a black and white sketch for her custom cakes, likes to use design elements on the cake that echo the detail work on the bride’s dress — the buttons or ruffles, for example.
“The beauty is all around the cake,” and not just in the front and on the sides, explains Vicki Goellner, who works with her daughter in the bakery. “And everything is completely custom-designed. They don’t have to order just what they see in our portfolio. We start with a sketch, then figure out what their style is, what their flowers and colors are.”
But just as the bride’s cakes remain sophisticated and classy, the groom’s cakes are all about whimsy with a blend of masculinity — often reflecting the groom’s interests and personality. Elder has baked a fire engine, a sea turtle and a shark, for example. At Andre’s, Bollier will drape the cake in sheets of chocolate, giving it a cascading, less structured look. Mulberry & Mott has been known to whip up batches of the groom’s favorite cookies, stacking them in an impressive tower.
The goal, according to Bollier, is “to make a cake that is visually interesting.”
Vroom for Groom: Today’s grooms aren’t settling for just any sheetcake for their big day. They are collaborating with cake bakers and creating cakes that match their interests and personalities. Cheri and Son sculpted this fanciful vintage hot rod for one lucky groom.
Flower Power: The intricate flowers and foliage on this cake by Cheri and Son take many hours to create.
The Bee's Knees: Natasha Goellner, Mulberry & Mott and Cheri Elder of Cheri and Son craft three-dimensional cakes, using fondant icings, gum paste, royal icing, stenciling and all sorts of culinary wizardry on their bridal cakes. Note the Napoleonic bee on the Mulberry & Mott cake. This one was themed after Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film, “Marie Antoinette.”
Classic Details: Elder, the son in Cheri and Son, has mastered the art of sculpting flowers from gum paste, making them look as close to Mother Nature as possible.
On the Cover: Wedding cakes are getting more elaborate, as shown by these three works of art. From left: Multi-layers of varying shapes by Andre’s Confiserie Suisse; intricate flowers and greenery on a tall, slender cake by Cheri and Son; and sophisticated detail and unique design on a cake by Natasha’s Mulberry & Mott.Andre’s Confiserie Suisse: 5018 Main St., 816-561-3440. Advance time: one week to one month. Price range: $150 to $1,000.
Cakes by Cheri and Son: 219 N.E. 480 Road, Clinton, 660-885-3707. Advance time: Two or three months; more if possible. Price range: Starts at $350 for a traditional cake, $650 for a fondant-covered cake.
Natasha’s Mulberry & Mott: 10573 Mission Road, Leawood, 913-787-4872. Advance time: Some popular dates are booked a year in advance; otherwise, six months notice. Price range: $6 and $15 a slice, depending on overall design of cake.
To reach Lauren Chapin, restaurant critic, call 816-234-4702, or send email to
lchapin@kcstar.com.
