Should I bake my own wedding cake?

Question

I'm thinking of baking my own wedding cake.

I'm ok at baking but I'm not great at decorating.

Has anyone done this and what advice can you give me?

All suggestions/opinions appreciated!

Answer 1

I'd say don't even think about it. there are an awful lot of things on one's wedding day that makes the couple especially the bride so badly nervous on the day. if you're feeling okay and confident now it doesn't mean you will feel the same on your wedding day too. the closer it get the more nervous you get. so why would you like to add yet another cause for getting nervous? I would say it's okay for somebody who is absolutely confident of her cooking skills and who is a master chef, but it seems you aren't that skilled. I suggest leave it to the experts and enjoy your wedding day.

You've got the rest of your life to impress the in-laws and your husband and every one else with your skills in baking cakes!

Answer 2

I suggest that you not bake your own wedding cake.  You already have so much to do, plus it is your special day and why would you want to spend 2 - 3 hours before your own ceremony decorating your own wedding cake?  It's a lot more work than you realize.

When my niece got married, she asked me to make her wedding cake.  I was flattered and said YES.  Wow.  Three days before the wedding I was in the kitchen baking 2 - 14" layers, 2 - 10" layers and 2 - 6" layers.  That is a lot of cake batter and cooking times.  Then I had top them off to be even and freeze them for easier frosting and decorating.  The morning of the wedding, I mixed up about 18 cups of butter cream frosting.  Three hours before the wedding, I went to the reception site and assembled, frosted and decorated the cake.

Yes, leave this tedious and time consuming job to a professional and enjoy your day.

Best Wishes!

Answer 3

It all depends on what type of wedding you are having.

My sister made her own cake, but she was having an extremely laid-back, non-traditional pot-luck wedding.  It was more like a get-together than what you would typically think of as a wedding.  She was working ALL DAY the day before and up until mid-night making the cake.  

If you are having anything close to a traditional wedding, I would not reccommend this.  Especially since you said you're "ok at baking but not great at decorating".  A wedding cake is a different animal than a birthday cake.  I would say leave this one to the professionals.  

You don't have to necessarily go with a specialized wedding cake baker.  If you're trying to save money, look into having your local grocer make it.  Or even Sam's Club.  I've heard of some girls getting their cakes from their and tasting amazing and looking great.  

Answer 4

I think the easiest thing to do if you are trying to save money is buy 3 plain white iced cakes from tesco (they actually do 3 different sizes of cake and the columns to go on between the tiers, they are proper wedding cakes) They will be about £20 for 3 cakes and the columns and then get extra flowers from your florist and decorate the cakes with these. Dead easy!!!

Or if you really want to bake it yourself, try mini cupcakes instead. You can rent a cake stand and make 150 (or however many you need) and these will be loads easier to bake then a proper wedding cake.

Answer 5

You'll have too much to worry about before your wedding besides making a cake. A homemade cake is not a bad idea, if you can get someone else to help you or do it for you. Cupcake wedding cakes are a bit easier to do than a traditional wedding cake. They can be pretty cool too.

Answer 6

if there is still much time...then do it... but dont tell everyone that you made it... wait until the wedding day...then tell them while they are eating that You made it!

Answer 7

You have way too much to do and think about for your wedding then back your own cake. I admire you for wanting to do this but I think it's too much to bite off........(LOL) You need to enjoy the days leading up to your wedding.  

Answer 8

No. Professionals don't even bake their own cakes when they get married. You won't have time to do any of that.  

Answer 9

I would let someone else bake it, that just takes up more of your time, and will make this more stressful.

Good luch and congrats!! (:

Answer 10

As much fun as it sounds like, you will not want to bake your own cake when the time comes. The week before my wedding, I was tying up so many loose ends, the last thing I would have wanted to do was try to fit in time to bake a cake and get it decorated. If you could bake it far ahead of time, then maybe, but frozen cake gets dried out, and you don't want that either. I think it is great that you want to do creative things and make your wedding more personal, I am just not sure that this is the best way to go about it.  

Answer 11

Well...I decided I would make mine too, and every time my mum talked about having a baker make the cakes I would get all annoyed.... the week before the wedding when I had far too much to do I was very grateful that she had got the prices!

I say you have plenty to do, you are inputting enough in to your weddign without trying to make cakes - Trust Me!!!

Answer 12

I just wanted to mention something others had not as of yet. Making your own cake is fine, particularly if you could find someone to help decorate it for you. One thing to remember though is that if you plan to have your wedding at a rented facility, then often times they will require that the cake come from a licensed kitchen. If you are renting a hall, you should look into their rules first.

Answer 13

No, this isn't a good idea.  You are going to have a ton of things to get done before the wedding, add the stress of baking and decorating a cake and you have the basic recipe for a disaster.

Answer 14

I think if yr not a professional you should get someone to do it, and book it before it is to late, trust me you don't want people to judge because they do on every detail, and your the bride you have other things to think about like the dress, wedding plan, flowers etc ect.

Have a gd wedding.

Emily

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Answer 15

nope just enjoy why do WANT to waste your time??

veterant bakers will do the job better!

Answer 16

No

Answer 17

Sure why not.  That way you can have the cake you want.

If you don't like icing you could always spread a layer on jam(jelly if you're from the US) on the cake put dried friut and nuts on top and then brush it with a simple glaze made from some more jam and hot water.  

Answer 18

No. NO. and once more no!  I am an events manager for a catering company and I have never seen a "friend-baked," "family-baked" or "third cousin's, best friend's ex-roommate-baked" cake that came out well. I have pictures - they're not pretty.

It takes a professional the better part of a week to bake, cool, frost, decorate, etc. a cake. I am sure you're a great baker but the cake-cutting is a big part of your day - don't put that pressure on yourself.

Answer 19

Generally, I'd say that if you aren't a 'good' decorator, have it done for you.  Cakes are my hobby.  I baked the cakes for my sil and bil's wedding.  It was a TON  of work - I spent a full day baking, many hours icing, several hours decorating (and it was a simple design).  Then I had to transport to the site and assemble there which took more time than I thought and then FIX the OOPSES (transport problems)   What I did was ice them smooth and then did a tulle/pearl wrap w/flowers between the layers.  If you don't have time to practice your decorating, i would say have them made.  Go to www.wilton.com and get wedding cake ideas or buy a decorating book.

Answer 20

rent a cake

Just google cake rentals and you can get a top of the line cake (with real cake included) for cheap!

Answer 21

No. Countless venues will not allow anyone to bring in homemade food of any kind due to liability issues and state health laws. I've even heard of many professional bakers with years of experience who won't even consider baking their own wedding cake, with good reason. First off, you won't have any time to bake the cake because it's a last minute project and you will have so many other things that need to be done then. Also, 99.99% of people have never put a wedding cake together so the day of their wedding is not the time to start learning. They are structured and assembled entirely differently from a birthday cake. As detail-oriented and nitpicky as the majority of brides are, you probably wouldn't be able to deal with the stress of anything happening to it due to your lack of experience. That is why some things are best left to the professionals who have had training and know what they are doing.

Answer 22

No, you are going to be too busy doing everything else.

Answer 23

Absolutely . Get someone to decorate it .. Call Bake Shops

in your area.. or check on internet or phone directories nearby

Im sure you will find people ( processionals )who will be more than happy to decorate it for you.)

Thats fantastic. My niece made her wedding Dress. ( Home touch is Great.

Go for It

Answer 24

why not do it yourself..

or better yet get a family member to make it as a gift for the wedding...

Answer 25

You've said you're only "ok" at baking and "not great" at decorating.

I would not recommend taking on this task.  Honestly, you'll be stressed enough leading up to the days before your wedding and you don't want this stress too!

My cousin is a professional baker and for quite awhile specialized in wedding cakes.  She got out of it because of how stressful it is to do!  Not only is it stressfull preparing the cake, but then transporting it and assembling it at its final destination!  

Save the cake making for birthday parties and get one done for your wedding.

You can still save money by having a smaller cake and then use sheet cakes for cutting and serving.

Meet with a couple bakers and get some ideas and prices!

Good luck.

Answer 26

If you're not as comfortable decorating then don't try to make a fancy tiered cake with icing roses and all the rest of the elaborate decorations. Go for a series of cakes (or one really big one) on cake stands of various heights - I have a friend doing this for her wedding.

If you want to have more decorative things on your cake then you can buy pre-made icing decorations. I know Bulk Barn carries them, and most baking supply stores should.

This is a great opportunity to make sure that you get your favourite cake, baked properly. Even places that let you give them a recipe don't always make the cake the way you expect. One thing to keep in mind is that this sometimes happens because the recipes don't multiply well - so if you want 5 cakes consider making them seperately instead of making a 5x batch of batter.

And if you do have your heart set on a tiered cake make them a little bit dryer, so that the bottom layers don't squish.

Answer 27

I say go for it!!

Answer 28

i think its a brilliant idea, then you get the taste you want, and exactly the size you want, without spending an absolute fortune!! do you know anyone who is skilled at art / cake decorating? if so, combine your skills and tell them exactly what you want the cake to look like...

if not, then make some mini cakes to practice icing on. wedding cakes are usually fairly simple, and if you go to specialise shops, you can buy pre made icing decorations, like flowers etc if you want something a bit more detailed.