Wedding and Celebration Cakes - transcript of Confetti.co.uk online chat with wedding cake designer May from Maisie Fantaisie.

Moderator: Afternoon everyone. Welcome to this afternoon's chat with our guest speaker May from Maisie Fantaisie. Today we'll be chatting about wedding and celebration cakes so please come and join in the chat if you have any questions!
Steve: The Mrs. to be and I have been arguing about the use of marzipan. I hate it but she tells me we have to have it to keep the icing on. Surely this isn't true - please help me win one argument in this whole wedding saga
May: Hi Steve. No - marzipan is traditional with fruit cakes but if you're having a sponge cake, it's under-iced in sugar paste instead.
Sparkle: Hi May, my mum's making our wedding cake but she needs to know how big to make the tiers. We'd like 3 stacked tiers with the top tier being sponge and the rest being fruit. How big should the tiers be (and how tall!) to feed around 120 people?
May: Hi Sparkle - what a nice mum! She should make a 5 inch, an 8 inch and an 11 inch wedding cake, or for slightly more cake, 6,9 and 12. Bear in mind that a square wedding cake serves slightly more people than round wedding cakes, as they are easier to cut in to portions. The height of each tier would be approximately three inches tall.
Kaz : My auntie is making our wedding cake and it's her first attempt at a wedding cake. I want a burgundy ribbon but we are not sure what type of ribbon to use - there are so many different types!
May: Hi Kaz. Most types of ribbon would be fine so it's just a matter of what you like. Don't use wired ribbon, as you won't get a clean line around the wedding cake.
Alex: Hello May, my sister is getting married in America and she loves fruitcake but they don't do it over there. We are considering making it in the UK and bringing it over with us when we fly out for the wedding. However we don't know the best way to transport it and are worried that the wedding cake might go off.
May: HI Alex. It's fine to transport wedding cakes abroad, although I would contact the airline to check first. Your wedding cake maker will package it as a 'flyaway' wedding cake using reinforced wedding cake boxes so that it travels well. And, of course, you need to take it as hand luggage!
Claire: I'm having one tier of fruitcake, one of chocolate and one of sponge. I've heard that the fruit cake tier of a wedding cake has to be at the bottom as it's the heaviest. Is this true?
May: Hi Claire. When the wedding cake is properly structured and supported, you don't need to have the fruit at the bottom.
Sabrina: Hi May. I want to have fresh flowers on my wedding cake. Does my florist do this or my wedding cake designer?
May: Hi Sabrina. Your wedding cake maker should liaise with your florist and they will decide between them. Some florists don't like to touch the wedding cake; others enjoy decorating it on the morning of the wedding. Personally I am happy to decorate the wedding cake with fresh flowers. It�s something that I do often.
Kaz : Hi May, thanks for that. I have seen some ribbon called florists ribbon "easy to tear" would this be no good?
May: I wouldn't choose this. Satin or chiffon ribbon (have a look in the Confetti shop) is just what you're looking for. Easy to tear ribbon is low quality and won't look very good at all.
Alex: My sister also wants to keep one of the tiers from the wedding cake for her first born. How should this be preserved?
May: First of all, you can only preserve your wedding cake it if it's a fruitcake. After the wedding, wrap the wedding cake in tin foil and seal it in an airtight container. Make sure that it hasn't been cut in to at all. When it comes to the re-decoration, strip the wedding cake of all it's icing, feed it with some more brandy and re-ice.
Oz: I have ordered a wedding cake three tiers measuring 5" 6" and 8". Will this look a little odd? I asked the bakery if they did 4" but she said she didn't know. (they sub-contract the wedding cakes) should I go back and try and get a 4" for the top?
May: Hi Oz. I don't think it will look odd, but it's completely up to you. If you want it to be a neat structure with a 2 inch difference between each tier, see if you can get the 4 inch.
Becs: I am buying my own wedding cake to save money and would like a three tiered american style wedding cake. If I have the first two largest tiers in fruit and the third smallest in sponge, will the sponge be able to support a fourth smaller tier of fruit on pillars? Thanks.
May: Becs - that should be absolutely fine as long as the wedding cake structure is sound. The top tier of sponge needs to have dowels to support the fourth tier of fruit. You can't just put it on pillars. Dowels are plastic or wooden rods that are widely available. Try the Jane Asher cake shop.
Sam: Im marrying in Cyprus and our wedding cake is being provided by our tour operator - First Choice. Has anyone any ideas what this will be like?
May: Hi Sam. You should certainly ask First Choice what wedding cake will be supplied and try to meet the wedding cake maker when you get there. They might have some testimonials from other brides who have had their weddings there.
Claire: Is it rude to ask a wedding cake maker if you can sample the wedding cake before you make a booking?
May: Hi Claire. Absolutely not - that's fine. The taste of the wedding cake is just as important as the decoration. Ask them for a sample of the wedding cake flavors that you're interested in.
Dawn: Do you have any designs for a wedding cake with a red rose, silver heart Celtic type theme? I have ordered a wedding cake with three love hearts of 4,6 and 8 inch.
May: Hi Dawn. All of my wedding cakes are designed specifically for each wedding but you can see some of my wedding cake designs on my website.You can also look through wedding magazines to get some inspiration.
Helen : Hello May, I have seen a picture of a wedding cake in a magazine that I like. It is like a pillar with roses trailing down the front. Do you know the one I mean?
May: Hi Helen. Yes I do...
Claire: I've noticed that you are doing an event at confetti in March - will I be able to see your wedding cakes there?
May: Yes Claire... and taste them! Hope you can come along.
Cal: Hi May, my mother in law to be is making my wedding cake but we need to get it iced by someone else. What sort of prices should I expect to have 3 tiers iced - fairly plain icing with a few sugar flowers. Thanks x
May: Hi Cal. Expect to pay from �400 to ice the wedding cake with some decoration depending on the final details - the sugar flowers are very time consuming.
Purplekiwi: Is it okay to try and construct a wedding cake yourself, using dowels and pillars or is it best to get a florist or baker to do this?
May: Hi purplekiwi. If you feel confident doing it, go for it. You just need to make sure that the dowels go right through to the bottom of the wedding cake and that the tier is sitting on the dowel and not the pillar. If in doubt always go to a pro!
Helen: Well I am having a friend's Mum make my wedding cake- she makes wedding cakes for everyone for all special occasions, the trouble is she is rather old fashioned and when I showed her the picture of a wedding cake I wanted her to re-create she looked a bit funny and said she was not sure how to do it. Also, I want it make in chocolate no-bake, but can't find a recipe. Can you help me?
May: Hi Helen. I'm afraid I haven't heard of chocolate no-bake. The column can be made by creating 8-9 inch cakes, baking 4-5 cakes and stacking them on top of each other. Hope this helps!
Saz: I have been looking into different ideas for our wedding cake one of which is having lots of miniature wedding cakes my question is how easy is it to stack them into three tiers?
May: Hi Saz. You would use a glass wedding cake stand and just put the small cakes on each level. Don't stack the cakes directly on top of each other.
Ben: Hello I have a friend who wants a wedding cake shaped like a tiger can you do that?
May: Hi Ben - yes, have a look at the celebration cakes on www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk
Helen: And what could you use to do the icing of the wedding cake. In the picture, it looks like butter cream, but I am guessing it can't be made with that because it would melt and lose it's shape?
May: Hi Helen. The butter cream won't melt if kept at room temperature. Alternatively, you can buy ready rolled sugar paste from supermarkets which you could wrap around the wedding cake and decorate.
SB: What would you use to make dummy tiers for a wedding cake - eg, proper fruitcake at bottom but dummy tiers for other two tiers
May: Hi. You'd use polystyrene tiers and decorate them as normal.
Helen : Thanks May, I will pass this info on. Sorry - just one more question, would you need to put boards in between each layer or could you stack the wedding cakes directly on top? Also, would you need to put dowels running all the way through to hold it upright? x
May: Hi Helen - yes you would ideally use boards and dowels.
Alison: We're thinking about serving our wedding cake for pudding. What type of wedding cake do you think would be good for this?
May: Hi Alison. I think that's a great idea. I would have any type of sponge cake depending on which is your favorite. I would suggest you ask your caterers to supply some fruit coulis, cream or toffee sauce to serve with the wedding cake to make it more of a pudding!
SB: How much (fruit) cake should you allow per guest? - I've read roughly 1 sq inch - eg, 12" square cake would serve around 144 people. Does this sound about right?
May: Hi. One square inch isn't very big so you might want to go for 2" x 1". Fruitcake is more filling than sponge cake but a 12" I don't think would be quite big enough.
Gab: The tradition of one of the tiers being kept for Baby�s christening with us already having our daughter christened would you suggest just a 2 tier wedding cake.
May: Hi Gab. You just need to have a wedding cake to feed the number of guests you're having. A tall wedding cake is great because it's a real focal point so you could always have a 'dummy' tier to add a little height to a two-tier wedding cake. But... two tiers is great.
Natalie: How long will the top tier last if you want to keep it for another special occasion?
May: Hi Natalie. A sponge wedding cake will only last for about a week. A fruitcake (that hasn't been cut in to and is sealed properly) can last for years but will need re-icing for the next celebration. You can never guarantee though that it's going to taste as good as it did on your wedding day so it might be worth just having a completely different cake.
Emmab: Hi May, my �husband to be� wants a chocolate wedding cake....how easy are they to have as wedding cakes?
May: Hi Emma. Chocolate wedding cakes make great wedding cakes and are very popular. You can either ice them traditionally, or use chocolate to ice.
Alison: Will a wedding cake maker charge me for tasting before ordering?
May: Hi Alison. I don't, but some might if you don't end up ordering from them. Check first.
Rex: Hi may ! What wedding cake fillings do you offer or can you give me a link to your site as i have some really picky people coming to my wedding, some being allergic to nuts and other fillings.
May: Hi Rex. My site is www.maisiefantaisie.co.uk and I'm aware of nut allergies as I have one myself. Wedding cake fillings can include... sponge cake, carrot cake, chocolate cake, banana cake, fruit cake (nut free if requested), lemon cake....and the list goes on!
K az: Hi May, my mum is vegetarian and has an aversion to wheat. Can you offer any suggestions for a wedding cake that can accommodate her?
May: Hi Kaz. I make a very tasty carrot cake using rice flour, which is wheat free. I think that's a great option - it almost tastes better than the real thing and doesn't contain any animal products. Hope that helps!
Emmab: Chocolate icing sounds good. What's the best way to store them before they are eaten? - Also we are having a church wedding followed by a small reception, we thought about having cutting the wedding cake at the Church for those who wouldn't be at the reception. Do you think this is a good idea, and have you got any suggestions on the best type of wedding cake for this?
May: Hi Emma. Chocolate cake needs to be made as close to the wedding date as possible - you could only really make it up to a week before hand. I wouldn't suggest cutting the wedding cake in church as you'll have to transport it then to the reception venue. You could always send small pieces of wedding cake to guests who aren't at your reception - or invite them over to watch the video of your wedding cake cutting!