Wedding Cakes – Icing Choices Matter
As they say, it’s the icing on the cake! And when it comes to wedding cakes, icing is very important because it will determine the look of the cake, as well as the price. Mainly, there is 3 different kinds of icings to be used on a presentation cake.
Traditional Butter Cream Wedding Cakes. The “butter cream” frosting will be slightly off-white, because it is made with “butter.” If you see a very white butter cream frosting, it surely wasn’t made with real butter! The butter cream is usually a favorite because people like the taste of it, it is also the cheapest icing (we charge around $4.50 to $5.00 per serving for wedding cakes with butter cream icing).
Wedding Cakes with White Chocolate Icing. The “white chocolate” icing is liquid white chocolate that we pour on top of the wedding cake. It is off-white as well, has a little shine to it, and has a smooth aspect as well. Our charge for Wedding Cakes with White Chocolate icing run between $5.00 and $5.50 per serving.
When it comes to wedding cakes, icing is very important because it will determine the look of the cake, as well as the price.
Fondant Wedding Cakes. Then there is the “fondant,” from the French dictionary meaning “melting.” The fondant is made with sugar and has to be rolled “paper thin” to be the best! If it is too thick it will not be good to taste, but if it is thinly rolled it tastes like a soft marshmallow. The fondant is the only icing to give a really “smooth” aspect to the cake. You can also add a lot of different piping design to fondant icing, making an intricate lace design, or an abstract design or even some lettering. It is the easiest icing to be “piping drawn” on. (For those of you who wonder what “piping drawn” means, it is the technique where the icing is put in a bag or cone and then “pressed” out to create, or “draw,” your design.) The fondant is the only icing that can be 100% white, it can also be any color you want it to be, although if you do a black or navy blue, your guests will have black or navy blue teeth because of the large amount of colorant that needs to be used. The fondant is usually the easiest icing to achieve the “special design” the bride and groom have in mind. It also holds better while having to sit on a warm table for a few hours as opposed to the butter cream icing. It is also usually the most expensive, starting at $6.50 per serving and can be quite more based on the difficulty of the design you pick.
Two others worth mentioning:
If you are looking for a less formal look, you could also pick a chocolate ganache icing. For those who want a darker icing for their wedding cakes, icing made of chocolate ganache is where you’ll get the best taste for a dark color effect.
Or the Lady fingers look is also popular for a more country style cake, and it works well and looks really good with fabric ribbon and fresh flowers.
So remember, when it comes to wedding cakes, icing choices are important and it is the icing on the cake that will make your cake!
Since opening his doors in Pacific Grove back in1984, Gerard Bechler, Owner and Master Chef of Patisserie Bechler’s, has become known as “The Wedding Cake Expert.” Gerard has created over 5,000 beautiful, memorable and delicious wedding cakes for all size weddings. Located in Pacific Grove, CA, Patisserie Bechler’s is pleased and proud to be counted among the few French fine pastry shops in Central California and Monterey County. To find out more about Patisserie Bechler’s visit them at www.patisseriebechler.com
What’s all the Fuss about a Tiffany Boxes Wedding Cake
Not many of us don’t know that Tiffany is a famous jeweler, but more than that, the name is synonymous with style, immortalized by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The “Tiffany Blue” — a startling turquoise color — is a registered trademark and is the color of the “famous” Tiffany Boxes 
used for packaging their “goodies.”
Originally from the blue color of the Tiffany’s store boxes, the “Tiffany” style wedding cake has been quite popular for a few years and has been used by many celebrities during their weddings. Singer Toni Braxton was one of the first to mimic the look and color of the Tiffany Boxes as her wedding cake.
The Tiffany Boxes Wedding Cake is a simple look, yet elegant and sophisticated in the way of representing luxury. It represents the “something blue” from the old saying of “something new, something blue…” The key to an appropriately elegant Tiffany Box Wedding Cake is to keep the 
design simple. Tiffany jewelry is not ostentatious or outrageously elaborate; instead, the company relies on superior quality and clean, open lines to accentuate the beauty of its gems. A Tiffany Box style Wedding Cake then should be simple with decorative accents and flowers kept to a minimum. The minimalist design can still be elegant, however, and the resemblance to Tiffany jewelry boxes will be instantly recognizable.
The signature Tiffany blue box wrapped with a simple white ribbon is the ultimate inspiration for Tiffany Boxes Wedding Cakes. It is usually made of 3 or 4 square tiers, often offset, each looking as “gift boxes” and wrapped with a white bow around each box. Couples often pick this design because they like Tiffany’s gems, and each tier can be representative of a “Tiffany present moment,” the engagement ring, the wedding ring, the baby rattle…. The Tiffany Blue is very elegant and can easily be incorporated in lots of elements of the wedding reception 
including the invites, the wedding party favors, the fabrics & bridal party dresses.
To some, the Tiffany Blue Square Box Wedding Cake might seem overly simplistic. Aah… but there is much room for innovation and personalization while still maintaining that Tiffany style. For fun, we’ve included a few design options for Tiffany style wedding cakes throughout this article to help tweak your imagination.
We at Patisserie Bechler’s like to make the Tiffany style cakes as they always look elegant and pretty, and they do not have to cost anything near what is inside those little boxes do. Let your Baker know your budget and they can create something “Tiffany” for you that will work within your wedding dollars.
So, what is the answer to what’s all the fuss about a Tiffany Boxes Wedding Cake? It’s mostly about the Tiffany Blue color, but add to that their simplistic elegance and an element of surprise (what’s in the box?), and you have a winning “package.”
Since opening his doors in Pacific Grove back in1984, Gerard Bechler, Owner and Master Chef of Patisserie Bechler’s, has become known as “The Wedding Cake Expert.” Gerard has created over 5,000 beautiful, memorable and delicious wedding cakes for all size weddings. Located in Pacific Grove, CA, Patisserie Bechler’s is pleased and proud to be counted among the few French fine pastry shops in Central California and Monterey County. To find out more about Patisserie Bechler’s visit them at www.patisseriebechler.com
5 Tips for Getting the Wedding Cake you Really Want!
M
aster Pastry Chef, Gerard Bechler,owner of Patisserie Bechler in Pacific Grove, CA, has created more than 5,000 delicious and memorable wedding cakes over the past 25 years, and happily gave his top five tips for getting the cake your really want to Dorothy Maras-Ildiz (credentials listed below), who was seeking advice for wedding couples on a budget for her article in The Carmel Pine Cone (Monterey County, California). Here is what he said:
- Intricate design work requires more time and of course money to assemble. Bear in mind that a simple, elegant design will also help sweeten the bottom line of your budget.
- Many brides and grooms are opting to have a smaller ‘presentation cake’ that is used in photos and the ceremonial cake cutting. They also have simple backup cakes that are then cut up and served for guests out of sight along with the presentation cake. The ornate ‘presentation cake’ is usually about one-half the size of a full sized cake, thus reducing costs.
- Skip the groom’s cake. It is a tradition that is quickly falling by the wayside and is just one more added expenditure.
- Know your budget constraints when you speak with your baker. Pastry Chef Bechler stated with his trademark smile and a twinkle in his eye, “you cannot drive a Ferrari for the price of a Yugo.”
- The single most important factor is to pick a baker that you feel comfortable with and can communicate with. You should decide on who your baker will be at least six months in advance and put a deposit down to ‘save the date’ for your cake. Many bakers have limitations as to just how many wedding cakes they can execute on any given weekend, so while you’re reserving the reception site and finding the dress, make sure to take the same measures regarding your wedding cake.
If your wedding reception is going to be anywhere near the Monterey County area, be sure to look Gerard up at Patisserie Bechler.
Dorothy Maras-Ildiz — AIWF Board of Directors, Monterey Bay Chapter;Les Dames de Escoffier, member; Pebble Beach Food & Wine, Chef Liaision/Coordinator; Culinary Journalist/ Columnist