The Complete Guide To Wedding Cake Tasting

Indeed, wedding cake tasting is an exciting process, but it involves more than pleasing your sweet tooth.

A wedding cake gets the most attention of all the wedding foods. A tasteless salad may go unnoticed by the guests, but your cake will inevitably be discussed.

You should know how wedding cake tastings work and attend your appointment prepared to choose the right baker, cake flavor, and design.

Is Wedding Cake Tasting Necessary?

Wedding cake tasting is by no means mandatory – if your budget is limited or you already know which cake you want, you can skip it. However, it can be helpful even for brides who are sure about their preferred cake flavor.

Firstly, wedding cake tasting is fun – why would you refuse to try a dozen of different desserts in one day? Unless you’re losing weight for the wedding, of course (however, one day of indulgence won’t hurt your diet).

Secondly, even if you love carrot cake, a different flavor you have never tried may better suit your wedding. Who knows, perhaps, it will become your new favorite?

Lastly, wedding cake tasting isn’t only about choosing the flavor. It’s also necessary to discuss the cake size, design, and presentation. Furthermore, it’s a great chance to get to know your baker.

Do Your Research

Wedding cake tastings aren’t cheap – they require multiple hours of the baker and tasting assistant’s labor. Some bakeries will apply the tasting fee to the final receipt, while others charge a fixed price in advance.

Either way, you shouldn’t take wedding cake tasting lightly. Choose your bakeries wisely – ideally, you should only choose one, but this isn’t always simple.

Read reviews online, ask your sweet-tooth friends for recommendations, or attend local bakeries for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake with your S.O. to pick your favorites.

After narrowing down your bakery list, visit their websites or call them directly to ask about the tasting policies. Find out the tasting price, duration, and whether they can accommodate your special requests.

Most importantly, ask whether your wedding date isn’t already taken in your desired bakery. Even if the big day is far, popular bakeries often have everything booked for months in advance.

Set The Budget

Setting the budget is the only boring thing involved in wedding cake tasting. However, knowing your budget and being upfront about it with your baker is vital to ensure you get the best possible cake within your price range.

Hiding your budget only leads to regret. You will either go beyond your bottom line and have to compromise other wedding features or fall in love with a cake you can’t afford and leave upset.

Knowing the average wedding cake price can be of great help in planning your budget. The prices range from $1.50 to over $12 per slice.

Therefore, the wedding cake cost may vary from under $50 to over $500, depending on the guest count.

Have Some Ideas

You should come to the tasting prepared – learn about different wedding cake flavors and designs, discuss your preferences with your S.O., and save your favorite ideas on Pinterest (or write them down in your notebook).

If you love red velvet cake and can’t stand cheesecakes, be upfront about it to avoid wasting time and money. Be mindful of your partner’s preferences, too – if you have different opinions on carrot cake, better avoid it altogether.

Learn the pros and cons of buttercream and fondant frostings and think about your preferred type. Research trendy wedding cake designs, and take notes of the styles you like.

Consider your dream wedding cake look in every detail – decide whether you prefer sugar flowers or real blooms, rustic “naked” design or elaborate fondant work, and which colors will match your venue interior.

Your baker may have trouble offering you anything worthy if they have no idea about your vision and preferences. Therefore, trust your baker but be proactive.

Trust Your Baker

While you should stick with your preferences, stay open to suggestions. Your baker likely has been in the industry for a while. They know which cake flavors appeal to most people or which better suit your wedding season.

Even if you’re sure you want a cheesecake, the baker may offer you a flavor that will pleasantly surprise you and is better suitable for your wedding atmosphere.

After all, you haven’t tried every cake flavor in the world, and tasting is an excellent opportunity to learn about new flavors.

Sometimes, the baker’s suggestions are optional. In other cases, they are strictly practical, and neglecting them may lead to a catastrophe.

If your baker says that a buttercream wedding cake will melt at 98 degrees Fahrenheit, trust them and pick a different frosting.

Consider Allergies

Your wedding is your special day, and you’re free to choose any cake flavor you prefer. However, considering gest allergies and dietary restrictions when planning your wedding menu is basic etiquette.

No one should be left out at your reception, and what could be worse than watching everyone eat cake you can’t try?

You’ll likely be asking your guests about their allergies anyway when planning the main menu. Therefore, refer to that list when choosing your cake.

Don’t choose a peanut butter cake if your aunt has an allergy to peanuts, even if it isn’t your favorite aunt. Pick an alternative with a similar texture and taste that doesn’t contain the product.

If some of your guests are vegan, you may accommodate their diet, but it isn’t always possible. Not every bakery offers vegan wedding cake recipes, and even if they do, the price may be higher than that for regular cakes.

Remember that you should only accommodate dietary restrictions if the alternative fits your budget and preferences. If it doesn’t, consider offering an alternative dessert, for instance, cupcakes.

Timeline Matters

Don’t leave your wedding cake tasting until the last moment. The best bakeries are busy, and you may have to attend multiple appointments until you decide on the flavor, design, and presentation.

Ideally, book your appointment at least six months before the wedding, but only after the wedding theme, venue, date, guest list, and other major points are finalized.

You want to choose a cake that fits the overall wedding atmosphere and season to avoid making changes once everything is agreed upon and the contract is signed.

Tasting Tips

One of the most helpful wedding cake tasting tips you may get is not to attend your appointment before lunch. Everything tastes delicious when you’re hungry. Furthermore, sugar on an empty stomach may make you feel sick.

Have a snack beforehand but don’t overeat – you should have enough space for all the cakes. Remember to drink water during the tasting to improve your taste senses and stay hydrated while consuming all that sugar.

Try cake elements separately and in different combinations – this way, you can determine which parts could be changed to make the cake perfect. For instance, you may admire the sponge and cream but not like the frosting.

Note that a typical wedding cake tasting duration is about two hours, so plan accordingly. Be on time – that’s basic wedding cake tasting etiquette (frankly, it applies to every instance).

Avoid scheduling multiple tastings in one day. It may seem convenient, but in practice, you will only get overwhelmed and have difficulty deciding. Plus, you don’t want to fall into a sugar coma.

Consider taking notes. Different cakes may blend in one in your mind on the next day after the tasting, but notes will remain.

Bring your notes and pictures along to choose the perfect cake design quicker. You don’t have to decide on everything right on the spot, but the baker may advise which flavors are more suitable for your referred designs and the other way.

Lastly, limit your entourage. Ideally, bring only your partner along. Unlike the wedding dress, the cake is safe to see for your S.O. Voices of friends and parents will only distract you from making a decision.

Your guests may have any opinion of your wedding cake flavor and design – the only people it must appeal to are you and your partner.

Ask Important Questions

The most valuable advice you may get is – to ask the right questions. Find out the bakery’s standard slice size – if their idea of a portion is different from yours, you may need to get a larger or smaller cake than planned.

Ask whether your preferred cake won’t melt in hot weather if your wedding is in summer. An experienced baker will likely warn you if the cake is unsuitable for your wedding season, but double-checking is never excessive.

Don’t hesitate to ask your baker how you can fit your preferred cake flavor or design into your budget.

For example, if you really want a red velvet fondant cake but it’s too expensive, the baker may advise on a cheaper flavor or frosting.

Lastly, discuss the contract terms. Wedding cake tasting isn’t all fun and games – it involves some paperwork meant to protect the couple and the baker in the case of unforeseen circumstances.