How to Make a Wedding Cake Part 3

How to Make a Wedding Cake - Part 3

The Most Popular Icings and Fillings for Wedding Cakes

Part 1:What You Need for the Cake Baking, Frosting and Decorating

Part 2: Steps to Creating, assembling and Decorating Your Cake

Part 3: The Most Popular icings and Fillings  for wedding cakes

Part 4: The Most Popular Wedding Cakes and Fillings

Types of Popular Icings for Wedding Cakes:

Basic Butter Cream, Snow-White Butter Cream, These variations of the Butter Cream frosting that can be refrigerated in airtight container for 2 weeks, tastes good, with their sweet and buttery flavor. and are very versatile. Depending on the amount of corn syrup or sugar added all variations of butter cream icing can vary from a thin-to-a stiff consistency, yet flowers and other decorations remain soft enough to be cut with a knife. Coloring blends well with Butter cream frosting, however, most colors deepen upon setting. Some colors may fade if they are placed in bright light. Butter cream frosting lends itself for smooth icing, as well as for pretty borders, and writing. As well as for most decorations including roses, drop flowers, sweet peas and of course piping.

Whipped Icing Mix that is store bought, has a light and delicate vanilla flavor and yields any light or dark color of your choice. It has a perfectly, velvety consistency and holds its shape better than most other frostings. For chocolate icing, just add 1/2 cup of sifted cocoa powder. It lends itself to decorating everything from topping pies, puddings, and tarts to cakes, petit fours, cookies and other baked goods. with flowers borders, garlands and piped writing. Icing can be refrigerated in an airtight container. Iced cake can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days. 

White wedding cake frosting

• 2 lbs. unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 5 egg whites at room temperature
• vanilla to taste
• optional: pinch of salt

1. Be patient. It will take a while for the mixture to go from looking somewhat curdled to becoming very smooth and creamy.
2. Whip the butter until it is light and fluffy as possible,
3. Add vanilla.
4. Place the water and sugar into a pot and cook on medium heat until the temperature reaches 238 degrees.
5. Whip the egg whites in a clean, grease free bowl with clean grease free beaters.
6. Whip until soft peaks form.
7. While mixing, add the hot syrup to the whipped egg whites, slowly. Mix the egg whites and syrup until the egg whites are shiny, the peaks are firmer and the consistency is that of marshmallow.
8. To incorporate the butter into the egg white/sugar mixture, add chunks or whipped butter that is room temperature to the egg whites and sugar.

Decorator Frosting -

Basic recipe by Marjorie Geddes

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of shortening
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of water
• powdered sugar

1. Mix flour and shortening till fluffy
2. Add salt.
3. Add water a little at a time mixing after each addition.
4. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until you get the desired consistency.

Royal Icing

Royal Icing that can be in airtight, grease-free container at room temperature for 2 weeks, tastes good, with its sweet flavor and is very versatile. Depending on the amount of water added it can vary from a thin-to-a stiff consistency. Flowers and other decorations .dry candy-hard. Coloring blends well with Royal Icing frosting, requires more icing color than butter cream to achieve the same intensity and it yields deep colors,  however some colors may fade if they are placed in bright light. Working with Royal Icing frosting, require that .bowls and utensils be totally grease-free.and that  icing be covered with a damp cloth at all times to keep it from drying and crusting.

Royal Icing –made with  egg whites - Basic Recipe

• 3 egg whites
• 7 Tablespoon water
• Appx. 7 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Beat together water and egg whites.
2. Sift together powdered sugar and cream of tartar.
3. Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl.
4. Beat 7 to 10 minutes or until icing holds a strong peak.
5. Note: The exact amount of sugar needed depends on the size of the egg whites and on  the moisture content of the powdered sugar you use.

Rolled Fondant

Rolled Fondant is the most popular icing for wedding cakes. Whether it is homemade or store bought, it has a dough-like consistency that needs to be kneaded and rolled out before it can be applied to a cake. You need to knead in flavor and from pastels to deep hue of the colors of your choice. Rolled Fondant icing that covers cakes with a perfectly smooth and satiny iced surface, does not harden but stays semi-soft on cakes. It is most appropriate for firm textured cakes, and can be cut, molded and shaped to create decorations. Prior to applying fondant, the cake should be lightly covered with a glaze or butter cream icing to seal in freshness and moisture. Excess icing can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Iced cake can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days. 

Quick Pour Fondant Icing

Quick Pour Fondant Icing that has to be used immediately, yields pastel colors, and is very sweet. It pours and dries to a semi-hard, with perfectly smooth, shiny and satiny iced surface that seals in freshness. Quick-Pour Fondant covers cakes as well as petit fours, cookies and other baked goods. Prior to applying fondant, the cake should be lightly covered with a glaze or butter cream icing to seal in freshness and moisture. Excess fondant may be refrigerated, reheated and poured again.

Uncooked Fondant - Basic Recipe

• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 1/3 cup corn syrup

Mix all ingredients together and kneead.

 Easy Cream Cheese Icing

• 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 6 Tablespoons sweet butter at room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.
2. Slowly sift in the confectioners' sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. ixture should be free of lumps.
3. Stir in vanilla and lemon

Most Popular Fillings for Wedding Cake

Note: Sprinkle your favorite liqueur on the cake layer before placing the filling adds moistness and flavor to the cake.

Custard and pastry cream is a filling made with milk and eggs. This delicious filling will not hold well in warm temperatures such as an outdoors summer wedding but is a good choice if chilled until ready to serve or weddings held in venues that are temperature controlled.

• quart whole milk
• 8 oz. sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoon or so of vanilla, or another flavoring
• 4 whole eggs
• 1tbsp. corn starch
• 1tbsp unsalted butter

1. In a heavy saucepan cook milk, half the sugar, salt and vanilla, or the flavoring of your choice until just below boiling.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, corn starch and the remaining half of the sugar.
3. Slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and quickly, until the mixture comes to a boil,
5. Boil until the mixture became very thick.  
6. Whisk vigorously  
7. Remove from heat and strain the very thick mixture into a clean grease free bowl. 
8. Stir in the butter and  flavorings until the butter is melted.
9. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with saran wrap and chill.
10. Note: Hazelnut cream filling,  Rum cream filling, Liqueur and Grand Marnier have become very popular.

Chocolate pastry cream, While it is still warm, strain the finished cream  over about 8 ounces of grated bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely incorporated and the mixture is satiny smooth.  White chocolate can also be used and is a good choice for coloring. Note that when chilled, chocolate pastry cream is a bit firmer than plain pastry cream.

Ganache and chocolate Ganache This delectable filling is made from corn syrup or butter, heavy cream and rich,white, milk  or dark chocolate. The ganache consistency and texture varies by the proportion of chocolate and temperature used. Though it will not hold well in warm temperatures such as an outdoors summer wedding, it is versatile and is a good choice if chilled until ready to serve or weddings held in venues that are temperature controlled.

• Increase the cream and when chilled, it can be whipped like cream.
• 1 part cream to 1 part chocolate yields filling. Chilled and whipped with a stand mixer until light and fluffy it is used as a cake filling and/or frosting.
• 1 part cream to 2 parts chocolate yields truffle. Chilled and scooped or cut, it makes traditional truffle centers.
• 1 part cream to 3 parts chocolate yields a glaze that when poured warm over a cake results in a thin glaze. It can also be poured warm over ice cream.

Mousses or Mousselines that is often used as an alternative to butter cream is a rich but light filling. It can be flavored with various components including fruits or liqueurs, and must be served chilled.  is very flavor versatile. Some ideas are:

• Fruit: Raspberry Mousse, Strawberry Mousse, Mango Mousse,Passion Fruit Mousse
• Chocolate:  Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Orange Mousse, Chocolate Raspberry Mousse
• White Chocolate Mousse
• Nuts: Peanut Butter Mousse,Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
• Coffee:Coffee Mousse,Espresso Mousse
• Caramel Mousse

Fresh Fruit is wonderful way to complement any wedding cake as the fruit can be used in between the layers as well as decorate the cake.
Fruit jams and jellies: the perfect companion for sponge or pound cake base wedding cakes.

Fun additions:Toffee Pieces, Candied or Chocolate-covered Nuts, Chocolate Bits, Cinnamon Chips,Toasted Coconut

Wedding Cake Filling Flavor Include:

• Fruit: Lemon, Raspberry, Strawberry, Peach, Apricot, Pineapple, Banana Cream, Mango, Passion Fruit
• Nuts: Coconut, Coconut-Pecan, Almond Crunch, Almond, Hazelnut
  
• Mousse: Chocolate, Raspberry, 
• Custard
• Bavarian Cream
• Butter Cream: Vanilla, Chocolate, White Chocolate, Coffee, Caramel
• Vanilla
• Chocolate:  Butter Cream, Truffle Filling, Pastry Cream, fudge, Mousse, German Chocolate.
• Coffee: Butter Cream, Truffle Filling, Pastry Cream, Mocha, Cappuccino
• Caramel
• Cream Cheese
• Grand Marnier
• Champagne

Liqueurs:

• Kahlua
• Framboise
• Grand Marnier
• Frangelico
• Amaretto

Most Popular Wedding Cakes:

Vanilla almond is the traditional wedding cake flavor. This is the simple white cake that has been used for centuries. Vanilla is a moister version.

Other common wedding cake flavors include:

• Variations of White such as Plain, Vanilla, or Almond
• Variations of Chocolate such as Devil's Food, Chocolate Fudge or Double Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut, Chocolate Moca Spice or Chocolate Mousse
• Marble Swirl
• Variations of Fruit such as Citron Chiffon, Fruitcake, Banana, Strawberry, Raspberry, Orange, Lemon
  
• Carrot: Traditional Carrot cake also Carrot Spice Cake
  
• Cheese Cake
  
• Italian Rum cake
• Spice cake
  
• Red Velvet cake
• Champagne cake
• Orange Chiffon Cake

 Some of the most requested flavor combinations:

• Champagne cake with apricot preserves.
• Chocolate Cake: with chocolate mousse and raspberry preserves OR with dark chocolate mousse OR with white chocolate and caramel mousse layers .
• Vanilla cake with vanilla custard and fresh strawberries.
• carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
• Orange Chiffon Cake with Vanilla Bavarian Cream Custard