A Cake Education with Four Oaks Bakery
Kathryn Hyslop Photography
2020 is here, y’all! In order to finally finish this post, I had to publicly shame myself on Instagram to get my act together! The call of laziness in my off season is hard to ignore—even though I know I’m not lazy! Everyone deserves some downtime, and it’s nationals season, ya know? Before May hits, my goal was to blog once a month at minimum.
….IT’S JANUARY 28 GUYS! Let’s go.
So, onto our topic today: Wedding cakes! I love everything about them: Looking at them, eating them, posting them on my Instagram story. Not many wedding ‘musts’ are as universally loved as cake, but I quickly learned there’s a lot about cake that can ruffle feathers within the industry, like this sentence many couples say to me:
“We want a fake display cake, with one small real layer, and then we’ll buy a sheet cake from Costco or wherever to cut in the kitchen and serve guests.”
What’s wrong with that? It will give the photo opp of cutting a nicely decorated cake, and then feed all of your people…You’ll probably save a few bucks too, right? Wrong! Buying a sheet cake in addition to a fake custom cake in order to save money is a myth. I interviewed Emily Jobe, cake designer and owner of Four Oaks Bakery to educate me on this sheet cake controversy.
Meet Emily! Photo by LeeAnn Marie Photography
Can you break down exactly why having a fake display cake and then serving a sheet cake won't really save you much money?
I am not sure where the idea of having a ‘fake cake’ as a money saver originated from, but many wedding blogs and magazines continue to perpetuate the idea. The majority of the cost of a wedding cake is in the time, skill, and expertise of the cake designer. The cost of ingredients for the actual cake can vary according to quality, location, and type of ingredient, but when all is said and done, it’s still primarily sugar, butter, flour, and eggs.
When you compare the ingredient and time cost of making a real cake to the cost of a Styrofoam dummy of the same size, the difference is minimal. However, decorating the cakes takes the same amount of time, and sometimes it takes longer for a fake one! When you compare the total cost of a faux tier vs. a real cake tier, there really isn’t much of a difference at all to be considered a money saving strategy. Don’t forget you still have to buy the sheet cake to serve to your guests!
Are there any benefits of a fake cake vs. real?
I recommend faux tiers in a couple of situations:
Aesthetic: The couple wants the look of more tiers to their cake, despite not needing that many servings. Maybe they are having a smaller, more intimate wedding with a small guest list, or maybe the couple is offering other desserts to their guests (donuts, ice cream bar, pie, etc.). In these cases, they would not need a large number of cake servings, but, they love the look of a multi-tiered cake or want to give it more presence in the room. This is a perfect example of where it makes sense to add on faux tiers.
Three tiered blue cake with fresh white roses; Andria Zutich Photography; top 2 tiers are fake and bottom tier is real cake.
2. Timeline: Sometimes, it’s easier on the timeline for the served cake to come from kitchen cakes that the catering staff can cut and have ready to serve. Deconstructing and slicing a tiered cake can take a good deal of time, so it may make sense to have the displayed cake have one tier of actual cake that the couple can cut and then take home, and have the rest of the tiers as Styrofoam.
3. Cake as art: A third situation would be when the cake is highly detailed, or one of those extravagantly enormous cakes that we’ve all seen on Instagram. Using faux tiers would allow the cake designer to work on the display cake weeks in advance if needed, and then bake the kitchen cakes (to serve guests) and put the finishing touches on the cake in the days leading up to the wedding.
Do you get requests from couples who want a display-only cake?
I do occasionally get requests for a display fake cake only. I don’t do this, read why below. Most couples opt for an all real cake. If they do include faux tiers, it’s almost always because they wanted more tiers for the look, but didn’t need more cake.
Is there any less value/worth of a fake cake in your eyes?
No, not at all! It’s simply an option that may or may not be beneficial depending on the situation. The majority of my “fake” cakes are from styled shoots.
…So why don’t you accept orders for a big 'ol fake wedding cake?
Honestly, the thought of someone presenting a carefully crafted and decorated bespoke cake at their reception, but then serving sheet cake from a grocery store, other bakery, or big box store to their guests simply to save money makes me want to cry. I know how hard I have worked to perfect my recipes and techniques and the time that I put into each client and their cake design. I do not want my cake to be confused with a product from another business and visa versa.
Planner’s note: I am now fired UP over sheet cakes! It’s like Facetune for cakes. Guests think they’re getting one thing, but it’s FAAAAKE and couples are too embarrassed(???) to present the sheet, so they hide them in the kitchen lmao what the hell. I feel like a big social commentary on wedding expectations and Instagram is on the tip of my tongue. If you want that Insta-cake experience….pay for it?
Four tiered fondant cake with blue ruffles, silver and pearl details, and sugar flowers; Jen McKen Photography; real cake.
Four tiered ivory buttercream cake with gold monogram and fresh flowers; SkySight Photography; real cake.
Welp. I certainly learned a lot. Even when you think something as innocent as wedding cake can’t be controversial, here I am to ruin that for you! After reading Emily’s answers, I have a new appreciation and respect for not just her work, but all of the other wedding cake designers in our city. I can certainly relate to couples e-mailing me who don’t know or understand the why behind day of coordination—’we have most of the planning done!’ is a RED FLAG that they have no clue about the scope and worth of my services—and to be honest, that’s on us wedding vendors. We can all do a better job of educating our couples (and fellow vendors!) on the why, instead of rolling our eyes in snobbery.
…And if you’re completely clueless on the wedding cake ordering process, Emily even answered my basic AF questions! Read on.
To place a cake order, what information should the couple have ready for you?
The three most important pieces of information are date, venue, and number of servings, but any and all information is helpful: Samples of invitations, fabric swatches, pictures of gowns and other attire, etc. all give insight to the kind of day that they are wanting to create, which is important to know when designing the cake. Seeing pictures of cakes that they like, or even aspects that they like on a cake, is helpful in making sure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to cake style and design.
When is the ideal timeframe to order a wedding cake with Four Oaks Bakery?
For my business, the ideal timeframe would be 6 months- 1 year out from the date. I have limited availability from the start (2 cakes/month), so if you are interested in working with me, please reach out as soon as you know your date, venue, and approximate number of servings so we can see if we would be a good fit. May-October book up the fastest, so if your date is within those months, reach out closer to the year mark.