Deciding Between Real and Faux: The Art of Crafting Wedding Cakes

Planning a wedding involves a myriad of decisions, and one of the sweetest choices you'll make is selecting your wedding cake. However, beyond the flavors and design, couples often face the dilemma of whether to create a real or faux cake. The decision hinges on various factors, each contributing to the overall vision of your dream wedding. Let's delve into how bakers help you decide whether your wedding cake should be real, faux, or a combination of both. 

First we have to answer, is if Styrofoam is Accessible: When styrofoam is readily available and manufactured in-state, bakers might opt for a faux cake. This brings the cost of your cake down while providing the illusion of a towering, multi-tiered masterpiece without the need for an excessive amount of actual cake. Faux cakes are particularly useful for large weddings where serving a real cake to all guests might be impractical. The outer layer is intricately decorated to match the theme, and only a portion of the cake is edible, typically in the form of a hidden kitchen cake served from the kitchen.

In the situations when Styrofoam is NOT Accessible: Your baker may suggest simply doing a real cake as shipping styrofoam, hoping they do not arrive warped and baking a cake is of the same cost. The couple will be paying the same amount for both real and faux. Unless you want a towering tiered cake without wasting cake slices, selecting a real cake on all tiers is recommended. The cake in the photo above is all faux.

A Combination of Real and Faux: Bakers often find a compromise by creating a combination of real and faux tiers. This approach allows couples to have a stunning, multi-tiered display while still providing enough real cake to serve a significant portion of the guests. The bottom tiers, where support is crucial, might be faux, while the upper tiers are real and delicious. This strategy strikes a balance between visual impact and practicality, ensuring that your wedding cake is both a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. This option is for couples looking to make a statement with their wedding cake, opting for a grand gesture cake might be the perfect choice. This involves creating an awe-inspiring, extravagant cake that serves as a centerpiece for the entire event. These towering creations often incorporate both real and faux elements, allowing bakers to showcase their artistic prowess while still providing enough cake for a ceremonial cutting. Grand gesture cakes are more about the visual spectacle than the quantity of cake served, making them a popular choice for couples who want to leave a lasting impression. Take note, ladies and gentlemen, a combination of real and faux does is not equivalent to a more economical price. It only prevents the waste of having too much cake. It takes the same amount of work to cover and design a styrofoam cake and a real cake. The cake in the photo above is  faux on top of the cake separator and real on the bottom. Having faux cake in top help with transport, and stability just in case one of the guests bump the table.

Let's also remember that the same labor of love and creative skills are applied to both faux and real cakes. Having a faux cake does not mean the decorators will apply less of their abilities. The only savings couples usually get from going for the faux cake is ease of logistics, transportation and added heights without too much wasted cake. Couples will still need enough cake to serve the entire party too, so trying to skimp out on servings is not savings in the end.

The decision between real and faux wedding cakes is a nuanced one that depends on factors like accessibility to materials, the scale of the wedding, and the desire for a grand visual impact. Bakers work closely with couples to understand their vision, ensuring that the chosen cake reflects both the aesthetic and practical considerations for a sweet and memorable celebration. I would trust the bakers, ask them for their advise. Us members to the event industry know what we are doing and have had enough trauma from past experiences to give couples solid advice.