As wedding season is in full swing for 2010 and bookings are starting for 2011, there are lots of articles on how to save money on your wedding. Some of these offer legitimate advice. However, there are some that are ridiculous and I want to call up the editor and ask if they did ANY research. With that said I hope to explain why wedding cakes cost more than a grocery store sheet cake.
You want your gluten free wedding cake fresh and baked with the very best ingredients, correct? You'll also want it to be stunning and beautiful as it will be the centerpiece of dance floor that everyone will see. You probably believe that everyone who hears the word "wedding" or “specialty ingredients” triples the price on you. This is not true at all for Diamond Baking Co.! Would you think twice of paying $5 to $7 for a slice of gluten free chocolate lava cake at a restaurant? So, why would you expect fresh baked gluten free cake made with organic, local ingredients, delivered and set up to your reception location without a worry to you to cost any less? It takes a lot to make a gluten free cake that deserves a top spot at your reception! In fact, it takes a minimum of 8 hours for a wedding cake. No joke!
Here's what goes into a typical gluten free wedding cake:
Let's start at the beginning...Before any baking and decorating happens, there is a free tasting. A tasting involves several kinds of cake (about $35.00 worth of ingredients in your samples) and sometimes up to three hours of time. After the meeting, there is more discussion of design and sketching, emails back and forth, etc.
In preparation for making the gluten free cake, I need to make sure any special ingredients are on hand as well as any special decorations. This means buying fresh ingredients, if needed, and supports for the cake (sometimes requiring a trip to the local hardware store). How do you think the cake stays upright?
Then comes the baking of the gluten free cake layers (there are 4 cake layers in each tier of cake) – with pounds of gluten free flours, fresh organic, local eggs, the finest vanilla, organic rice milk, etc. After the layers are baked, they need to cool and settle. We’re at a high altitude, so the cakes need time to compress so you don’t end up with that ugly bulge in the middle of the layers. They do their thing overnight while wrapped tightly in plastic wrap to seal the moisture in.
Next the fresh buttercream is made with real butter for frosting your cake. That's butter, sugar (4 pounds of each per batch), vanilla and a good while of listening to the mixer whip it up to the perfect consistency. Next, comes putting the gluten free cake layers together and frosting it smooth. The layers can then be stacked into tiers with supports cut to match the cake height. These keep your cake from toppling over, leaning over or the worst – collapsing from the weight of all the ingredients! Lastly, all of the details get piped or placed onto the cake to create the finished masterpiece.
Let's start at the beginning...Before any baking and decorating happens, there is a free tasting. A tasting involves several kinds of cake (about $35.00 worth of ingredients in your samples) and sometimes up to three hours of time. After the meeting, there is more discussion of design and sketching, emails back and forth, etc.
In preparation for making the gluten free cake, I need to make sure any special ingredients are on hand as well as any special decorations. This means buying fresh ingredients, if needed, and supports for the cake (sometimes requiring a trip to the local hardware store). How do you think the cake stays upright?
Then comes the baking of the gluten free cake layers (there are 4 cake layers in each tier of cake) – with pounds of gluten free flours, fresh organic, local eggs, the finest vanilla, organic rice milk, etc. After the layers are baked, they need to cool and settle. We’re at a high altitude, so the cakes need time to compress so you don’t end up with that ugly bulge in the middle of the layers. They do their thing overnight while wrapped tightly in plastic wrap to seal the moisture in.
Next the fresh buttercream is made with real butter for frosting your cake. That's butter, sugar (4 pounds of each per batch), vanilla and a good while of listening to the mixer whip it up to the perfect consistency. Next, comes putting the gluten free cake layers together and frosting it smooth. The layers can then be stacked into tiers with supports cut to match the cake height. These keep your cake from toppling over, leaning over or the worst – collapsing from the weight of all the ingredients! Lastly, all of the details get piped or placed onto the cake to create the finished masterpiece.
So now it’s finally ready to be on the move! Keep in mind the stress of driving a cake a distance from our kitchen and making sure it stays safe in the vehicle with plenty of air conditioning for those summer weddings! The cake is delivered to your venue and set up on site. Then the final touches get added - delicate decorations or fresh flowers, provided by your florist. Now you get to come into your reception location and be awed by it! This means we’ve done our job right!
I hope this helps to explain all that goes into the creation of a gluten free wedding cake. It has become such an important and expected part of a wedding and sharing a piece with your new partner symbolizes the beginning of great things to come. Imagine the smile the photos of this magical moment will create for years to come as you reminisce. Plus, how great does a gluten free cake of your favorite flavor or possibly flavors sound?? Yeah, it sounds fabulous!
Don’t forget here at Diamond Baking Co., EVERYONE can have their cake and eat it too!



