We Were Mentioned on the Wilton Website

I am excited to share a link to an article on the Wilton website in which my cutting method was mentioned.  Take a look!

http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=175454 

Thanks to my Cake Central friend (www.cakecentral.com), "Apti" for writing the article and sharing it with me!

On-Table Storage

The last blog showed a beautiful cake on an elegant silver plateau.  This plateau not only adds to the decor of the cake table and makes a smaller cake taller, but there is a hidden advantage to it.

Out of sight storage.

This view, from behind the cake table, shows you where I stored my cake cutting comb, my cake cutting knife - you can see the white handle on the right side - and extra napkins.

(Just a note to point out the knife I use to cut and serve the cake is not the same knife used by the bride and groom for their first cake cutting.)

I am not one of those "cake ladies" who whisks the cake into a back room for it to be cut in secret, out of sight from the guests.  In 30 years of cutting cakes, I have found guests enjoy watching the dismantling and cutting of the cake.  My highest compliment was a woman who came over to me and said, "I told my husband, 'You can tell she's done this for a few years!' It was fun just watching you!"  Since I do everything right there, I need everything handy and ready to go, but out of sight from the inquiring lens of the photographer's camera.

Before the cake cutting ceremony, I make sure everything is ready.  All of my tools are available but out of sight, hidden in my "secret" hiding place, the bride's knife is in place, a plate is available for the couple to place their first piece of cake, napkins are handy for them to clean their hands, and I have two cups of water close by so they can take a sip afterward.

In the last blog, I showed how the front of the silver stand is softened with the greenery.  In this blog, the back of the silver stand becomes my storage area and the bride and groom are assured of nice photos of a clean cake table!

How to Cut a Wedding Cake

Cutting a wedding cake can make even the bravest person quiver in their shoes. It's really not that hard. If you do it right.

Many cake charts show what I refer to as "The Dreaded Circle Method" of cutting a cake. I've not yet met someone who can cut a good circle with a knife and I find this method just messy and inefficient.

I've been cutting cakes for 30 years and I can cut and serve a cake for 200 in under 15 minutes .... in less time if I have a helper.

Here are some step-by-step photos of how to cut a wedding cake. This method can be used on round or square cakes and coordinates with the Wilton Wedding Cake Serving Chart servings, based on an industry standard 1x2x4" dessert sized piece of cake.




First, I disassemble the entire cake so I can cut the largest tier first. Why? Because if there is any cake leftover, it will be the smaller, easier to store, tiers that will fit in your freezer instead of a partial big cake that won't fit anywhere.

Then cut a 2" strip of cake down the side.



This part is optional, but easy. When pushing the knife down on the icing part of the cake, this can cause a "squishing" effect and some of the filling can be pushed out, creating a messy piece of cake to serve to your guests.


Using a gloved hand (or I highly recommend the cake cutting comb as shown in the photo) and the knife, gently lay the 2" strip on it's side. It won't fall apart, I promise. I do it all the time. And it really helps eliminate the "squishing" effect.




The easy part.... just begin cutting the 2" strip into 1" pieces.

Helpful hint: Did you know that if you bend your thumb, the distance between the bent knuckle and the end of your base nail is about one inch? So you always have a ruler handy to know how wide one inch is!!







Using a cake cutting comb or a gloved hand is a sanitary way to move the cut pieces of cake to the serving plate. Less messy, too!





Many decorators and venues have emailed me from across the country to let me know they've printed out these photos and left them on the cake table so those cutting the wedding cake will know how to do it. It is extra helpful when a bride has family cutting the cake rather than a professional caterer (and I've even met caterers who have confessed, "We don't know how to cut a wedding cake!"). So feel free to link to this page or print it out for your brides to help them ensure a smooth cake cutting at their event!

Debi can be reached at capricorn011959@hotmail.com





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When Do We Cut the Wedding Cake?

This question should be asked more often. Let us share some of our observations.

The time-line we frequently see is not the one we'd recommend because we find it inconsiderate of your guests. (And you’ll find I’ll use the word “inconsiderate” quite a few times in this article. To me, it’s the ultimate sin of a bridal couple when they are hosting their post-wedding celebration.) The couple tends to serve the meal to the guests, have the toasts, the first dance, the "this", the "that" and FINALLY, about 30 minutes before they leave for the night, they will remember they have a pretty ornate cake they need to cut and allow it to be served to their guests.

But what has happened is many of their guests have already left. The couple ends up with a lot of cake left over, and some guests who left disappointed because they didn't have the opportunity to share in the couple's wedding cake celebration. Guests are gossiping about the rude Bridezilla who never got around to serving them cake, and the bride is crying because “….the bakery sold me too much cake!”

When I said “be considerate of your guests”, that means you should recognize that not all of your guests are young, vigorous, and energetic. The older guests don’t stay out late and party-hardy anymore. They prefer to go home earlier in the evening. Guests who have small children, who are getting tired, bored and irritable, will want to take them home to put them to bed (and if the kids are getting grouchy, you’ll WANT them to go home early!). Other guests may have a babysitter who they need to get home before it gets too late.

Let us also point out that your wedding cake is the only thing at your reception that is designated "wedding". To many guests, the cake IS the reception. Your DJ's music isn't "wedding" music (you had that at the church), your food isn't "wedding chicken" or "wedding salad". But your cake is "wedding cake" and the only place to get it is at a wedding.

To time it so that many of your guests have to leave before they share in the cake cutting ceremony (and it IS a ceremony...as much a part of your celebration as the Best Man's Toast, the First Dance, etc.), is very inconsiderate (dare we say “rude”?) to your guests. Not to mention that you paid for 200 servings but ended up only using 75 (yes, we've seen it happen!)

I had one groom who wanted to order only 75 servings of cake for his 150 guests because “…..you always have a lot of cake leftover ‘coz no one eats it.”

I said, “No. There’s a lot of cake left over because it was cut too late in the evening and there was no one LEFT to eat it.”

What we recommend to our brides (and trust me, most (if not all) of the wedding plannesr, magazines and wedding websites will totally disagree with me, but I'm not concerned with their opinion ... I'm concerned about your guests):

Shortly after you arrive and before the meal is served, do the official cake cutting photo with your photographer. Since the cake cutting ceremony is traditionally the first "meal" shared by man and wife, it is logical that they share this special bite of cake before they open their buffet.

The cake-cutting event is now taken care of and out of the way. The couple can sit back and enjoy their family and friends and not have to worry about yet one more thing that they have to do. Your caterer is able to cut the wedding cake after the meal, when he/she sees that your guests are ready for dessert.

This can save you money in photographer time, also. If your photographer charges you for flat time (i.e. 4 hours), then you want to eliminate any reason to keep him for "overtime".

So please, as you plan the timeline of your reception, think about your guests and how much they are looking forward to a taste of your luscious wedding cake. Time it so everyone can enjoy it and serve it at the end of the MEAL, when dessert is supposed to be eaten.

It serves HOW many?

It’s so funny to watch someone’s face when I tell them an 8” round cake will serve 24 people. But then I continue to explain that a wedding cake is cut into rectangle, dessert size servings …. Not the big pie-shaped wedged pieces that we cut for ourselves at home, to be devoured with a big glass of milk, curled up in front of the late show on the couch in the dark (because if we eat cake in the dark, the calories don’t’ count!)

Wedding cakes are sold by the serving, and the serving is based on a 1x2x4” slice of cake. This is about the size of a folded over peanut butter sandwich. Here is the Wilton Wedding Cake serving chart that the majority of us go by: http://www.wilton.com/wedding/wedding-cakes/wedding-cake-data.cfm

Most people hear “one inch” and they think “paper thin”. It’s not. Here is a photo of wedding cake servings, 1x2x4: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/1850415214/ It’s a nice dessert-size piece of cake.

How do you cut a wedding cake? Many cake-cutting charts will show (what I refer to as “The Dreaded”) circle method. I’ve cut mine in a simpler, easier method for 30 years. Here’s a step by step on how to cut a wedding cake: http://www.cateritsimple.com/id10.html. If a professional caterer is not cutting your cake (and ask them if they know how …. many caterers are great with food, but they haven’t the slightest idea how to cut a wedding cake. That’s surprising information to many, but I swear it’s true), then do what many brides do …. print out this page and leave it on the cake table as a guide for their cake cutter. Many of my cake designer friends across the country have told me they see this page laying on the cake table when they deliver the cake, so I know it’s being used from Maryland to California!

This size of cake serving works perfect for a wedding reception. Remember, cake is a dessert, not a meal. Many people will frequently ask me to cut them a smaller piece at the reception. But if your family tends to eat like Jethro Bodine, you should talk to your cake maker and probably order a slightly bigger cake!

Debi Brim can be reached via email at info@cateritsimple.com