Merry Christmas!!!! Just found out today that my daughter is getting married on Wednesday of this week. Talk about stress factor! I would like to know if there is a simple wedding cake recipe out in the world with tasful decorating that I can do myself. (no money, if ;you get my drift at this time). Anyway all ideas would be appreciated and I thank you in advance. Evelyn

-- evelyn (leaves8@hotmail.com), December 25, 2000

Answers

Wow, that is really cutting it short! I have seen some very pretty cakes done up using flowers for decorations (real or fake). Just a simple white cake, with maybe the bride and groom thingy on top and surrouned by flowers on the edges and sides. Shouldn't be hard to come up with a neat theme and colors, during the holiday season. When my dh and I married (December wedding also) we had a cake done with poinsettias. Used poinsettias for most of the flowers at the ceremony at church, and at the reception had a red punch bowl, red candles with Christmas greenery, etc. Made for a pretty wedding (pictures were great) with not much money put out.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), December 25, 2000.

I've got no help for you on the cake......but I'd give your daughter a good spanking!

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), December 25, 2000.

I don't like white cake. BUT I did have a good one, once (and it WAS a wedding cake). The layers had been split, and spread with raspberry jam (probably seedless would be best), and put back together. I can't remember if the layers were held together with more jam, or if there was frosting there. I guess you could do either. If you aren't set on white cake, a yellow cake with either apricot jam or orange marmalade would be delicious, and then a fluffy white frosting.

Do you know how to make a heart-shaped cake? You need enough batter for TWO cakes (this will make a two-layer cake) and two square pans and two round pans. The diameter of the round pans must be the same as the measurement of one side of the square. Bake your cake layers, two square and two round, cool, etc. Cut the round cakes in half (not split, cut through them from side to side). Dab a little frosting on two sides of a square layer, then stick the cut edges of the round layer to it -- voila! a heart. Repeat for a second layer. This also has the advantage of feeding twice as many people.

Another very attractive and yummy cake is a Della Robia wreath cake (angel food). Bake an angel food cake as usual. When it is cool, cut it into slices and carefully reform it to the proper shape (this way, you can just stick a server under a slice and lift it out). Frost with Dream Whip (my choice) or Cool Whip. Drain and pat dry canned fruit to decorate the top -- apricot halves (choose the firmest), maraschino cherries, pineapple chunks (can cut these smaller or cut up pineapple rings). Also red and/or green seedless grapes sliced in half and pecan halves. If you are uncertain about how the top will look, you can do a "practice" layout on a plate of similar size, then carefully transfer the fruit to the top of the cake. This cake should be kept refrigerated until shortly before serving (it can sit out awhile, but put it back in if there are leftovers).

Another decorating idea would be just a very few fresh flowers, probably white would be best.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), December 25, 2000.

If you have the Fanny Farmer cookbook, there are good recipes in there...and didn't someone on another thread say that that book was on line? I think so. Run a search on GOOGLE or Metacrawler anyway.

A pioneering cookbook I have recounts that originally in the old west, each wedding guest brought one cake layer, and all the layers were put together with applesauce inbetween, or whipping cream. The popularity of the bride was judged on how many layers were in her stack, or how many stacks there were. (just for interest...)

On Joy's recollection, the raspberry filling was more than just jam I believe --I think that they had used a rather stiff cornstarch base that the jam was cooked into, cooled, and spread. The frosting was a light buttercream one that may have been mixed in with whipping cream, it's been so long that my memory of it is a little hazy. Again, Fanny Farmer's recipe for Lady Baltimore cake would likely be divine.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), December 26, 2000.