No wedding cake? Lots of other option!

There is an article from the Post Bulletin today that I love – talks about wedding cake alternatives. Don’t get me wrong, I like cakes, but I love lots of deseert options more!

No (wedding) cake for me — alternatives are on the rise

5/26/2009 9:10:03 AM

By Holly Ebel

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

When Audrey Bakker and Jason LeVan get married July 11, there will be no wedding cake served at the reception. Instead, guests will be treated to Snicker’s ice cream bars.

Why no wedding cake? “Because I never have liked cake, even as a little girl,” says the future bride, a sixth grade teacher at Kellogg Middle School. “I figured with a July wedding it will probably be really hot and this will be a cool treat. My sister did the same thing a year ago for her wedding.”

Interestingly, Bakker is not alone in breaking the wedding cake tradition. Creative brides, caterers, bakers and wedding coordinators have come up with some great alternatives.

What has become very popular, says Cynthia Daube, owner of Daube’s Bakery in Rochester, are wedding cupcakes. While this is still a cake item, they are much smaller, beautifully decorated and wrapped so that guests can take them home.

Daube has also created a Sweet Table for receptions which include a wide variety of tarts and cheesecakes. “People really like to choose desserts and we always make sure there are many different ones,” she says.

What is really hot right now in other cities are French macaroons. “For a wedding, these are incredible,” Daube said. “They are made into a very fancy dessert sandwich. We hope to be able to offer these in the next few months.”

Deb Frederick of Deb Frederick Consulting and Design has been involved in the wedding planning of more than 500 area brides in the past 10 years and also has some suggestions. “Presentation of whatever dessert you have is important. You want that ‘wow’ factor in addition to having delicious things,” she says.

Pyramids are a good way to get that. When stacked, cream puffs filled with a variety of mousses, champagne flutes or wine glasses filled with tiramisu, chocolate mousse or fresh berries are impressive.

A very personal dessert are wedding pies baked by family members. Cream pies, for instance, can be dressed up with a layer of whipped cream and sprinkled with gold dust for an elegant touch. A cookie table is another option. Bakers can also make large sugar cookies decorated with the names of the bride and groom.

Different bars — not the alcoholic kind — also can be very creative, Frederick says. A chocolate bar is always popular, where everything from brownies to truffles to chocolate-covered fruits and a chocolate fountain are offered.

And who would not love a candy bar? Different small candies like mints and jelly beans are arranged in apothecary jars. “If you coordinate the color of the candies with the colors of the wedding it creates a great look,” Frederick says.

One of the most popular is the ice cream bar. Cold Stone Creamery offers these as well as specially-made ice cream cakes.

Lynn Peterson, one of the owners, says the bridal couple chooses the flavors they want, all made at the store. Each flavor comes in a 4-gallon pail and includes a variety of mix-ins like M&M’s, chocolate chips, crumbled cookies and sprinkles. Cold Stone also provides the serving bowls and spoons.

So is there an ice cream flavor that is most popular? Yes, Peterson says. For a no-cake wedding, the most popular flavor, surprisingly, is cake batter.

Associated Press/Allie and Bri Photography