As you may have noted in my previous wedding planing posts, I barely mentioned the cake! I wanted to save that special piece of gluten free goodness for it’s own post, because there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to deciding what you are going to do for a cake at your entirely gluten free wedding. There are a few obvious things about a gluten free wedding cake:
- Fondant isn’t often an option, as it contains gluten, so the cake will look different and be decorated differently than most wedding cakes.
- Gluten free flours aren’t as good at keeping things together so the cake will likely be smaller.
- They’ll require a lot of taste testing, regardless of where your cake comes from, BUT this is also the case with gluten filled cakes!
From my perspective there are four options you have when choosing a gluten free wedding cake:
Option 1. Substitute wedding cake for a more gluten free ‘friendly’ choice: For those that don’t want the hassle of choosing a gluten free cake, or are just in general concerned with how this might be interpreted by your gluten noshing guests or the flavor in general, this is the choice for you. Rather than a gluten free wedding cake you could do:
- Gluten Free cupcake tower: They are smaller, easier to make gluten free, and will keep their shape a bit better than a larger cake might.
- A ‘natural’ gluten free dessert: Think ice cream, fancy fruit cups, or a candy bar with gluten free items. This would avoid making a gluten free dessert all together.
- Another gluten free dessert other than cake: Offer your guests gluten free cookies, pastries, pies, or other products rather than slices of a large cake. This might take some creativity, but there won’t be a larger cake that might disappoint.
Option 2: Go with a cake from your catering hall or venue, if this is offered or is an option: This option requires a bit of trust in the catering hall on your end, specifically in their ability to work with gluten free flours and create a cake that is not only gluten free but delicious. It is also easiest if you are confident in their abilities, as there is no transportation needed and no extra charge for the cake if it’s included in your contract with the catering hall or venue.
Option 3: Make your own cake: Notably the most difficult option, this is a good one for those type A personalities who want to take control into their own hands and don’t trust anyone else with their prized wedding cake. While it’s not always a bad thing to act like this, wedding planning already comes with plenty of decision and tasks that fall on your hands and the cake doesn’t necessarily need to be something you do yourself. It can be an added burden, but if it lessens your stress to know exactly where you cake came from them go for it. Just be ready to be reading up on how to make a durable and delicious cake. Option 4: Find a dedicated gluten free bakery and have them make your cake: This is the best option if you want to maintain the traditional wedding cake ‘style’ while not giving yourself added work to do or compromising flavor. For this, you want to turn to the internet, friends, apps, and other means of finding the local dedicated gluten free bakeries. Take a look at their reviews, make some calls, and have some tastings before making a decision about what’s bakery you want to go with.
Mike and I went with options 4, finding a dedicated gluten free bakery to make our cake. We had a design in mind as to what we wanted out cake to look like. Our wedding was rustic winter themed, with an emphasis on pine and pine cones, lavender, birch, and that beautiful deep dark blue color that the sky is right before sunset in the winter. We wanted all of that incorporated into our cake. We didn’t so much have a flavor in mind. We called around to several dedicated gluten free bakeries, or bakeries that had experience with gluten free cakes. After much discussion we taste tested our top 2 and decided on a cake from Bare Naked Bakery and Cafe. The final product was a whimsical tree themed three tier cake (that was just a tad bit lopsided) and sheet cake that was gluten, dairy, and nut free. It was Strawberry Shortcake flavored, and an instant hit with our guests! I am not sure how it will hold up in the freezer until our one year anniversary, but it was delicious the day of!
Celtic Celiac @ http://celtic-celiac.blogspot.com/