# Wedding guests: how much do you care about the cake? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 23, 2007, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349 "2007-02-23T08:38:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/61 "2007-02-24T00:48:40Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny] IAs for keepsake pieces of cake, which you are supposed to take to those who couldn’t attend, I think that’s very strange. And even worse is the idea of saving a piece in a tin on the shelf in your closet. [/QUOTE] No, you sleep with the cake under your pillow that night and dream of your future husband. (Yikes. Whence that bit of folklore, which I haven’t thought about in 40 years?) ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/62 "2007-02-24T01:24:22Z")
[QUOTE=romansperson] You don’t have to get a cake at all if you don’t want to. There’s nothing at all wrong with having something else for dessert at a wedding - a friend of mine does wedding cakes for a living, and she’ll also do cupcakes, which are awesomely delicious and can be made in several flavors to suit the individual tastes of the guests [/QUOTE] That’s what one of my co-workers did for hers a few summers ago, and they were a big hit. ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/63 "2007-02-24T01:38:52Z")
[QUOTE=nashiitashii] [Love never dies!](http://www.designsbydorian.com/Dorian/images/Skeletons_Topper_2Fr.jpg)😃 [/QUOTE] Sure. Why not make Grandma nauseous? ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/64 "2007-02-24T02:23:31Z")
[QUOTE=Quiddity Glomfuster] Sure. Why not make Grandma nauseous? [/QUOTE] I wasn’t necessarily suggesting them, but going along with the theme of skeleton cake toppers. And, well, if my grandmothers were alive, they wouldn’t be so delicate as to be nauseated by that. Either way, the way the cake tastes matters more than what it looks like in the long run. Nasty cake is nasty regardless of whether it is pretty or malformed. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/65 "2007-02-24T03:41:46Z")
I guess I’m one of the few, the proud, the wedding cake lovers. It’s one of the things I make sure I take pictures of at each wedding I go to. Eating it is not so big a thrill, but it’s all good. I worked at two huge bridal fairs recently, and spent most of my breaks walking around looking at the amazing things that are showing up on and in wedding cakes these days. And **Elysian**? I was very rebellious at my wedding back in 1979 and insisted on two layers of spice cake and two layers of white (to appease the traditionalists), and colorful icing flowers instead of the traditional all white/soft pastels. Spice cake is perfect for a wedding, because doesn’t every marriage go better if you spice things up from time to time? Of course, I didn’t get to eat any until a year later when my dad brought the top of our wedding cake to us on a plane for our anniversary…too bad he got confused and carried it upside down the whole way…it still tasted great, and I had pictures of what the decorations looked like before they became a smooshed blob. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/66 "2007-02-24T04:08:01Z")
I’m more about taste. Fly some real Sacher Tortes in from Salzburg if you want to get extravagent. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/67 "2007-02-24T04:13:10Z")
And though Sachertorte is a Viennese specialty, the Salzburgers make it better. A particular old cafe, I remember. Better Kuchen. ---
**Author:** ![MerryMagdalen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@MerryMagdalen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MerryMagdalen)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/68 "2007-02-24T11:08:35Z")
I’m one of those weird people that feels like it’s a privilege to be invited to a wedding. You didn’t need to invite me to this ceremony, but you did, and I’m so thankful that you invited me and I got to share in your commitment that your cake could be made out of celery sticks and peanut butter and I wouldn’t care. It’s your wedding. It’s your expression. I realize there’s a lot of other stuff you have to think about but if you don’t want to have the huge 3-layer cake with your effigies on top, don’t have it. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/69 "2007-02-24T15:34:51Z")
If you’re serving the cake as dessert, it’s more important that it taste good and not be dry as a bone than that it be a multi-level monstrosity of dryness and fondant. My cousin’s wedding was less than a year ago, and I couldn’t tell you now what the cake _looked_ like, but I can tell you that it was a damn good burnt almond torte and there were no left over pieces because every crumb was eaten. She had, IMHO, the best wedding cake I’ve ever eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Elysian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@Elysian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysian)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/70 "2007-02-24T18:49:14Z")
[QUOTE=kittenblue] And **Elysian**? I was very rebellious at my wedding back in 1979 and insisted on two layers of spice cake and two layers of white (to appease the traditionalists), and colorful icing flowers instead of the traditional all white/soft pastels. Spice cake is perfect for a wedding, because doesn’t every marriage go better if you spice things up from time to time? [/QUOTE] I understand what you’re saying, and I’m sure it was fine with you, but I still have to say, bleh. Not for a wedding. White, chocolate, fine; even strawberry (even though I didn’t really want it), but spice…nah. Wedding cake is supposed to be bland and so sweet you choke, but moist and thick. Spice cake is good for Christmas, just not weddings, not for me. I’m a purist 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/71 "2007-02-24T22:52:45Z")
I personally don’t care what the cake looks like as long as it tastes good. That said, I did make sure that the Vietnamese bakery that did my wedding cake gave me exactly what I wanted : buttercream frosting in a lattice pattern, with cream-colored roses on top (no bride-n-groom topper for me and Mr. Lucky). There were 3 tiers, each a different flavor: mocha, banana and one other flavor, I forgot what it was - probably mango. Not everyone liked the frosting, but they did enjoy the inside of the cake. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/72 "2007-02-25T01:44:52Z")
[QUOTE=nashiitashii] Even having two or three small circular cakes on tiers that ascend in size would look neat and “wedding” enough to give the right effect. [/QUOTE] That’s what we did for our wedding. We had six cheesecakes in six different flavors arranged on tiers, plus a tiny little cheesecake just for us. We got tons of compliments on our wedding cake. Soooo good. ---
**Author:** ![quilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/839c29/32.png) [@quilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quilter)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/73 "2007-02-25T03:24:54Z")
[QUOTE=Rubystreak] I agree with you in priniciple-- wedding cakes are often pretty to look at but taste like butter cream and monogamy (Kingdom of Loathing reference!), and not much else. . [/QUOTE] \ But if you got married on Feast of Boris, you could eat it all yourself! \ ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/74 "2007-02-25T03:35:53Z")
In my book, the wedding is all about the party. Since the wedding cake ceremony is usually early on in the ceremony, I’m cognizant that it’s going on. I will notice if it actually tastes pretty good, but I certainly couldn’t tell you which weddings had a good cake. ---
**Author:** ![8675309](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ea5d25/32.png) [@8675309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/8675309)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/75 "2007-02-25T03:40:24Z")
[QUOTE=anu-la1979] I know your wedding is a bit more independent but at all the weddings I have gone to (and my own sister’s wedding), the cake came as part of the package with the hotel. There’s one 2 tier cake they make that’s decorated pretty nicely and then everyone gets served off a sheet cake in a kitchen. [/QUOTE] That’s how it has been at the weddings I have gone to. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/76 "2007-02-25T07:01:02Z")
I love good cake. Most wedding cake is crap- pretty crap but crap none the less. Several very clever poster’s here have suggested non-traditional cakes that sound far tastiers and less expensive than the traditional sugar-glazed cardboard. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/77 "2007-02-25T07:17:26Z")
[QUOTE=Mishell] I’m doing a “cake” in May for a wedding that’s going to be many, many layers of brownies in a tiered configuration with chocolate ganache filling and chocolate buttercream rosettes. [/QUOTE] Ah, and just what would the address be where this will be served? (Wipes drool off chin and makes plans for wedding-crashing) I’d notice a brownie-cake for sure! The usual tiered white thingie with the rosettes and garlands and plastic figurines on top and so forth… meh. Especially if it’s tasteless, or sickeningly sweet. ---
**Author:** ![MizTina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MizTina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizTina)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/78 "2007-02-25T18:15:21Z")
A sheet cake that looks good and tastes fantastic would be a Tres Leches. Moist and delicious, topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit. Absofreakinglutely marvelous. Maybe it could be layered, but I would sure experiment with it first. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Smitty\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty_B)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/79 "2007-02-25T18:49:11Z")
The key thing about cake it if the couple mush it into each other’s face their marriage will not last. Statistics prove this. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349/80 "2007-02-25T19:42:59Z")
$600 for a cake to feed 100 people? That’s just ridiculous. The only reason it’s $600 is because some people lose their minds (and wallets) trying to create the “perfect” wedding. Good for you for keeping things in perspective. Anywho, I’d suggest having one small decorated cake for display and to available for the cake cutting ceremony, if you’re going to have one. Just specify what you want (e.g. chocolate cake with strawberry filling), without telling the baker it’s for a wedding (because that’ll double the price). Then, if you’d like, add your own topper. You can pick up a bride and groom topper at any Hallmark store. And then I’d order enough sheet cakes to feed about 75% of the guests for cutting and serving. Honest to God, Costco makes one of the most reasonably priced, yet delicious, sheet cakes ever. You can get an entire sheet of say, chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling, for about $35. Sometimes for parties, I’ll pick up one just for the heck of it. It’s great to hear the squeals, “Oooh! A Costco cake.” You can order decorated cakes ahead of time or pick them up the day of the party. Congratulations! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-guests-how-much-do-you-care-about-the-cake/393349.md?page=3)