Tag: wedding cake alternatives
courtesy of treschicbride.blogspot.com
When throwing a shower for one of my girlfriends awhile back, I came across a little recipe for “cake pops” and have been OBSESSED ever since!
Being the regular Betty Crocker (for those of you that know me, please hold in your laughter) that I am, I decided this would be an excellent choice for a festive dessert! And if I’ve gotta be completely honest… it TOTALLY was! (Subsequently pats self on back) I made three kinds: Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry.
Now, while these three flavors may seem like nothing all too impressive, it’s what you can do with them that makes them so incredible! After baking the three cake mixes in the oven (according to the box instructions), I simpled let the pans cool for about 15 minutes before crumbling each flavor into a mixing bowl and stiring in the same flavor frosting. (White w/ Vanilla, Chocolate w/ Chocolate and Strawberry w/ Strawberry.) After which, I balled the sugary goodness into small circles and covered them with candy melt toppings.
It took a little practice, but once I got the hang of it, it was super easy… and even more delicious! I topped the White Cake Balls with vanilla icing and yellow sprinkles; the Chocolate Cake Balls with chocolate candy melts and coconut, and the Strawberry Cake Balls with a melted white chocolate candy bar and pink candy heart sprinkles (my faves!). I placed some on sticks, creating a gourmet sucker look and the rest I left on decorative trays for easy, sweet munching!
There are several options on how you can create your cake pops / balls, but I have yet to find one I didn’t enjoy! Take a look below for some delicious inspiration and easy to make recipes (found below images) and start poppin’ your way to party goodness!
Choloate and Turquoise Dream!
courtesy of karascakery.com courtesy of Google Images courtesy of bzevents.com
Pretty in Pink!
courtesy of bakersroyale.com
Citrus-y Goodness!
courtesy of bzevents.com
Wrapped with Love!
courtesy of etsy.com
Turtle-Something Surprise!
courtesy of cakebybridges.com
Cupcake Cuties!
courtesy of thehappychickadee.blogspot.com
Designed by Darlings!
courtesy of camillestyles.wordpress.com
Lined with Perfection!
courtesy of thesepeasarehollow.blogspot.com
Sweetly say “I do!”
courtesy of etsy.com
Example Recipe Guide for Reference:
- 1 Box of Cake Mix (Choose your favorite the flavor)
- 1 16 ounce Container of Pre-Made Frosting (Again, choose the flavor!)
- 1 3 ounce Bar of Flavored Confectionery or Candy Melts (Choose your taste yet again! Mixing and Matching is half the fun!)
1. Prepare the cake mix according to package details, using any of the recommended pans for backing. Once cake is baked fully, simply crumble the cake while still warm (but after 15 minutes of cooling) into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended.
2. Melt your flavored confectionery or candy melt coating in a glass bowl in the microwave or a metal pot over a pan of simmering water on the stove-top, stirring occasionally until at a smooth consistency.
3. Use a melon baller or scoop (or even just your hands!) to form small balls (use Dunkin’ Donut holes as reference) of your cake mixture. Then, either dip the balls into the melted pan of goodness using a toothpick or simply drizzle it on top using a spoon to coat each one accordingly. Place on waxed paper to set.
4. Decorate accordinly. Place on sucker sticks if desired. Refrigerate once fully cooled.
5. & ENJOY!!
August 2, 2011
courtesy of marthastewart.com
A girlfriend at work (holler for a dollar, Carolyn!) sent me a link on deconstructed wedding cakes last week, and I have to admit, it had my mouth watering for cake before the sun could rise and you could question, “Cake, for breakfast??” With all the new (not necasarily improved) but super fun ways brides are choosing to divy out dessert on their big day, I was sooo glad to see deconstructed wedding cakes as one of them!
And don’t let the chunky, clunky name fool you, because these beauties are anything but! Not only can the sleeker, chic’er cakes have a crisper, cleaner look, but they can also be filled with a countless number of flavors, which their larger versions are often times limited to! Um, hello?? More cakes to sample?? Yes, please!!
Whether a bride chooses to do each cake a different flavor or a select a specific amount of tantalizing tastes to divide between the masses, these deconstructed darlings have an abundance potential that will have your head spinning. Some brides even choose to double them as centerpieces, which encourages guests to mix ‘n’ mingle while trying to uncover which table has the BEST flavor!
Oh, and did I mention that the cost for these un-tiered dreams can be significantly, less? Yeah, add that to the win column too, ladies! Haha! Check out below for even more, mouth watering examples!
Stick with the same theme and shape for a more uniform look…
courtesy of theknot.com
Play with textures, sizes and shapes to really create a unique look…
courtesy of bridalguide.com
Decorate your deconstructed cakes in theme or according to the season…
courtesy of projectwedding.com
When doubled as centerpieces, disassembled cakes encourage guests to get up and move about…
courtesy of baileysbrides.blogspot.com
Ideal for creating a rustic, do-it-yourself ambiance…
courtesy of featherlove.com
July 26, 2011
Wedding cakes have long been a testament to the staying power of bold colors, ruffled tiers, manufactured fondant and intricate designs. However, we are currently seeing a shift in these eccentric trends as the modern bride becomes a less fussy breed. As weddings themselves scale back into more relaxed and casual affairs, the cakes are seemingly following suit, as couples opt for cleaner lines and better taste.
Butter Cream Dreams – For a while, this frosting favorite had taken a back seat to fondant’s flavorless yet smoother form. But many couples feared that they were compromising taste for aesthetics; hence, the return to butter cream. Brides now – more than ever – are embracing the charming untidiness of this cake trend in order to pump up the taste volume and give a nod to vintage chic!
photos courtesy of marthastewartweddings.com (center and right) and design-wedding-cakes-pictures.blogspot.com (left)
(Oh! Oh! Oh, oh, oh!) The White Stuff – A revival that goes hand-in-hand with its butter cream counterpart, the infamous all white cake evokes a more naturally frosted look. Concentrated in a polished appeal and textured trends, these clean looking cakes are generally always backed with their over the top tastes! Liz Shim of Eat Cake Be Merry recommends an all-white confection with lots of texture for a more “chic blank canvas” look.
photos courtesy of marthastewartweddings.com (right and left) and chilliwebsites.com (center)
Modern Monograms – Give your cake a kick of personalized flare with your newly instated monogram! Because cake toppers aren’t just your plastic bride and groom anymore, creative couples everywhere are going for more offbeat, unique accessories. Some companies will even take a photo of the couple and specifically personalize figurines to look just like them. More popular (and reasonably priced), however, is when couples take their initials and turn heads with a monochromatic, monogram cake toppers… which happens to one of our favorites, as well!!
photos courtesy of marilynskeepsakes.com
Flower Power (That’s Tasty Too!) – Rather than frosting your cake with more flowers than a garden, cake artists today are creating incredibly real-looking sugar flowers. These blooms are much fuller so you’ll only need a few for garnish. Renowned cake designer Ron Ben-Israel says these sugar flowers will give the cake “a sleeker look”, as opposed to an overwhelming confection of blossom piping.
photos courtesy of marthastewartweddings.com (right and left) and theknot.com (center)
Dog Daze – Believe it or not, one of the newer trends in wedding cake accents is personalized pooches. More and more couples are requesting that their pets make a cameo on their cake, made purely of frosting.
photos courtesy of weddingchicks.com
So when you begin the cake design process, remember that less is more this year. Matching the piping on your cake to the lace on your dress is out, and butter cream and sugar flowers are in. It’s all about the homemade, nummy goodness and delicious taste.
August 30, 2010
Because we all need a reason to laugh (or perhaps something to make us feel better about ourselves), here at Marilyn’s Keepsakes, we’ve decided to implement a new feature called, “What Were They Thinking Thursdays.” What Were They Thinking Thursdays will showcase pictures from weddings that contain elements which include (but aren’t limited to) over the top ridiculousness, uncomfortable awkwardness, creepy confrontations, unknown subject matter or questionable contents… basically any picture that leaves us all with the same question mark… What Were They Thinking?
Today’s particularly gag-worthy pic features a happy, newlywed couple cutting their cake, which is accented by what I can only discern as one of three things: a “toilet treasure”, the walrus from Alice in Wonderland or a down scaled replica of Jabba the Hut (Star Wars fans, anyone?) Regardless, I’m left to wonder… WHAT WERE THEY THINKING???
Photo Courtesy of Dlisted.com
Have a note worthy example you’d like to share? Please feel free to email them to mkidwell@marilynskeepsakes.com for a chance to be featured! We always love hearing from you!
October 29, 2009
Yes, that's a pic of bride, her groom & HER cake - CAN'T!
BREAKING NEWS: This just in, traditional wedding cakes are being invaded by their just as delicious counterparts… and the world, as we know it, will never be the same! (Cue the scary “dun! dun! dun! Music)
A wise man once said, “the times they are a-changin’,” and even though Bob Dylan originally wrote this particular lyric in 1964, no quote is more fitting for today’s modern bride. Pair the infinite amount of choices and opportunities a girl has with an unlimited quantity of search engines, hog wild imaginations and varying budgets, and there is no telling what color rabbit a bridal magician will pull out from under her hat. This is the same notion tapping in and taking over on the traditional wedding cake’s reign of supremacy. It is merely one more wedding tradition that has inevitably fallen victim to pomp, circumstance and apparently, bridal wizardry.
Ice Cream - Can!
Among the most well known cake alternatives are colorfully creative cupcakes and ultra yummy, candy bars. Arguably rivaling the notorious, traditional wedding cake, cupcake towers and candy bar buffets have really become household names in the wedding world. Working their way up the popularity ladder, these customized creations have proven time and time again, what they lack in tradition; they gain in delightful designs. Because both choices can be dipped, dolloped, shellacked, sprinkled and stacked any way a bride sees fit, they are easily taking over the market of goodies miniature in size but powerful in taste.
Doughnuts - Yum!
Not to be outdone by the more popular wedding cake alternatives, places like Baskin-Robbins and the Krispy Kreme Doughnut chain have also jumped on board the wedding dessert bandwagon. Each has started customizing delectable dishes for brides and grooms looking for something original and nontraditional. Krispy Kreme will refine, ruffle and raise up rows of doughnuts in the name of “holey” matrimony, while Baskin-Robbins likes to allow their newlyweds-to-be the option of choosing their favorite flavors to be merged and quaffed into a giant ice cream creation… giving ice sculptures and “cold feet” reassurance it’s super cool to be a part of wedded bliss. (What? Too much?)
Pork Pies - Huh?
And while chilled cream cakes and ice sculptures give couples a reason to freeze their assets, stacking their finger licking favorites in tiers is yet another alternative that will leave their guests with full bellies and warm hearts. Everything from fruit packed pastries to mousse filled toasting flutes and even pancakes and pork pies (yes, pancakes and pork pies!) have been displayed in reception halls across America. Not only can this cut down on service charges, but it also allows newlyweds the opportunity to have more than one choice. One of the most popular “tier”-ing choices is a combination of prepackaged confectioneries, such as Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Sno Balls, being assembled and stacked on cake plates and platters. These are obviously done by a bride looking to be the “Hostess with the Most-est!”
Pancakes - Yum!
But aiming to please isn’t the only reason people are leaning more toward wedding cake alternatives. More often than not, dessert options are decided by someone’s preferences, culture, heritage or beliefs; so, many couples will look to other parts of the world are looked to for inspiration. For instance, while many Americans humor in the fruitcake as a holiday gag gift, places like the British Isles, the Caribbean, Ireland and Scotland revere the fruit frenzy as a wedding day must have. Couples looking for something different might even look to Europe where France venerates its caramel covered, cream filled pastry towers (known as croquembouche) or Lithuania where sakotis – a cookie like dessert, shaped into a Christmas tree are nothing short of blue ribbons. Even newlyweds who (gasp!) don’t have a sweet tooth can look for inspiration in places like Korea who simply cover ground steamed rice in red bean powder or areas like Japan and India who use “dummy cakes” instead of the real thing. While the guests might not delight in eating cardboard, the wad left in a couple’s wallet from cutting cake costs will leave at least two people smiling.
Hostess Treats - Back to Yum!
Bottom line, wedding cakes and all their ensuing alternatives really don’t have any specific rules to follow. In fact, since everyone knows *calories don’t count when someone’s getting married, it may even be encouraged to go for the broke and try them all!
*not backed by scientific facts; only by the white lies people tell themselves to feel better.
October 23, 2009
I simply don’t know if I should to hug or hit my friend, Natalie, for sending me this too-tasty-for-words idea! With it’s uber delectable appeal, I find myself being drawn in; while my lurking, bathroom scale vigorously tries to draw me out. And even though I can hear it screaming, “run for the hills, Mary!”, my taste buds and non-existent will power won’t allow it… Alas, the candy bar buffet wins… again!
There is simply no denying the power of its appeal. Functioning as an alternative of OR in conjunction with the traditional wedding cake, these candy bar buffets have everyone from brides and grooms to guests and vendors going gaga! Originally designed with children in mind, candy tables have become equally – if not more – popular with adults.
Like their partners in crime – the infamous wedding cupcakes – what candy buffets lack in tradition, they gain in delightful designs. These extraordinary alternatives can be as elaborate or simple as you would like. You can stack them on shelves, three rows deep or line them up single file. You can theme them around your colors or make them into a standout, conversation piece. Because of the many potential opportunities candy bars offer, it’s no wonder their demand has all but doubled in today’s wedding market. Not to mention the fun you can have through all the seasons!
Weddings on or around holidays such as Halloween, Christmas or Valentine’s Day, are easily decorated with coordinating candies that are both seasonal and sensational. At Christmas, picture peppermint sticks, candy canes and gingerbread men overflowing out of sprinkled wreaths and twinkling vases. Imagine Halloween (or Autumn themed) candy bars brilliantly bedecked with caramel apples, sugared pumpkins and candy corn towers. Then, visualize Valentine’s Day treat tables adorned with a doting combination of messaging sweethearts, chocolate boxes and pink and red colored, candy parts! (Goodness me! Is anyone else’s mouth watering?)
Bottom line, candy bars can add a fun and trendy element to your big day celebration, no matter how big or small your budget may be. For more candy coated ideas - or simply snack worthy munchies – feel free to check out CandyFavorites.com, where candy is broken down by type, occasion, brand and services. And for all you nostalgic, candy lovers, try Candy Crate for a retro rewind to your childhood favorites!
August 5, 2009
WARNING: The following post may contain images not suitable for brides looking to trim down and tone up. If your will power level is low today, I suggest you turn back now.
In all seriousness though, I’d be lying if I said my mouth didn’t go into operation water overload while viewing picture after picture of these delectable wedding day treats. I blame Martha Stewart Weddings mostly. In their most recent summer issue, there is an article appropriately titled, “Let them eat Cupcakes,” which reveals how these extra ooey gooey delights can make a divine substitute for a wedding day favorite.
While cake is the traditional standby most newlyweds (and all their guests) look forward to devouring, cupcakes are proving to be just as tasty and beautiful as their more popular counterparts. They can be dipped, dolloped, shellacked, sprinkled and stacked any way a bride sees fit. Whether you’re going for over the top or under the radar, cupcakes can give an ahhh to the mazing presentation at any wedding reception celebration. The proof is in the pudding, people!
Since each cupcake is its own individual part, a bride isn’t limited by flavor or design. You can easily provide a smorgasbord of vanilla, chocolate, caramel swirl, strawberry surprise and every taste in between without worry. It’s really up to you. I’ve seen everything from cupcake towers that could humble even the most ornate cakes to customized creations that are as simple as they are sweet.
Already cut and all ready to serve, wedding cupcakes also make a great do-it-yourself project for the more hands on bride. Not to mention, a their “awwwww” factor is off the charts! I mean, who doesn’t love a mini version of anything? And although they may be miniature in size, they are still powerful in taste, making these one-of-kind mini cakes a catchy trend in 2009.
For more tips and tricks on wedding cake alternatives, feel free to check out Martha Stewart Weddings or logon to Cupcake Recipes and start baking today!
July 10, 2009
