Jann in TX Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I will be making my niece's wedding cake in March. She wants a 'champagne-almond' flavored cake with an almond (preferably custard) filling. She also wants 'cake lace' and extra-large roses with smaller (possibly hydragenas) accent flowers (I'll make these out of gumpaste). Said niece also used to work (register/orders) at an upscale bakery. I'm hoping and praying she is not a 'bridezilla' (I don't know her very well, but I do know she was very spoiled growing up). I've made several wedding cakes-- no issues with the mechanics of it--but this niece seems to 'want the moon'... I'll do my best--but I have a feeling she wants her cake to be EXACTLY as she immagined-- and a mirror immage of a picture from a bridal magazine. The cake is a gift from me-- her 'vision' is out of her price range, (would be over $500 for a 70 serving cake)--the bakery she used to work out is in a different part of the state-- too far to transport. I can't stand the taste of champagne-- my question is How does it taste in a cake? Does the champagne somehow complement the sweetness of the cake? I'm not an almond fan either.... One tier will be dark chocolate with a raspberry cream filling-- I have no issues with that one!! The custard filling will be a problem as my poor refrigerator is not big enough to keep the whole cake in after it is decorated-- venue is 1 hour from my house-- also cake will be covered in fondant and the lace will be fragile-- refrigeration could make that a sticky mess! I'd appreciate anyone with tasting or baking experience to chime in! I need to start making sample cakes so I know what to expect! TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocolate Rose Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I've only tasted a champagne cake once and don't remember it having a distinct flavor. I was expecting to taste...something...but didn't. A friend made my wedding cake. I found the recipe, bought her all the ingredients and she baked/made it. It would have been a problem to transport, so she went to the venue a couple of hours early and put the whole thing together there. It was beautiful and tasted amazing. Would that work for you? That way, you wouldn't have to worry about fitting the assembled cake in your fridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 It used to be popular for wedding cakes about 20 years ago, I think. I just remember going to weddings a long time ago and "everyone" had champagne cake. It doesn't taste like champagne. It just tastes like wedding cake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Yikes. I've done several cakes for folks but I've realized that it is SO MUCH easier if the person just gives me total freedom on everything. It is so incredibly stressful for me when they are picky about what they want (like it sounds like your niece is!). If I were you, I'd tell her she has to give you recipes if she wants you to use particular flavors, fillings, etc. Recipes can have the same name, yet vary SO much! I would worry that whatever I picked would not match what she has in her imagination. I highly recommend CakeCentral forums for advice on the custard filling with a fondant cake. Yep, very tricky. Perhaps you can find somewhere to buy filling that would be shelf stable and not need refrigeration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Do you have a Cash N' Carry near you? That's where I buy all my fillings and they're shelf stable. Otherwise, I'm sure you could find it online. re: Champagne flavor- I thought it just made the cake taste a bit sweeter. No Champagne flavor, really. re: Transport- assemble on site. I had three cakes last summer that required this and it went just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I would let her know what you can do and tell her you are anxious about pleasing her. Give her the out to buy the cake if she would like. This isn't worth mega stress. If you can't do exactly what she wants let her know. And you'll have to have a smile and sense of humor when it's done. Almond custard filling? I think I would go with something more marzipanish with the fondant. I agree with the champagne cake being white wedding cake. Can't wait for pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 It looks like there is champagne in the recipe for the liquid . I don't imagine you can really tell the exact flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I seem to remember that champagne cakes had champagne in them, but didn't taste any different. Kind of like 7-up cakes, Coca cola cakes, etc. I would make a lightly flavored almond cake. I've made this recipe before, and it's easy and delicious. (Of course, ignore the frosting.) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/white-texas-sheet-cake-2/detail.aspx Maybe make her a cupcake and send it? No idea. Honestly, if I had somebody generous enough to make me a cake, I'd have very few requests. Perhaps give her a couple of combos that you've done before that have worked well, and let her choose. That's what most bakeries do. OK…checked all recipes and yes, it's what I suspected. Champagne in the recipe. :) http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Champagne-Cake-With-Buttercream-Icing/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=champagne%20cake&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Our church family works together to make each bride's wedding affordable, which includes the wedding cake. Yes, each wedding cake is made including the bride's ideas, but in no way does the bride expect a designer cake for free! (For our group, the bride pays for the cost of materials, so the labor is what is being provided at no cost.) I'd provide photo examples of some ideas you think you can create. She can BUY ready-made edible flowers to put on the cake. Maybe she can get the custard, etc. made by the bakery she works for . . . so that you are doing the assembly, not creating every detail from scratch. Consider saying something like, "I don't believe I have enough skills or time to do ALL of these special features, especially because the reception is an hour from my house. I can offer to make the lace cake top, but not the homemade custard . . . . " Other options which are much easier: cupcakes, using a cake stand, so that the tiers are each resting on a cake plate (not dependent on pillars). Now is the time to talk with her about what you can actually execute! (And know that she's also dealing with limitations on bridesmaids dresses, budget, etc.) It's just part of the challenges of wedding planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSOchristie Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 I would definitely bake a six inch test cake with all the components (cake, filling, frosting, fondant) to make sure this is the taste she is going for. Can you use fresh flowers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 I'll get DH to get me some champagne so I can do a few test cakes... (personally I rather test the chocolate tier!!) Thanks for letting me know that a 'champagne' cake doesn't taste like champagne (I personally think champagne tastes like soap!). I'm going to focus on a vanilla-almond flavor and hopefully the champagne will blend in quietly. The filling is still being negotiated-- custard filled cakes cannot be left unrefrigerated for more than 4 hours. Fondant covered cakes should not be refrigerated --they can weep and the sugar lace decorations will melt! Sugar lace needs to be put on fondant... buttercream has too much moisture in it. I think the lace is more important to my niece than the filling. I hope to have the cake covered in fondant by noon on wedding day-- apply the lace and do any additional piping in the early afternoon-- I'll do the stacking and flower work on site (I'm allowing an hour since I do not know this venue)... so the cake needs to be room temp stable for the day! I will be transporting the tiers separately-- no way would I drive over one hour in the deep Texas hill country with a stacked cake! I'll start working on the flowers as soon as I get a color swatch from my niece (some sort of ivory or ecru color for the base cake then white lace and white flowers-- I want the centers of the roses to be tinted a very light version of the base color). At least I can make them a few weeks in advance. My other nieces have given me lots of creative freedom-- this one has her own specifice ideas/dreams. Now we just have to agree on a sugar lace mold-- it will have to be special ordered and we are running out of time! Store-bought sugar roses and fillers would be hundreds of dollars-- silk is not an option. Real is nice--but again to get the size roses niece wants would be hundreds of dollars as well! Gumpaste roses will take me a few hours but will cost less than $25 in supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 LorAnn oils sells a champagne flavor that's for baked goods. They sells really tiny bottles (for $1.50 at my local cake store). I think the champagne flavor is actually called sparkling wine now. I second the suggestion of buying a shelf stable filling and adding almond flavoring. Easy and reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 It used to be popular for wedding cakes about 20 years ago, I think. I just remember going to weddings a long time ago and "everyone" had champagne cake. It doesn't taste like champagne. It just tastes like wedding cake. This. When I saw the heading I thought "is it the mid 1990s?" Champagne cake isn't anything much flavor wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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