Wedding Cakes and Color...Things to Consider
Posted by Terri Leckas on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 @ 08:02 AM
White cake, white icing, piping and scrollwork done in white, white, white….the “traditional” has become “old fashioned”. Incorporate a splash of color on your wedding cake to tie in your color scheme and make your cake unforgettable!
Color in decorating needs to be chosen carefully; the shades as well as placement.
It’s not a good idea to ice entire tiers of cake in bright or dark colors; the food coloring can stain your mouth and teeth. (Imagine the photos!) Pastel colors are safe, and appear more palatable. Keep in mind that most buttercream icings are a very pale shade of yellow or ivory, and colors like periwinkle or lavender are hard to achieve from a yellow-toned base.
Colored border work can appear cartoonish. Your design will flow more if you put your colors throughout and overall on each tier. If your colors are deep, such as wine or eggplant, consider a lighter version, or less saturated hue for the cake decorating.
A popular look is an overall coverage of henna-like swirls done in white, with accents of colored “tri-dots” through the pattern for a hint of color.
A good way to add deep colors to your wedding cake is using satin ribbon. Create an “over-lay” look using a wider ribbon in one shade, topped with a narrow ribbon in another shade.
A good cake decorator can match color swatches pretty closely using food coloring. It’s most helpful if you provide some type of color sample, rather than a description of the color. “Tiffany Blue” means a lot of things to a lot of people.
Your cake colors will really “pop” if you use a colored fabric on the cake table, even the trim from the bridesmaids dresses can be gathered around the base cake for accent color.
It’s fun to carry your color to the inside of the cake as well! A white cake marbled with a light pink batter is a fun surprise. Or choose a tripleberry mousse filling tinted a light shade of lavender. Red velvet cake is delicious and will showcase your signature shade on every dessert plate.
Whatever color you choose, your cake maker will help you find the best way to create a modern look in tones that work well with food and your color scheme.