A Sweet Affair

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Sharon from The Cake Courtesan. Not only is she an absolutely delightful person, but she's an absolutely talented cake artist as well.

The grand opening and open house for her shop is being held on Sunday, April 3 from 12pm - 4pm at the Historic Inns of Annapolis, 58 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland.

Mark your calendars for this - you will not want to miss out. We can attest to the yumminess of the cakes seeing as how no sample was left behind in our office. Not only will you have the opportunity to sample cakes and other sweet delights, attendees also have the chance to win a $500 gift certificate!

Call (410)739-9050 or email courtesan@thecakecourtesan.com to reserve your spot.

A Wedding Dessert Idea

How cute is this? Project Wedding recently featured these adorable mini wedding cakes. The idea is to fill a table with a variety of mini cakes instead of one large wedding cake. Of course the minis may be different flavors adding to the excitement of this so cute dessert idea. Photos are from a blog you must visit if you like baking, I Am Baker.

Groom's Cake?

Wondering where the Groom's cake came from?  The folks at GetMarried.com tell us how it came to be.

cake from Charm City Cakes

"Certainly not a new concept, the groom’s cake is making a comeback.  The idea dates back to the 19th century when the newlywed couple served up a dense fruit cake with or without icing.  Some say that the white icing was meant to mimic the bride’s dress, while other accounts claim that no icing was used and the cake was kept fresher longer.  Either way, legend has it that if the single women in attendance were to take a slice home and place it underneath their pillows they would dream of the future husbands.   

In today’s era, the groom’s cake tradition is routed in the South.  Frequently a chocolate or red velvet cake, it was first served to offer up an alternative flavor to the vanilla wedding cake that had to look a certain way.  Meant to be a gift from the bride to groom (often a surprise), the cake can come in any shape, theme, or form.  Liquor flavored or chocolate flavored, you won’t find flowers on these cakes, but perhaps mascots of sports teams or colleges.  

While it’s not a required element of a wedding, it makes for a personal touch served up at either the rehearsal dinner or the wedding reception.  If you opt to serve it at the reception, display it next to the traditional wedding cake or roll it out along side when you’re ready to share his surprise.  The cake should later be cut and put in to-go boxes for guests to take home.  If the cake is large enough, this sweet take out treat can even serve as your wedding favor.  Regardless of when or how you serve it, make sure you select a cake that reflects his masculine style, his wants, and of course his personality."

Etsy To Top Your Cake

Still looking for a cake topper?

Etsy has some wonderful options!

Seller nicolewclark will hand make a custom topper to look just like you.

Order early she books up quickly.

Prices start at $119.00

Seller cornflakegirl has the perfect little birdies

$75 for the pair

Seller SheaChicDesigns can create your new last initial or monogram.

$35.00

Anniversary Time!

Selecting a cake is a top priority for most brides and grooms.  There are so many choices out there and ways to spend a little or a lot of your wedding day confection.

Tradition tells us to freeze the top layer of the wedding cake to enjoy on the first anniversary.

We're not big fans of that tradition because, not matter how you slice it, cake 12 months old just can't be good.

Our favorite twists on the tradition:

1.  Eat the cake on your 1 month anniversary.  Rarely celebrated but super fun.

2.  Cut the cake into 12 slices - 1 slice to share every month!

3.  Get a new cake - many bakers offer it for free.

4.  Skip the cake altogether and go to Hawaii.

Is your Mother insisting you freeze the cake?  Here's how:

Freeze It

1.  Freeze it before wrapping it to get the whole cake and icing nice and hard.

2.  Wrap it in layers and layers of plastic wrap.  You want to avoid any air touching the cake.

3.  Wrap it again in foil - again the goal is no air.

4.  Place the entire package into an airtight container.  This part ensures that the cake package doesn't get beat up in your freezer.

Eat It

1.  Take the cake package out of the freezer 1 day before you want to eat it and store it in the refrigerator.

2.  The morning you want to eat your cake, put it on the counter totally unwrapped to defrost.

3.  By evening the cake will be ready to eat with a glass of champagne.