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There are many fun decisions that go into organising your wedding, from the beautifully blooming flowers to the wondrous location, the choices for what you envision on your big day are endless. However, no decision may be as delicious as choosing the wedding cake of your dreams. Sponge, ice cream, Mars bar, red velvet – your choices are only limited by your own imagination. But as you know, it’s not just the flavour that must be considered. There’s a second important decision when it comes to your wedding cake: the presentation. For many, weddings are all about the presentation, and there’s nothing quite like wowing your guests at the reception with a spectacular, velvety cake that melts hearts and melts taste buds. If you’re one of those people looking for that ‘it’ factor, why not consider the stunning presentation of a hanging cake for your wedding? The editor for Melbourne Wedding + Bride, Robin Harper, chats with the pastry chef of The Cake Stop, Melissa Tucci, to discuss why a hanging cake might be the perfect choice for your wedding.
The Cake Stop is a cakes and coffee shop in Beaconsfield that offer a vast range of delicious treats to titillate the senses. Cute cupcakes, decadent fudge, fabulous French macarons, creative cookies and so much more, The Cake Stop also creates incredible wedding cakes. As the pastry chef, Tucci personally ensures that all her cakes and goodies are made with care and quality.
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Tucci has more than ten years’ experience in the cakes and pastries business, but is still eager to learn new tricks and expand her skillset to greater heights. Her most recent masterpiece – the magnificent hanging cake you see as the featured
image – was a project near and dear to her heart. The cake model imitates the cake she had for her engagement celebrations. Many intricacies of its presentation have been lovingly incorporated into it, from the deep blue roses to the golden accents. The plants flowing down from the bottom tier when hanging also gives the effect that the cake is floating, adding to the fantasy of such a magical night.
When it comes to her favourite style of cake, Tucci admits that the featured cake is her absolute favourite: “As it was my engagement cake, I wanted to do something different and exciting. My next exciting and something different will be my wedding cake in January 2024.” Whatever Tucci decides to go with, I’m sure we can expect something showstopping. We’ll have to wait in bated breath on how she’ll top this one!
Have Your Cake And Eat It Too
Now we’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to unpack what a hanging cake is, what is can be, and how it is executed. In terms of versatility, the hanging cake offers more than you might think. According to Tucci, “It is a cake that can hang in the air with
some chain or strong rope. A hanging cake can be anything you put your mind to. It can be novelty, upside down or the right way up. There isn’t much involved, but it’s not as easy as you think either.” There are a few components of the hanging cake that must be considered, such as creating a cake that has the stability to be able to hang for long periods of time without falling apart, and using bolts and metal rods that are food safe.
In terms of flavour and style, the world is your oyster. “There are definitely no limitations when any cake decorator or pastry chef puts their mind to it,” she says. “With the right experience and practice, you can do any style or flavour, but we do recommend a more dense cake to hold the shape and the structure better,” advises Tucci. So if you have a particular flavour or style that you would like for your wedding, you won’t have to stress about any restrictions if you choose to go with a hanging cake. For The Cake Stop, the chefs offer nine flavours that you can pick from, but their top flavours are white raspberry, red velvet, and Mars bar. You can have your cake and eat it too if you’re planning on having it tiered, as you can opt to have different flavours for each tier. You will always be allowed to sample flavours in the decision-making process, so you’ll have plenty of time to carefully consider your cake of choice.
For preparation, it can be quite the process. For Tucci, she has to make sure “the boards we use are strong and not going to bend, then we measure and drill a hole where it needs to be and with added bolts, rods and hook it ready for the cake to be in place”. While you may be wondering how much effort goes into the process of moving such a cake, Tucci reassures that the wedding cake is transported in pieces “so nothing gets damaged when arriving at the venue”.
Hanging On For Dear Life
When you approach a cake maker for your wedding cake, it’s beneficial to consider the questions they may ask you. In this respect, Tucci shares her insight: “To get couples the perfect cake they are
after, we ask a couple of questions at the start, such as: How many guests are invited? How many have dietary requirements? What colours have you chosen? Where are you getting married?” These are the types of queries you need to prepare for if you want your cake to fit seamlessly into the ceremony.
For some, organising a wedding can be a rollercoaster of emotions and it can be hard to take a step back and consider the finer details. If you’re in the market for something different for your wedding, consider a hanging cake to add that bit of magic to the reception.
Image Courtesy of Allie Claire Creative