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Cakes · Pastries · Desserts

Bakers

When choosing a baker to make cakes,  pastries, or other specialty pastry items for your special event, one can usually look no further than one's own neighborhood baker, supermarket grocer, independent specialty baker or  in-house pasty chef.  

However, for specialty baked goods, or personalized items, one may want to look at those bakers  that specialize and produce goods just for special events. 

Keep in mind that there are  a few considerations to consider before contracting a baker. The following information may help to enlighten and guide your decisions.

Wedding Cakes

A wedding cake is a traditional standard at most weddings.For some the wedding cake is major part of their wedding day while for others it is simply a small part of the overall wedding scheme.  Whatever the preference the decision to have an expensive or inexpensive cake or not to have one at all should not become an issue to be fretted over. For some it has become a major source of emotional and financial expenditure, and for others it is simply a cake. Whether one wishes to have one or not, a cake will not make or break a wedding reception. Whether one wants an extravagant cake that may cost into the thousands of dollars, a simple one that may cost only a hundred or non at all, the cake will not make any wedding reception any better or worst. Choosing a wedding cake is simply a matter of personal preferences and expression as well as budget considerations.

There are those  that would lead you to believe that a cake is the focal point of a reception. Let me assure you that a cake is not the center of attention at any wedding! It should never be thought of as such.  It is the bride and groom who are the center of attention at their wedding who's families and guests come to honor not a cake.  They will even go as far as to inappropriately set up a reception according to a cake in a way that it reduces needed spacing for guests and their comfort and enjoyment. These individuals, who have turned a mound of sugar and flower into some icon are nothing more than cake fanatics. These cake worshipers are members of the secret society of, "The Cult of the Cake." They believe that not only is the cake the focal point of a reception, but that it is what people really come to see and admire. They also believe that a cake should take precedence over proper event purpose and function, meaning that it should take precedence over the bride and groom, as well as have dominion over guest comfort and enjoyment. Again it is the bride  and groom, their families and guests who are are the ones that make the wedding experience special and meaningful. Many wedding cakes are a wonderful reflection of just that, the personality and character of the young couple and their families.

When arranging  where to put the cake for viewing and for pictures always keep in mind the big picture of the whole event not just cake alone. The venue always needs to be logistically set up according to the proper function of the whole event and it's overall event purpose, and it's goals. This should always take into consideration your guest's needs, comfort and enjoyment as well as flow of individuals in the venue while at the event to eliminate lines and the uncomfortable bottlenecking of individuals  in certain areas that restricts movement.  

Please refer to the event planning page to better understand your event goals, logistics,  proper event set up function and considerations for the event you are planning. As in decor selection, if you want to keep your cake expense down, keep your cake simple and elegant whereas it accents your personality as well as your reception.

· Is Spending thousands of dollars compared to hundreds on a wedding cake going to make the party or reception any better? No. It could however make your wedding more expensive, cause budget concerns and pull monies away from services or items  that could substantially improve the overall success of your day.

· Will I need a separate dessert as well as a wedding cake? Not unless you want both.

A wedding cake can be the dessert. If you are budget minded and want to save possibly hundreds or  thousands of additional dollars on an additional dessert, just stick to the wedding cake as the dessert.

· Will there be a hidden charge, such as a cake cutting fee? Some caterers charge a cake cutting fee. It could be any where from $1.50  to $4.50 a slice. That could be anywhere from $400 to $800, or more, in extra, hidden charges not originally budgeted when assessing the cost of a cake. Highway robbery perhaps not, gouging perhaps. When interviewing a caterer ask if their is an extra  charge for simply cutting a cake and serving it. It should be a normal part of the caterer's normal duties while serving any meal that includes a dessert. Ask them to remove or waiver the charge if they have one.

· Will everyone attending have a piece of cake or dessert? No, at some weddings it could be as much as 30% or more that may not eat cake or have dessert. Even many who do have cake only nibble a little and leave the rest. Many people today are sugar and weight conscious. In addition, a growing number of diabetics must avoid such foods rich in sugars.

· Is a wedding cake primarily for consumption? No, not in all cases. A wedding cake is one of those traditional items that traditionally symbolized the blessings of prosperity and plenty as well as  fertility for the young couple. Today it may not symbolize anything to the bride and groom and it may or may not be used to be consumed but perhaps be used primarily as photo prop for pictures.

· Is a cake is a must for every wedding? No. Depending on your personal preference and budget some brides today opt out of the traditional wedding cake and have a more modest dessert in it's place such as fresh fruit, jubilees or even cupcakes. Some of these desserts may be less expensive, more nutritionally palatable, and require no extra labor fee to serve. One remarkable new trend at weddings is to have a doughnut cake in place of the traditional wedding cake. Well it is not really a cake at all but doughnuts staked together to resemble a cake or some other structure. Why would anyone want donuts in place of a wedding cake, one may ask. For some it may be savings while for others it may simply be a break from tradition. For some brides they just want to have a hand in creating  their own wedding cake design or should I say doughnut shape design. It can be an outlet of creative expression for some brides while having fun in the process using doughnuts to carry on the cake tradition. Bakers still bake the doughnuts and many do create fantastic doughnut cake designs.

Another trend is to have a fake cake. Yes that's right, that is one made of Styrofoam covered by frosting and decorated to look like the real thing. Why, one may ask. There are no cutting and serving fees, and no waste, since sometimes a large portion of the cakes are not consumed. Generally, there will be a portion of the cake that is real just to cut  just for the pictures and for the bride and groom to feed each other with. Generally after the pictures a dessert is dispensed out to guests in it's place. Can you pick out the fake cake in the photo's on this page? 

· Does a wedding cake have to be expensive and done only by a high cost bakery chef? 

No. In some areas of the country 60% of the cakes are done by a neighborhood supermarket or baker, 30% done by independent specialty cake bakers from their shops or homes, and 5% done by a family member or friend. Less than 5% are baked by a high cost bakery chef.

· Always have a written contractual agreement.

· Do you deliver the cake or items? At what time? Is there an additional cost for delivery?

· In the contract always have the date and location where the cake will be delivered.

· Specify the type of cake, layers, tiered, frosting and design of the cake in the agreement.

· Also your agreement should specify about how many guests will the cake feed.

· Are the ingredients fresh and will the cake be make from scratch the day of the event?

· Some caterers or banquet departments try to charge you a fee to cut your cake and serve it.

   Find out if there is a cutting fee and ask them to remove it or waive it from the agreement.

   Paying a fee to have a cake cut is unacceptable. Especially, since you are already

   paying so much for services that should include being served from dinner through dessert.   

List of Atlanta Bakers

All bakers listed on this page are ones that Class Act has actually worked with at events. Unlike many publications and websites, no baker pays to be on this list. So there is no conflict of interest between advertising dollars, and the client's best interest. Bakers are also listed because of their professionalism, quality and years of experience.