Slicing and Serving a Wedding Cake
How to Disassemble, Cut and Present Slices of Cake to Guests
Jul 1, 2008
How to Un-Stack the Wedding Cake
First, undress the cake of any non-edible items such as flowers, ribbons and figurines. Some decorations can surprise you—edible silver and gold decorations are available, so make sure you're not removing decorations designed for eating. Box up any keepsakes such as wedding cake toppers for the bride to keep.
If the cake is stacked or tiered, you will need to disassemble it. Tiered cakes are easy—simply remove each tier and pull out the supportive dowelling. Save the decorative pillars, as the bride may want to keep them.
For stacked cakes you may need to insert a fish slice or sturdy spatula between the tiers to provide some leverage. Each tier will be on its own cake board. Simply lift the tiers off one at a time and remove the dowelling, if possible. Because the dowelling is flush with the surface on stacked cakes, it may be easier to remove them later while cutting the cakes.
How to Cut the Wedding Cake
Ask the bride beforehand whether she wants the fondant or icing cut off the sides of the cake before slicing. Failure to do so will mean some slices contain more icing than cake, particularly on round cakes. Then again, this can be very popular with children!
Wedding cake is usually served in small rectangular slabs. Use a large serrated knife and wipe it with a damp cloth between cuts to avoid getting crumbs in the icing. If slices of cake are going to be sent to absent guests in cake boxes, be sure to cut the cake to exactly fit the boxes.
How to Serve the Wedding Cake
If the cake is being served as part of dessert, simply arrange the slices on large platters. If it is to be handed out at the end of the reception for eating or taking home, you may with to fold a napkin around each slice. For a festive touch, wrap the cake up like a burrito—cake placed diagonally on the napkin, with the sides folded in and the bottom folded up—and secure with a piece of ribbon.
Some brides prefer to have servers offer the cake to guests—this can be done with tongs, or guests can help themselves by hand.
Storing Leftover Wedding Cake
Traditionally, the top tier of the wedding cake is saved for the bride and groom, who may eat it at their first wedding anniversary or the christening of their eldest child. Fruit cake covered in fondant will keep for a very long time, but should be protected from dust. Do not store fondant-covered cakes in an airtight container or the icing will become sticky. An ice cream container with a few holes in the sides, stored in a cool dark place, should be sufficient. The cake should be completely sealed with fondant, not half-eaten, in order to last as long as possible.
Chocolate mud cakes or lighter cakes such as carrot and banana can be frozen. Wrap the cake well in foil and a plastic bag, squeezing as much air out as possible, and store in a rigid container to avoid damage. These cakes will only keep, frozen, for a few months.
After the wedding the bride and groom may wish to take some cake on honeymoon. If travel restrictions allow, pack a modest amount of sliced cake in a box and ensure the couple knows where it is before they leave!
