Local bakers provide wedding dessert options
Written by Staff Reports | | news@toledofreepress.comBy Jay Hathaway, Toledo Free Press Star Staff Writer
Wedding parties and receptions are veritably rife with tradition — some long beloved, and others quite polarizing (“Chicken Dance,” anyone?).
However, several local bakeries offer unique dessert ideas for those wishing to depart from the confines of confectionary custom.
Cake pops — small round cake truffles often served on a stick — are one of the hotter alternatives to traditional cake for all types of parties, including wedding-related events. Kate Theise and Colette Lundberg run Lickety Split Heavenly Chocolates, which specializes in personalized creations for wedding desserts. Cake pops are a large part of their business.
“We do cake pops in a chocolate cup, then we customize [them] for whatever the bridal colors are,” Theise said. “They are served individually, perhaps with a little bit of chocolate or raspberry sauce. It’s a nice individual type of dessert, and they can be done in a variety of flavors.”
For those who are imagining their home creations made with the now-popular cake pop machines, Theise advised that a truly homemade cake pop is a cut above.
“Ours aren’t the traditional cake pops. These taste a little bit different. They are moister than when they are made with the machine,” Theise said.
Krystal Wallace, of Krystal’s Cake Stand, is another local baker who provides cake pops with or without the stick. The latter, she explained, are often referred to as “cake truffles.” She agrees that they are currently en vogue.
“I’ve had people order a whole tower of truffles instead of a wedding cake,” Wallace said. “Right now, I’m doing 200 bride and groom cake pops. They look like little brides and grooms, and will be at the place settings.”
Wallace and Theise agreed that one of the great advantages to using smaller desserts like cake pops is the personal touch.
“It’s elegant, it’s personalized, and it’s something that guests can enjoy at your wedding,” Theise said.
In addition to cake pops, Lickety Split produces chocolate–covered pretzel rods decked in caramel, as well as caramels coated in chocolate, then sprinkled with sea salt. With both of these, the colors are customized to match the wedding colors.
“We really dress them up, so they look like edible pieces of art. [They] are also a nice compliment to a wedding cake.” Theise said.
Wallace shared several other unique ideas, such as serving cookies or cake “push pops” as bridal or wedding party favors.
“I’m doing cupcake towers, as well, which are a huge hit lately,” Wallace said.
Cake in a Cup, 6801 West Central Ave., sells cupcakes exclusively. Co-owners Dana Iliev and Lori Jacobs were featured on an episode of Food Networks’ “Cupcake Wars,” which they won.
“We were surprised at how many people were into doing cupcakes for weddings, because sometimes it’s a little hard for people to go away from tradition,” Iliev said.
Iliev explained that the presentation of cupcakes also provide advantages, because the displays maintain their integrity after the first few servings are taken. Conversely, wedding cake is often “completely destroyed” after it has been cut.
“People take a few cupcakes, and it’s still beautiful,” she added.
Iliev said the “homemade touch” is another aspect that makes a customized dessert special.
“A lot of times, wedding cakes are not really homemade. They look beautiful, but they are not necessarily great-tasting. A lot of times they’re frozen, or the art on the cake table is not even the real cake,” Iliev said. “There are few things worse than bad cake. It’s just not worth it.”
For those wanting something unique or quirky, but are not willing to break from the idea of a large wedding cake, Jeni Charles may be able to provide solutions. She owns Grand Elegance Cakes, and her creations truly live up to the name.
Charles’ 3-D works of art range from simple, hand-sized individual cakes to grand, 3-foot tall giraffes. She said demand for her service is currently on the rise.
“The brides are starting to say, ‘Well wait a minute, I can have my cake look more colorful than the traditional three layers of white stuff,’” she said.
In addition to the actual wedding cake, Charles noted that brides and grooms may wish to have specialized cakes for their parties, too.
“Groom’s cakes are one of the biggest things I’ve been doing. They tend to go a little wild with the personality in the design. People often have told me that the groom’s cake stole the show,” she said, adding that she has used Darth Vader, a Nintendo console and a large cellphone for cake designs.
Though creating cakes can be arduous, Charles said quality trumps quantity when taking on orders.
“I’m not worried about volume. I work out of my home, as a cottage baker. I do one or two cakes a week, max. They can take up to several days to make, but they are more personal,” she said.
Tags: Cake Pops, Dessert, Here comes The Guide, Wedding
