jenn and pierre's wedding cake

This cake was a labor of love. Now that the wedding has passed, and the cake was a success, I can say how nervous I was going into it. At first I thought: a cake, no problem! I make cakes all the time. Then, I started researching, the wedding cake, which is a different beast from the cake. Pierre and Jenn said not to worry, there would be other desserts served, and that the the cake need not feed everyone. But I had told them I would make them a wedding cake, and that's what I was going to do. Plus, what's a wedding cake without tiers?

finished product

Thankfully, on a recent trip to Philadelphia, to visit my brother, I found a copy of The Cake Bible in a used bookstore. This book has been my savior this month. There is a whole chapter on wedding cake, including conversion amounts for tiers of different sizes.

Jenn and Pierre wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate filling and white icing. I chose a Chocolate Butter Cake with simple ganache filling and a Mascarpone icing. (Mascarpone is a soft icing, which is why I like it; but I was a little worried it wouldn't hold up as a wedding frosting. On the contrary, with enough layers, it was thick and perfect. It smoothes beautifully and quite simply too.)

The part I was most worried about was transporting the cake. I didn't want to risk ruining it, so I brought un-iced layers to the venue the morning of the wedding. I put the cake together in the caterer's kitchen. (I had never done tiers before, even in practice, so this could have all gone very wrong!) The clock was ticking and if I messed up, there was no back-up plan.

Thankfully, my hours of cake research paid off and it all came together without a hitch. The ceremony was amazing and Pierre and Jenn are an incredible couple. I feel invigorated by the process and ready to make more cakes! Now another one of my friends just has to get engaged.

stacked frozen cakes two days before the wedding

evenly sliced layers for tiers

filling the cakes on the morning of the day

on the bride and groom's table (with flowers by Tess)

Beautiful Jenn and I