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Wedding cake has an endless supply of options. Will your wedding cake be a delicious confection of simple elegance or an over-the-top creation? What flavor will the cake be? What about the icing? Your cake baker will help you decide all of these things. Having a basic understanding of the terms your baker will use can make deciding on your cake design much easier. Use this list to learn the lingo.

Shape:

The most common and self-explanatory cake shapes are round, square or rectangle. Other common shapes include:

• Hexagonal – Six-sided cake.
• Petal – Also called scalloped and resembles a flower.
• Topsy-turvy - A mixture of regular shapes along with tiers that may not be symmetrical. Not your typical cake, so be sure that the design will work with your reception site and décor.
• Cupcakes – Individual sized cake that can be stacked in tiers to give the look of a traditional wedding cake.

Cake topping:

You might think picking out a flavor or color of icing is all you need to do for the cake topping, but that isn’t true. Icings are made with different ingredients, different consistencies and even serve different purposes. If you are looking for a smooth finish you may want the cake to be covered in fondant. Fondant is a firm, smooth icing that is rolled out and then draped over a cake. It’s made of sugar, corn syrup and gelatin. Fondant serves as a good base for decorations made of gum paste, molded flowers or architectural designs. Before a cake is covered in fondant it is first spread with a thin layer of buttercream or other icing in order to help the fondant stick to the cake and create a smooth, porcelain finish. This icing is not usually flavored, but rather has its own sugary taste. Fondant is white or cream colored but can be dyed.

Buttercream is another common cake topping. It is a smooth, creamy icing that can be colored or flavored and used for covering as well as decorating. As the name suggests, it is made with butter so it will melt in high heat or humidity, but because it stays soft it is easy to cut through. If you decide to have your cake iced with buttercream it will not have as smooth of a finish as fondant, but buttercream will add some nice texture and design to the cake.

Two other toppings that are sometimes used are marzipan and ganache. Marzipan is a paste that is more often used to mold flowers or other decorations, but it can be rolled out like fondant and used as icing. Ganache is a rich chocolate that is less dense than fudge but denser than mousse. Both of these toppings are more likely to be used to make decorations for the cake or as filling (if you choose to have any).

Decorations:

One of the awesome things about your wedding cake is that it can reflect your personality. These days cake baker’s can make a traditional, elegant cake or sculpt a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. That means you will have a plethora of options for the actual decoration on a cake. Flowers, leaves and other items can be made from gum paste, piping can be added with buttercream, or real flowers and fruit can be used to create a one-of-a-kind look.

Look through magazines or books to get an idea of what you want your cake to look like. That will help you decipher what shape and topping will look best with the design you have chosen. Then, when meeting with your baker you will be better able to communicate your vision.