I'm making a wedding cake this week, god help me.
Thankfully, I have a large workspace, for the first time in my adult life.
Thankfully, I'm not the the contact; I lack the, let's say, people skills necessary for dealing with mind-changing brides.
Thankfully, the heatwave has passed.
Thankfully, I've got my health.
Unfortunately, it's still hot.
Unfortunately, I no longer work in a professional kitchen, a generous one that lets me place wholesale orders and lends me turntables and 12" cake pans.
Unfortunately, I suspect I'm losing money.
Unfortunately, my week is shot.
The cake, regardless, will be delicious, with labor divided between me and my partner. She'll make a dense chocolate cake filled with ganache and frosted with vanilla buttercream, while I'll be making, as afore reported, an orange-scented cake with cardamom pastry cream (pretty wintry flavors, in my opinion, but I put it on the menu, so I take the blame. The bride neglected to order, however, the berries I had wished to pair it with- and she can't be talked into them... back away from the issue, Maura, just back away). 
The design is basic: flowers (we haven't been informed of what kind- let's hope the florist has!), beaded border, swiss dots, and three stacked tiers assembled onsite.
It's supposed to be fresh-faced and sweet. Lord knows if I'll be!
sounds very stressful but will be rewarding (albeit not financially) in the end. good luck!
Posted by: Mitzy | July 31, 2006 at 06:49 AM
If I ever get married ... I'm flying you over here to make my cake. And you can make whatever cake you like. And decorate it however you like and pair it with whatever you like (the bride doesn't want the berries ... puh-lease!)
Will we be able to see a photo of your wondrous creation???
Posted by: Ivonne | August 03, 2006 at 07:05 AM
I can empathize with you over the stress of baking a wedding cake! It's the fear of knowing that you are going to have the chance to either tickle or tweak so many pallets. Whenever I am called upon to make a wedding cake I sit on my porch and think about that old Chinese Wedding Cake haiku. A haiku is a Chinese poem that is designed to eliminate stress. It works for me, perhaps you should try it:
Wedding cake to bake
Ingredients always pure
Bride and groom first piece
Bon Appetite!
Posted by: Regina | August 05, 2006 at 04:29 PM
Yes, making a wedding cake is so stressful! Oh, the pressure! I can only imagine that it tasted amazing. How did it look? Photos of the finished product?
Posted by: Jessica | August 19, 2006 at 02:47 PM