Top tips for the perfect Summer wedding cake

We all love a wedding, no matter what season you hold your special day in you'll be hoping the rain holds off, so you and your guests can enjoy dry conditions. We seem to be having the perfect summer weather for an English wedding, but as the heat wave continues to take hold of the country there are a couple of things to consider to ensure your summer wedding cake survives this hot weather. So, whether you are baking or buying a summer wedding cake take a look at our top tips to make sure your cake is a tasty treat for you and your guests....

Creating a homemade Summer wedding cake

Baking your own Summer wedding cake is becoming increasingly popular with couples looking to cut wedding costs, add their own personal flair and create something together for their wedding. But with the current heat wave leaving you all hot and bothered you might want to take into account our tips for ensuring the creation of your homemade Summer wedding cake is as stress free as possible.

• Use all white, pale and neutral colours for cakes destined for outdoor weddings where heat and humidity may be a concern. It's worth noting that dark coloured decorations will be the first to run on a cake in warm weather.
• Avoid placing extra weight such as heavyweight flowers and fondant decorations on buttercream cakes as this will encourage the buttercream to melt faster.
• Naked cakes are becoming increasingly popular and they work well in the summer as there is no icing on the outside, so your stylish cake has no risk of melting.
• Chocolate cake is not such a great idea for warm weather as the cake will sag if it gets too warm.
• Fondant cakes that have been refrigerated will express air when they come up to room temperature causing air pockets to form. It is possible to pop the pockets with a pin or hide with a well-placed flower!

Creating your own Summer wedding cake is an incredible and creative bonding experience. With Wedition, you could include details about how you made the cake, photos of the process and a breakdown of the recipe to give your guests the chance to recreate it when they return home.

Choosing a supplier to create your Summer wedding cake

If you'd prefer to leave the creation of your Summer wedding cake to a professional baker, our Wedition supplier Hanna from Hanna's Bakery shares her top tips on things to consider when choosing a cake supplier to create your perfect Summer wedding cake.

• Traditional tiers, cupcake towers, mini cakes or doughnuts. There is such a wide choice out there. Really take some time to do some research and think about what you want.
• Take into account the time of year that your wedding will take place and any conditions that may impact the cake, discuss your ideas with your cake maker who will be able to suggest what style of cake will work best.
• Always ask for a tasting session so you know your cake will taste as good as it looks and take as much inspiration to your cake consultation as you can. Help your consultant design your dream cake by bringing along wedding invitations, colour theme, flowers you have chosen and any pictures of cakes that you have seen.
• If you are having a smaller wedding but still want your cake to have a big impact without having lots of leftover cake, go to waste it's worth asking your cake maker about dummy tiers. (Note from Liz: There is still an awful lot of time spent icing dummy tiers, this may mean that there is not much difference in price between a dummy tier and real cake.)
• The right cake stand can really set your cake off perfectly. A lot of venues offer cake stands in their packages, however they are often big and clunky. Don't be afraid to ask your cake maker if they have one you can rent for the day.
• Does the price include delivery and set up? This is important, you don't want to be worrying about setting you cake up when you should be getting ready for your wedding.
• Book early, lots of couples leave the cake to the last minute and are disappointed when their favourite cake maker is booked up. Book at least 9-12 months before your wedding, particularly if you are marrying at a peak time of the year.
• Remember cakes take many hours to make, this does not come cheap.
• Save money by having a smaller cake then bulking up the portions with an extra sheet cake kept out of sight until the cake is cut. If you are on a budget tell your cake maker and they can advise you of what they can offer you.

Including details of your research and consultation with your cake maker as well as the reasons why you choose certain aspects for your cake can be a lovely way to help your guests understand the meaning behind your Summer wedding cake. And where better to include all this, then in your own personal Wedition.

Free gift for Wedition customers

Wedition customers get free personalised wedding biscuits with any order over £300 with Hanna's Bakery.