2012 is starting to show its true colors and new wedding trends are popping up all over the place. Hand painted cakes have been around for a while but brides from all over the world are picking up on this trend like crazy. The extravagant fondant creations and natural buttercream cakes are over and hand painted masterpieces are totally in!

Hand painted cakes give brides a new way of being creative and a way of including more personalization into their wedding day. The sky is the limit with hand painted cakes, they can be bold and beautiful like a tattoo inspired cake or something that resembles stained glass, or simple and personalized with a painted design in your wedding day colors. Check out these awesome examples below! There might be more than a few from my favorite cake designer ever the Sweet and Saucy Shop!

 Photo Credit: Romantic Wedding Cakes by Kerry Vincent  via Brides

 

 Photo Credit: Sweet and Saucy Shop

 

 Photo Credit: The Knot

 

 Photo Credit: Sweet and Saucy Shop

 

 

 Photo Credit: My Sweet and Saucy

 

 Photo Credit: Amelie’s House

 

 Photo Credit: Maggie Austin Cakes

 

 Photo Credit: Real Simple

 

 Photo Credit: Inticing Creations via Brides

 

 Photo Credit: My Sweet and Saucy

 

 Photo Credit: Robyn Loves Cake via Brides

 

 Photo Credit: Real Simple

 Photo Credit: Debi Hall of Just Simply Delicious

 Photo Credit: Sweet and Saucy Shop

 

Is this something you have thought about doing to your wedding cake? What types of designs are you considering?

Nicole= Girly, Girly= Ruffles, = Nicole ♥ Ruffles! I’m always looking for new ways to update your cake and I’ve been seeing this trend a lot lately. There are a variety of ways to rock the ruffled look and pull it off using fondant OR buttercream!! As you’ll see below, there are many ways to incorporate ruffles into your wedding cake and they all end beautifully!!!

Sorry for the short post, it’s been a  busy few days. Have no fear, we are working on some great pieces for next week!!! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Etsy Find Friday on Napkin Rings!!!

Photo Credit: The Sweet and Saucy Shop

Photo Credit: Hong Kong Fashion Geek

Photo Credit: Jose Villa, Cake Design by Erica O’Brien via Style Me Pretty

Photo Credit: Millie Holloman via Style Me Pretty

Photo Credit: Pobke Photography, Cake Design by Sugar and Spice Cakes via Style Me Pretty

Photo Credit: Kara’s Party Ideas

Photo Credit: Unknown via Pinterest

The Royal Wedding is about to start a ton of new trends, just you wait! One trend I envision taking off fairly fast is the use of lace appliqués on wedding cakes. Princess Catherine’s dress is going to bring lace back in a whole new way. Brides will be looking a for a new take on sophistication and lace is just the thing they’ve been looking for. Check out these cakes:

Cake Designed by Caroline’s Cake Company / Photo Credit: Louise Tugwell

Photo Credit: The Sweet and Saucy Shop

Photo Credit: Amy Beck Cake Design

Photo Credit: Call Me Cupcake

Photo Credit: The Sweetest Thing Cakes

Photo Credit: Cake Ink

Photo Credit: Amy Beck Cake Design

Okay, so I’ll be honest, I’m a buttercream gal. I could eat tubs of it. With that being said, many couples struggle with the decision to choose buttercream or fondant. They want the incredible flavor that buttercream provides but the smooth clean look that you get from using fondant. The best advice I can give you is to read the following and then get out there and taste as much cake as humanly possible!

Buttercream

Buttercream has a fantastic taste and is what you are probably used to eating on cupcakes or birthday cakes. Buttercream is made by mixing butter, sugar and vanilla (some varieties also use eggs) and any other flavor you would like to incorporate. Make sure your cake designer uses real butter and not shortening, the taste will be much different. Personally, I am a fan of straight up vanilla but there are tons of different options for you to try out!

 

Photo: Sweet and Saucy Shop

Flavors to Consider

• Almond
• Mint
• Chocolate
• Lemon
• Blood Orange
• Carmel
• Vanilla
• Raspberry
• Key-Lime
• Pistachio
• Apricot
• Coconut
• Cream Cheese
• Mocha
• Many More!

Advantages

• When done right, buttercream can look almost as smooth as fondant.
• It can be used to pipe edges or other decoration onto your cake for a uniform look.
• It tastes amazing!
• Less expensive than fondant.

Disadvantages

• Be careful using buttercream if your cake will be outside, it might melt (remember it’s BUTTERcream). To prevent melting, you can store the cake in a refrigerator prior to the cake cutting.
• Even when done by a professional it’s not always, perfectly smooth like fondant.
• It can be harder to fix if something on the cake gets messed up in transport.

Fondant

Fondant is a sugar dough (usually made from corn syrup and gelatin) that is rolled out and then laid and fit on the cake. It’s what you are used to seeing in wedding magazines as it provides a very clean, modern look.

Photo: Sweet and Saucy Shop

Advantages

• Cakes covered in fondant have a layer of butter cream underneath the fondant layer which can provide flavor.
• Fondant stays cooler for outdoor weddings in the hot summer months.
• Having the fondant layer allows for more decorating options such as hand painting, etc.

Disadvantages

• Although fondant looks nice, it is chewy and doesn’t have a lot of flavor.
• Fondant can sometimes sweat in the heat.
• It’s usually more expensive because of the labor involved (about 3 times more than buttercream).

And the Winner is….

As you’ve probably already guessed, there is no winner! Everyone has different tastes and preferences, and as long as you know the pros and cons of each you can at least make an informed decision. Make sure you try both fondant and buttercream at every tasting you attend. The flavor and texture will vary from place to place, so even if you have sworn off fondant or buttercream you might end up loving a specific batch. It is also important to find out if the bakery specializes in one or the other and to look at a portfolio of their work to see how they handle both. Just remember, guests will care more about how it tastes than how it looks!