Newbie With A Wedding Cake Question
Decorating By Franluvsfrosting Updated 14 Jun 2007 , 2:15am by dodibug
Hello! I've been lurking on and off this site since January. I've found tons of info here and thank you all for sharing all your expertise! I love to bake and have dabbled in cake decorating but nothing more serious than my kids' birthday cakes. I took a class and posted the pictures on my blog; my SIL saw them and now I'm doing a wedding cake for my nephew! My head is still spinning over how this happened and the fact that I said yes! (I am utterly terrified!)
Like I said, I've read tons and have a pretty good idea of how to do this. I will be making a practice run and trying out the recipes I'm choosing (bride just said to make a boxed mix but the baker in me just can't do it!) Anyway, my concern is; this wedding is in July and the reception will be outside. The cake will be set up under a tent but the wedding is at 1:00 pm with the reception following. I'm in the Northwest and we tend to get our warmest part of the day in the late afternoon. I've looked at all the frostings but being a newbie I have limited experience with them so I don't know which will hold up best in the heat/humidity. It cannot be fondant (she's thinking buttercream but I've experienced that sliding off a cake when my hubby cranked our woodstove up!), fresh flowers will be put on at the site and it will be a 4 tier stacked cake with some sort of chocolate filling (haven't decided on that either! ) It's a pretty simple design, I'm just worried about what type of frosting to use and any tips you could share. (I started reading the cake disasters thread but that just scared me so I quit! lol) 
Thanks so much for any help
Hi! I am so excited for you!! I remember my first wedding cake. Well just so you know I am from Yuma, AZ...and it gets to be 120 degrees here. I have learned that a stabbalized bc seems to work just fine. I LOVE true bc...but the truth is butter melts when it is hot, so I use shortening vs. butter when it comes to decorating. And I like ganache fillings they taste good and hold up fairly well. I hope I have helped in some way....and have fun with it. 
Welcome to CC!
Just a few thoughts:
Definitely practice, practice, practice. Make sure you are knowledgeable when it comes to tiered/stacked cake construction. That's where alot of disasters come into play. Check out the article on here about construction.
I started using a miter box and hacksaw to cut my dowels and it has made life so much easier.
I recommend stacking on-site to alleviate alot of worries
I would use a whipped ganache for the chocolate filling as ganache is pretty sturdy.
She may not want it but fondant will be your best bet for the conditions you have described. People seem to forget if you don't want to eat the fondant just peel it off and you have a bit of bc and yummy cake with filling underneath!
How many people do you need to feed with this cake?
If you need any more help, just let us know!
d
For outdoor cakes you want to use a buttercream that is made with more shortening than butter, or all shortening with butter flavorings. Although I hate to use all shortening, it does hold up better and has a higher melting temp than ones with butter. I just found this recipe on CC and haven't tried it yet, but figured I would share. It sounds like it works well. I guess the cornstarch is supposed to help it hold up. Hope this helps and all goes well
High Humidity Buttercream
1/2 cup New Crisco (0 Trans Fat)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 pound)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
In large bowl, beat shortening and butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla; mix well. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar mixture has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. In small bowl, combine water and cornstarch; stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Add to icing mixture; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Keep icing covered with damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.
Makes about 3 cups.
Thanks so much for the tips! I have studied the construction article and I do plan to assemble it on site. I am also going to do a complete practice one and I plan to watch the time to see how long it takes me to put it all together and add finishing touches. Then I'm going to add an hour or so to that because something always happens! lol At the very least I'll have family members offering comments or suggestions while I'm trying to finish it so I know it'll take me longer. 
I have to do a baby shower cake Tuesday that is going to have chocolate filling. Maybe I'll try that ganache recipe.
It's so fun and so scary at the same time! Oh, one more thing. I read somewhere that hi ratio shortening is a better choice than say Crisco. I've never tried it so I was wondering what your opinions are on that? (And I hope I didn't offend anyone by saying I didn't want to use a box mix. I am a from scratch baker because I like the process and I always have to tweak things. I have made plenty of cake mixes though.)
Again, thanks for the help.
Fran
If you can get your hands on some hi-ratio (I love Sweetex brand) you will never look back. It is fantastic to work with and you don't get that grease feel in your mouth after eating the icing.
Don't forget to take everything with you when you set up on site-tips, icing, paper towels, extra dowels, etc-your emergency cake kit!
And don't worry about the box/scratch thing. We have lots of both and lots like me-I'm a boxer but learning to be a scratcher! 
If you can get your hands on some hi-ratio (I love Sweetex brand) you will never look back. It is fantastic to work with and you don't get that grease feel in your mouth after eating the icing.
Don't forget to take everything with you when you set up on site-tips, icing, paper towels, extra dowels, etc-your emergency cake kit!
And don't worry about the box/scratch thing. We have lots of both and lots like me-I'm a boxer but learning to be a scratcher!
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