I've been commissioned to make my first wedding cake ever (not including friends) for a supposedly very low key wedding. The bride is starting to show her claws a bit, so it's making me even more nervous that normal. She's very particular about the decorations but her flavor choice is leaving me at a loss.

She wants a buttery cake, moist, but not too sweet. She thinks that white cake is too light and yellow cake too dry.

The only butter cakes I've made are pound cakes. I'm looking for a tried and true sponge recipe that could possibly help me out. I thought about a yellow cake with some simple syrup brushed on to keep it moist, but I'm not sure about how it would effect the sweetness. She doesn't want any fillings so it'll just be the frosting and cake, so the flavor needs to be on point. The frosting is going to be a simple vanilla swiss bc. My nerves are getting the best of me. Any advice would be helpful at all! Thank you!

Sylvia Weinstock's Yellow Cake recipe is amazing.  Go for the original (the one with sour cream, not milk).  Another good option is the yellow cake recipe from The Cake Bible.  I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the recipe here, but just Google it and it will come up....good luck!!

I think she's confused about her cakes.

white cake is lighter, but dry because it's made with egg whites

yellow cake is moister and more flavorful due to fat and emulsion properties of egg yolk 

sponge cake is dry because there's no fat or leavening

Sponge can be challenging because it's rise depends entirely on whipping the eggs perfectly.  

I'll message you something.

I would do a tasting with her with the different sponges you offer and if she doesn't like it, then part ways.  You can spend hours and hours and hours and a lot of money looking for a different recipe which she may also not like.  I once had a bride ask for a 'really light' sponge.  Turned out, she wanted a fatless angel cake.  I told her that was not possible for a fondant covered wedding cake.  She wasn't happy but that is what it is.  Unless she is putting in a MASSIVE order then you will spend more on experimenting than you will make on your cake.  x

Sockerkaka, in Sweden is often translated to sponge cake, even though the name is  Sugar cake,  I do have great recipe for sugarcake, it isnt too sweet and it very buttery.

I have the cake recipe in the flavour  lemon/orange  or vanilla or  cardamom. 

I find it for your later on today and best part,  you can make it in a  tube pan and   freeze and then you have cake to eat.

I was ponder about another cake,  orange rum cake?  Could that work?

What about white chocolate mudcake or brown butter cake?

^^^ exactly what @Snowflakebunny23  said.

Didn't she book for a cake tasting with you? I would probably charge extra for trying out new recipes only for her 

Definitely have her try some cakes, and definitely have her pay you for it! People who are so vague yet so specific like that will never be happy because they're imagining something that probably doesn't exist.

she's on my last nerve and i don't even know her -- white cake is too light and yellow cake is too dry  when the baker sucks  -- she's insulting -- she wants you to come up with a brand new heretofore unknown cake flavor for her wedding?

oh I look these chicks right in the eye give it a long pause,  raise my eye brows, then a slight smile, and say 'excuse me?' ... ...

i would suggest -- mildly putting her in her place in a nice way before this spins any further out of control

on and i love your screen name -- brilliant

fist bump

oh and the two requirements 'no filling' and 'not too sweet' a nice tart fruit filling really minimizes the sugar buzz -- balances things out nicely -- oh well

Where did she get the idea that yellow cake is dry? It's anything but.

I'd make the Beyond Buttercream cake with all egg yolks.

I was told by a friend, that cakes they test bake as long as they taste good, they are crumbed for cakepops.

Being new at the game can lead you to a lot of frustrating experiences...and it sounds like you are headed for one.

Early on, if you plan to sell cakes, you need to establish a flavor/filling/frosting list for the cakes you will do.  These need to be the cakes you've made (more than once) and are aware of things like texture, moisture, etc.  If you try to accomodate a lot of strange requests without having a solid plan in place, you just end of with a lot of issues sometimes.

Personally, I'd talk to her and tell her what I have to offer...and, hard as it might be to do so starting out, give her the option of going with another baker.  In the long run, I've got a feeling you will be the one who unhappy in the end with the whole experience.

ditto to what Jeff said so nicely.

Thank you all so much! Unfortunately this is a pretty unconventional client situation. I work at a restaurant that is catering for the owner's friend's wedding, so as the pastry chef I was kind of volunteered as the wedding baker. I'm doing a wedding cake plus a whole dessert table for a bridezilla in progress. Very stressful indeed! But thank you all so much for the advice, I'm definitely keeping it all in mind once I go solo.

eww so you're a bit of a cake hostage -- so sorry --  hopefully she will lighten up or your boss would intervene for you in a good way

best to you!

TheSconesRanger: I realised my sponge cake isnt sturdy enough for stacking, but do you want the recipe anyway?

CatPoet:  *ANY* cake is sturdy enough for stacking with the right/proper support system.  One could stack layers of whipped cream or jello is using good support! 

Fine sponge

150 gram romm temperature  butter

200 ml sugar

2  medium eggs

50 ml  water 

300 ml cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder.

( flavourings:   1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom or ½ tablespoon vanilla essence  or  the zest of half  orange or lemon or a few drops almond oil / essences )

Preheat the oven to 175C. Use a 1½ litre  spring pan, grease and dust with flour  ( or do as I do, mix flour and cinnamon and dust the pan).  Mix flour and  baking powder in a  bowl.  In another bowl cream butter and sugar until pale and smooth, add the eggs and combine. Add  the chosen flavouring and water, combine and then add flour mix. Combine and pour in the tin and bake for 40- 45 min in the lower part of the oven.

This is  written while my kid is trying to  brush my feet, this is pure torture.