Buttercream. It’s the buzz word of the wedding cake world. Though I absolutely love a fondant cake for it’s stability and crisp appearance, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see the lure of a beautiful buttercream wedding cake with fresh flowers.
Buttercream has taken the stage so well now, that we could even delve into the different types of buttercream you could have on your wedding cake. I may visit that topic at a later point, but for now, let’s talk about why buttercream is a good choice for a London wedding.
- It’s delicious. It might seem crazy to lead with this, but it’s true. With more and more people stating they don’t like the taste of fondant (imho, they just haven’t tasted the right kind), barely anyone says this about buttercream. A whole dollop of it on a cupcake? Maybe not, but I’d venture to say that most people appreciate the lashings of buttercream contained within the layers of a good slice of cake. In fact, the right buttercream serves as a wonderful compliment to a good sponge cake. Take our coconut and lime cake for instance, it’s the lime in the buttercream that really serves to add the right amount of zing to the delicate taste of the lime and coconut in the sponge cake. Unlike fondant, buttercream can be made in literally any flavour.
2. The design options. Buttercream is an extremely versatile medium. It used to be that if you wanted intricate piping designs on your cake, then you’d have to use royal icing, which sets incredibly firm and is very sweet. Buttercream can be piped, shaped, and applied in a myriad of ways to meet almost any design spec. Here at Sugar & Stories, I use an Italian meringue buttercream for the outside of your wedding cake, with the more popular American buttercream to sandwich the layers within the cake. Italian meringue buttercream is the most stable of all the buttercreams (hello hot summer!) and takes shape extremely well. It is also less sweet and looks silky smooth on the outside of a cake!
Buttercream has also had a history of being more suitable for rustic weddings. This is no longer the case. Buttercream designs can be just as crisp and elegant as fondant designs, and look pride of place in a manor house, city hotel or a barn. The choice is yours.
3. Cost. Compared to fondant cakes, buttercream cakes are usually cheaper, if only marginally. Buttercream is far less labour intensive to apply for your cake designer. Less time = less money. You may wish to go for this option if money is an object, but you still desire a beautiful cake for your wedding day. Also butter tends to cost less than artisan fondant, which is what most bakers would be using to cover your cake.
4. A perfect pairing with fresh flowers. Buttercream cakes and fresh flowers go hand in hand. It probably goes back to the rustic nature buttercream cakes used to be known for, but the pairing has lasted the distance, and for many, it’s the perfect pairing. Whether you’re a minimalist or maximalist, there are so many ways to use fresh flowers to complement buttercream cakes. At Sugar & Stories, most enquiries are for this stunning combination, and I never tire of making them. If you take a look through the gallery, you should hopefully see that this simple pairing gives rise to a wealth of different cake styles that all look completely different.
5. Practicalities. Last but not least, buttercream is extremely practical due to it’s lightness. For your caterers who will be lifting your cake – buttercream makes their job slightly easier. It’s also easier to cut and serve compared to fondant cakes. If your wedding cake will be served as part of a buffet during your evening reception, or if it will serve as the dessert course of your wedding breakfast, this lightness lends itself well, and is likely to be appreciated by all!
Until next time,
Jasmine