By: Dylan Gibbs

A quick glance at the Yellow Pages (or better still, our Directory of Services) reveals a plethora of establishments that make cakes for weddings. Just Rennies, Piece of Cake, Sandy’s on West Franklin Street – each of these and more create classic and modern designs. And yet another glance at trends in cake design shows what 2010 has in store: Really tall cakes; color themes that match the bridesmaid’s dresses; sophisticated monograms; lots of fondant.

      Another feature among cakes that could be considered a trend is using unique ingredients; the incredible variety of flavor profiles found in wines and sparkling wines pair quite nicely with cakes and other sweet treats. So why not pair a wine with a cake – literally? Another local place making cakes is Abbey Christian Wine Cakes; they use wine in their creations, and the selections they offer are quite unique. Manny Martinez is the proprietor who describes a wine cake as such: “It is a cake made with wine and other ingredients that have been selected to compliment the specific wine chosen for the cake.”

      The idea was born after Martinez had sampled a cake made with wine. As he relates, “I tasted a wine cake with a friend but felt that something was missing, so I started experimenting with various ingredients and developed my own recipe,” he says. “I ended up with 13 flavors and have just added two more this year – blueberry and peach.”

      In addition to 15 flavor varieties, the bakery offers a range of sizes and shapes, from a mini bundt to a multi-tiered wedding cake as well as special occasion cakes for birthdays, heart-shaped Valentines and the like.

      Whether you’re looking for an established trend or forging your own, look for something original or unique, when possible. The craftsmanship – regardless of where the cake comes from – is an important consideration, along with taste and moistness. After all, the cake is both an Object de’Art and food.

      Every bride wants something unique, and the cake can serve as an expression of that desire. As with so many other aspects of the ceremony, communicating with the person who provides the cake is an important way to achieve precisely what you want in a tasty and tantalizing way.

TIP: Fresh fruit can be incorporated into the cake, especially as topping. Talk with your cake maker about exploring the possibilities fruits open up; not only are they tasty, their bright colors and interesting shapes can set off a cake in a wholly unique way.

TIP: “Something Blue.” To meet the requisite incorporation of the color blue into the big day, why not use the cake as the palette for this cool, soothing hue?