Baking up magic with your wedding cake baker

When it comes to researching your wedding vendors, picking a baker is one of the best tasks assigned to brides. What could be more fun than looking at gorgeous dessert creations, and tasting free samples?

Now you've definitely seen the standard white touring tiers with some fresh flowers on top, but nowadays wedding cake bakers are coming up with creative choices -- and tempting brides to think outside the circular pan and choose the unusual.

"We have seen that many modern brides are breaking the traditional mold and choosing to have dessert bars rather than a Bride or Groom's cake," says Jennifer Crandell of Sweet Tempered in Austin, TX. Their pastry check, Christy Hughes also creates wedding favors, edible centerpieces and goodies for welcome baskets. "We have also had requests for 3-D Groom's cakes and Brides cakes with alternating shapes on each tier," Crandell says.

What other looks are hot in cakes right now? "Square and hexagon cake shapes are very popular this year," says Elizabeth McRae of Elizabethan Delights in Charlotte, NC, who specializes in life like, hand crafted sugar flowers on her wedding cakes. "Designs are clean and elegant," she says.

Nontraditional flavors are also en vogue. McRae describes one of her favorite, unique creations made with chocolate cake with blood orange curd filling and vanilla icing. "The decor was a beautiful ivory fondant over four tiers of hexagons. The panels alternately decorated with swirls and dogwoods. The topper was of Gumpaste roses with dogwoods cascading to the second tier," McRae says.

Personalization is also a big hit for weddings. Sweet Tempered created a groom's cake modeled after a Chuy's Restaurant Platter for a bride whose fiance manages a branch of the Chuy's Tex Mex restaurant chain in Texas. "It was definitely one of our most original creations and it looked so real," Crandell says. "The best part about it was that all of the design elements were 100% edible."

So how do the baking masters think you should go about your cake search? Find bakers in your area through friends and bridal shows, and then ask to see their portfolios. Then get started on the tastings!

Before you sign on the dotted line, Crandell says to "make sure you understand their pricing structure. Is setup/delivery included or will it be extra? Is your baker going to charge you extra for certain flavors and fillings or are they included in the price?"

Then Mc Rae advises brides to let the professionals do their work. "Give your baker some creative discretion to bring all the elements together in the best possible way," she says.