Let them eat cake—in fact, let them eat your cake. Whether you’re the bride, the groom, or a loving friend or family fellow member who wants to make that particular day unforgettable, public television cooking show host Dede Wilson knows that you—yes, you—can bake, frost, assemble, and decorate a spectacular, delicious, and wholly distinguishable wedding cake that won’t put your budget over the edge—even if you’ve never mastered anything more elaborated than a birthday cake or two. In Wedding Cakes You Can Make, this top-tier expert reveals that all it takes to make that big-day cake is a love of baking and a willingness to plan decently and work patiently.

Whether you’re feeding 20 or 150 people, preparation begins long before you preheat the oven. In this easy-to-follow, hands-on guide, Wilson takes you through the entire process, from the drawing board to the visual representation table, sharing time-tested proficiencies that aid you turn that cake of your dreams into a delectable reality.

She helps you get started by having you write a wish list that may be honed into a framework for the idealisti cake. Then it’s time to make the cake occur by working through all the practical elements that come into play, such as setting your budget (and sticking to it); choosing the necessary flavors (if chocolate is the bride’s passion, don’t leave it out!); giving careful consideration to the wedding date (if it’s October, think regarding fall colors); accommodating the number of guests (small guest list equals modest-sized cake); keeping in tune with the wedding’s style or mood (beach-casual vs. black tie-formal); and getting organized (time to borrow that embellishing turntable).

When it comes to execution, Wilson inspires you to use the highest-quality ingredients and instrumentation specific to the task, and to gain a foundation by making a six-inch sample cake—an integral step that, much like dating, allows you to try the cake on for size before making the final commitment. She shares her own favored flavor compoundings as well as those most often requested by bridal couples. For each of the 16 cakes, Wilson provides necessary details—a timeline, exhaustive recipe directions, and tips. Recipes range from the lighthearted Raspberries and Cream Cake to the contemporary Nutella Cake and the sophisticated Gilded Mocha Cake. Color photographs of all the finished cakes and dozens of how-to photos give you the inspiration and know-how to bake your own particular wedding cake.

As Wilson says, wedding cake flavor and design selections are infinite. In Wedding Cakes You Can Make, she helps you fabricate your own particular slice of what is possible.

From the Back CoverMake the cake?

Yes, you can.

If you love to bake and are more than willing to plan ahead, you may make a spectacular wedding cake—and you don’t have to be a pastry chef to do it! Let prominent wedding cake expert Dede Wilson guide you through each layer of the process—from choosing among flavors and styles to baking, assembling, and embellishing your way to a pretty and delicious cake. This accessible cookbook not only gets you ready for the huge event, it helps you lend a genuinely personal touch to the celebration.

“If you want to make your own wedding cake, Dede Wilson is the perfective guide. She helps you bake with selfconfidence each step of the way to a delicious individualized result.”
—Donna Ferrari, BRIDE’S magazine

About the AuthorDede Wilson is a leading baking expert who has taught wedding cake classes at Rhode Island School of Design, California Culinary Academy, Sur La Table, and elsewhere. She hosts the public television feed show Seasonings with Dede Wilson, and has made numerous appearances on The View, Today, and on Live! with Regis and Kelly. She is a contributing editor, spokesperson, and writer for Bon Appétit and is the author of a number of cookbooks, including The Wedding Cake Book (Wiley) and The Baker’s Field Guide series.