Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Custom Cake Design Timeline

I know this is super early, but I can't find the answer anywhere and I would like to have an idea for planning purposes. FI and I are both electrical engineers and it has played a huge role in our lives as well as our relationship. We met because of engineering and became close while working as lab partners. Because of this, we want to incorporate some little touches that reflect our love of engineering without going too over the top (I have seen the Offbeat Bride post; FI and I have no desire to do anything like that). FI and I have been brainstorming and came up with an idea to do a circuit board print on the cake. 

I have not seen anything exactly like what we are envisioning anywhere online, and it is a bit of an odd request, so I want to make sure to give the baker enough time to practice the design so that it comes out the way we are hoping. We would have to give them some pictures of the circuit design and work with them to have it transferred onto a cake. The design itself would be using a gold piping/foil technique on a white cake, so I don't think it is extremely hard, but I am not positive. The cake below is the closest thing I can find to what we are trying to do with the gold print. 

My question is, would doing something custom take any more time than a more traditional cake, and if so, how early should FI and I start meeting with the baker? We have a cake as part of our catering package, but it is contracted out to a local bakery. Traditional timelines that I am finding say 4-6 months out is when you should order your cake, but I want to make sure we give the baker enough time to do something like this. Thanks!

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Re: Custom Cake Design Timeline

  • First - find your baker NOW!  NYC I'd recommend Colette Peters - if she can't do it, she will know who can..  Otherwise Charm City Cakes if you're closer to Baltimore.  You may have to forget the contracted cake because most bakers are "all or nothing".  But you need to meet with an upper end baker NOW, not the 4-6mo mark as many book up quickly if you want something truly custom as bakers who won't look at you like you've sprouted three heads book up fast for a reason. 

    Sure, you want something different, but a skilled baker is going to be able to pull off the look you want without doing "practice cakes", that's why they're professional for upper end work and get paid what they do.  Be aware, your vision comes with a price tag!  The bigger your vision the bigger the price point is going to be.  Either way, whether you choose a simple cake or a complex engineering cake the cake itself isn't likely to be baked and decorated until the week of your wedding.  You wouldn't want it any other way!

  • @MesmrEwe thank you for the suggestions! FI and I are getting married in Upstate NY though, so I will have to do my own research. I also do expect to pay additional if we are requesting something like this, and of course I wouldn't want the final one done any earlier than it should be. I definitely want it as fresh as possible! 

    As an amateur baker, I know that there are ways to practice without baking a full cake, but I didn't know how long it would take a cake designer to perfect it before transferring it over, if that makes sense. 

    I will reach out to the venue coordinator tomorrow and see if she can tell me what bakery the venue uses and go from there. Best case they can do it and worst I get a cake credit from the venue and find my own :)

  • We had a custom cake that involved our baker hand painting sheet music onto a section of it - she didn't bat an eye when we brought it up (and this was not a big name bakery in a major city either). A good professional will be able to handle it - that's what the consultation is for. They will hear your idea, give you some suggestions as to how they can incorporate it - it may not be precisely what you envisioned, because they may know a better way to handle it than what you thought of. Ours was so much better than either of us pictured in our heads. We met with them 6 months out from our wedding date. I also ordered a groom's cake for DH from them - they did an exact replica of one of his electric basses, based off some photos I sent them. Again, not a big name bakery - just one that knew what it was doing.

    Also, our bakery was one that was recommended by our venue - they had worked with them a lot (knew exactly what the set up would be like, etc.) and they knew the cake would be excellent quality. If you trust your venue, trust the vendors they recommend.
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  • Hi!  I am a professional cake artist, and I personally love when brides and grooms come in with unique ideas for their wedding cakes.  I agree with the above advice about booking early, however, I highly doubt he or she will need a year or even 6 months to "practice" for your cake.  Your baker should provide a portfolio of their work for you to judge how they handle a variety of techniques.  If you are impressed by what you see, please trust that your design is in good hands!  Also, bring in photos of the circuit board, colors, anything and everything that will help you convey your vision.  I may not be an engineer, but if you can give me visuals to work off, I can turn almost anything into art, that's my job!  I would suggest asking for a sketch of what the cake will look like, but some may not provide a sketch or a copy of a sketch unless you put down a deposit.  Sketching and research take time.  You can also ask for a mock up or sample of the design on a smaller cake, but again, you should expect to pay for this.

    I hope this helps!  Have fun!

    Rachel

  • As an amateur baker, I know that there are ways to practice without baking a full cake, but I didn't know how long it would take a cake designer to perfect it before transferring it over, if that makes sense. 

    ..



    Both bakers I mentioned do a lot of travel/deliveries along the coast, just a matter of what you're willing to spend.  They also may know someone in upstate who can better help you out. 

    The highlight though...  If I said I was an amateur engineer and knew how to ___ you would go into a million ways that I don't have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do ____ cost effectively the first time that someone such as yourself who does this type of work professionally does.  Same goes for florist or other vendor, at the end of the day, it is cheaper and less stressful to delegate the work out and hire someone to do the job correct the first time.  If you don't think another baker can be trusted to make your cake, then make it yourself if your skillset is there, if not, be willing to pay for it at or above the level you can do.  Truly, if you hire a skilled baker (and from this it sounds like Charm City is who you need to call), your concerns aren't concerns at all..  I remember hiring out my daughter's First Communion cake - one-time event, I want it done RIGHT the first time, but most of all I didn't want to stress about it.  I budgeted a reasonable amount for the guest count, and it was fabulous.  But really - if you don't trust a baker, then do it yourself, otherwise have a little faith when you delegate out to someone who is a professional in the industry.  Also, bring pictures of exactly what you want.  Bakers aren't psychics and/or mind readers, without you telling them exactly what it is you want, they can't recreate the image in your head.

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