Alternatives to Cake for Dietary restrictions?

Klhacker

We have 2 guests coming that are Vegan and 2-3 others that have gluten restrictions. We will be having a wedding cake as well as a dessert bar. What should we do for those that have dietary restrictions? I was thinking about trying to find a bakery to make a few vegan and a few gluten free cupcakes and then tell the servers who should get them. What do you think?

juma1111

I honestly think if you are having a dessert bar in addition to your wedding cake, there would be something that they could have if they wanted a sweet treat after supper. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

They are most likely use to have to be selective and careful in what they eat and sometimes being outcasted with a special dessert or item can make them feel awkward. As long as you have selections on the bar they can choose from, I would leave it at that.

Peavy

Ditto juma, as long as there is something on the dessert bar that they can eat, you don't need to provide a cake substitute. 

jessicabessica

We had a dessert buffet.  I have one friend with very severe and extensive allergies, and the venue provided a separate fruit plate for her that was only fruits she could eat and hadn't come into contact with anything bad.  For the vegan and gluten-free guests, there was homemade sorbet and fresh fruit (the gluten-free folks could also eat the chocolate fondue that went with the fruit, I think).  

colourz

I think it would be nice to order something special for them, especially the gluten restricted, so they don't have to worry about being ill.

kjwest5024

I think that it is a great idea. Angel food cake and pinneapple upside down cake and carrot cake are some good ideas for the gluten free diets. Sorry but i don't know of any things for some one who is a vegan.

Klhacker

Thanks for all of the advices ladies! I am meeting with the venue in a few weeks and will ask what desserts are included in the package. We also have a fruit platter that is included in our cocktail hour package, so I may ask them to either place it out for dessert instead.

shuey11

I ran into this problem as well. Many say not to worry about it, but I want these guest to enjoy the food and festivities just as much as anyone else there. I actually found a bakery in Pittsburgh, PA, that is glutten free, casen free, and sometime vegan friendly too. I'm just going to pick up something small so that they have something too.

Turtle&Star

I agree that if you've got a dessert bar, maybe you could just add a couple of gluten-free and vegan selections to that. In terms of what to serve, just to add to all the good advice you've already gotten here:

For your gluten-free guests, you might ask your bakery about the possibility of having a small flourless chocolate cake. That's a "standard" kind of thing that a regular bakery might already have in their rotation. (If someone is severely sensitive to gluten, they might still be concerned with cross-contamination in something made in a regular bakery, but it's at least something to look into.)

(KJWest, I'm not sure that carrot cake, angel food, or pineapple upside down cake are necessarily gluten-free...all the recipes I know of for those things have flour in them...but it might depend on the cake.)

Also, for vegans, there is a really fabulous chocolate cake recipe in the cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home - I think it's called "6-minute chocolate cake" - that happens to be vegan. It's my favorite chocolate cake recipe period, and I am definitely not vegan :-). So there are delicious options out there!

a&j2012

If you are going to do a separate option for those with dietary restrictions, you may want to find 1 thing that covers them all. I know a bakery that does gluten, dairy, egg and nut free cake- this sounds like it would cover everything you need. Having 3-4 different cakes would make it confusing for servers and guests.

ShellLillian

There are absolutely TONS of vegan and gluten free dessert options (including cake options and options that are BOTH vegan and gluten free).

Many good vegan desserts will be enjoyed by omnivores as well, and honestly it might be great to have the cake for everyone, and then have other desserts that are vegan and gluten free - for everyone. Your other guests will love them too. 

Singling out the vegans or those with celiac disease can come accross as rude, and I'm sure they get enough crap for their different lifestyles already.

Angel food cake, carrot cake, and pineapple upside down cakes are not gluten free. Anything with flour or wheat has gluten. They are also not vegan.

Though most desserts are not made vegan, it is incredibly simple to adapt most recipes with vegan substitutes, and they will taste as good. 

Do keep in mind that depending on how strict your vegan guests are, many vegans won't eat refined white sugar (as it is often processed with animal bone char).