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Can bakers modify their icing recipe?

clearheavensclearheavens member
Knottie Warrior 1000 Comments Name Dropper 5 Love Its
in Ohio-Cincinnati
FI and I have finals this week and the next.  But then we'll be free!  So we're trying our best to schedule cake tasting sessions during spring break!  I'm so excited that the wedding planning is underway.  Next to our photographer, this will be the second vendor we'll be looking at.

I have a question about most bakers' icing recipes.  Do you know if any of them are willing to motify the icing so that it isn't sweet at all?  I'm talking what most people would consider tasteless, I mean...that bland.  Almost like they just mixed in a small amount of confectioner's sugar and that's it.

I'm in a difficult situation because many of our guests are traditional Vietnamese and older and their tolerance for sugar is very low.  Some Vietnamese brides actually opt out of a cake entirely for this reason and serve fresh fruit instead.  But I just couldn't do without a cake but I don't want to insult the bakers by asking them to do something they've never done before just to meet the expectations of my guests.  I'm sure they don't serve this demographic often and don't get requests like this.

btw, we're looking at Tres Belle Cakes, Flying Buttercream, and Marilyn's first.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, ladies!
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Re: Can bakers modify their icing recipe?

  • IG.museIG.muse
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I think you should call them and ask. And explain to them why you need that exactly like you just explained it here. I think they'll be more willing to help if they know it's a cultural thing, not a I bridezilla whim. With some bakers there might be an extra charge for having to mix a separate batch of icing, but I have a feeling none of the bakes you mentioned would charge extra for this. I think just the large bake shops would, if they agreed to do it at all. Good luck!
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  • tb583tb583
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I don't know if they can modify their recipes, but I would recommend doing a tasting with J Annette's Cheesecake (yes, she does do regular cake flavors as well).  Normally, I hate icing, like I always scrape icing off of any cake, but I love her icing.  It is still sweet, but she adds an almond flavoring so to me it doesn't taste as sweet as traditional icing.

    http://www.jannettes.com/
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
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  • sparkleas1sparkleas1
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We're using Tres Belle, and when I first talked to Tracy, she said even if we didn't see flavors/recipes on her list, she would try her best to find them. I'm sure she would be more than willing to give the no sugar version a shot...she's been AWESOME to work with!!
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  • onlymelsonlymels member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Good luck getting ahold of Tres Belle. I tried to get in a tasting with her and called her mutliple times and left email messages and I never got a call back.
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  • clearheavensclearheavens member
    Knottie Warrior 1000 Comments Name Dropper 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    Thank you so much for your opinions, ladies!  I feel better now going ahead and requesting the bakers exactly what I wrote above.  I just didn't have the heart to ask but now I have couuurrraaagge!
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  • clearheavensclearheavens member
    Knottie Warrior 1000 Comments Name Dropper 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    OK, update on the situation: most aren't able to modify the icing because it's made of butter, shortening, and sugar. To reduce the sugar requires that they increase the butter, which is to have it taste like shortening and butter; which is what I want.  Then it would be like a European torte!  Unfortunately, they weren't comfortable with that because it would mean refrigeration.

    I hate calling around because I totally feel like Bridezilla.  But this is so important to me, I know that most of our Vietnamese guests won't even eat the cake if it's not the type of icing they're used to; not that they mean to insult or hurt us, it's just that there's nothing in the Vietnamese cuisine is ever as sweet as buttercream icing and they're not used to it.

    Let's see if I can get a baker who refrigerates their cakes.
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  • Audge.PodgeAudge.Podge
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    What about doing a smaller cake since it's something you want, and I'm sure you will have some guests who don't mind sweets, and then do some other desserts that would fit in with what your Vietnamese guests would like (whether that be fresh fruit, or something else).  We are not doing a cake at all, and are doing a big dessert bar with lots of different desserts.  Most people we have mentioned it to love the idea.

    Or are there any Vietnamese restaurants in town?  They might have a connection to a Vietnamese baker who is familiar with the type of icing or cake you want.
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