The sweetest part of planning your wedding is selecting your wedding cake, and we have everything you need to know about wedding cake decorations, shapes, and creative adornments. By the time you've started thinking about your wedding cake, you should already have figured out your wedding theme, wedding venue, wedding caterer, reception menu and the overall feel that you're going for. Aside from your main wedding cake, you may also want to consider having a groom's cake or having a dessert bar to give your guests a sweet treat as well.
Below, we've listed some popular wedding cake terms to help you de-code what your baker is talking about. Remember -- when you know some wedding cake decoration lingo, you'll make your life -- and your bakers -- much easier!
Dacquoise: A circular dessert consisting of layers of meringue mixed with ground, toasted nuts and layers of whipped cream mixed with soft fruits.
Decoration: Icing, pulled sugar, flowers or other materials placed on the wedding cake, either alone or in concert, in order to finish the look of the cake.
Dotted Swiss: A cake decoration pattern in which tiny white dots are piped onto the cake. The finished product resembles a Swiss fabric.
Dragees: Small chocolate hemispheres and silver-colored balls of sugar used to decorate cakes.
Embroidery: A very fine cake decoration resembling needlework, created with a pastry bag and a special tip.
Figurine: A small statue made of plastic, porcelain or other material, which is placed atop the wedding cake. Commonly referred to as cake toppers, these figurines are often miniature brides and grooms.
Filling: A food paste, often fruit or cream-based, dividing or contained within cake layers.
Flavor: The predominant taste of a dessert, cake or cake layer. Wedding cakes come in a wide variety of flavors and each cake layer may have a different flavor.
Flower Ring: A layer of fresh flowers alternated between cake layers for a beautiful visual effect. The flowers are anchored by inserting the stems into an oasis, a material often used in flower arranging.
Fondant: Used as both candy and icing, fondant is a simple sugar-water and cream of tartar mixture cooked to the soft-ball stage. After cooling, the mixture is beaten and kneaded until extremely pliable. It is often formed into decorations or candy that can be dipped in chocolate.
Food Coloring: Edible dyes used to change the color of food. The dyes do not alter the taste of the food in any perceptible way.
Fountain: A mechanism which can be incorporated into a cake design to create a tiny fountain, complete with rushing water. Care must be taken to ensure that the water does not touch the cake itself.
Frosting: A thick cake icing made from sugar, water, egg white and cream of tartar. Frosting generally hardens on the outside, but remains soft inside.
Read more about Wedding Cakes:
Wedding Cakes Glossary A-B
Wedding Cakes Glossary C
Wedding Cakes Glossary G-M
Wedding Cakes Glossary N-R
Wedding Cakes Glossary S-Z
Find more ideas and inspiration in our wedding cake photo galleries
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