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!
Satellite: A type of tiered cake in which several separate cakes form the base, with another layer of separate cakes placed above via columns. This creates a sort of pyramid effect and allows for more layers than a simple tiered cake.
Separators: Thin support poles pushed into each layer of cake at evenly spaced intervals in order to support the next layer up. Separators prevent the cake layer from sinking into the layer below, and are invisible once the cake has been decorated.
Sheet: A large, flat cake, often used to supplement a smaller wedding cake. The sheet cake is generally created with the same flavoring and icing as the wedding cake.
Soft Ball Stage: Sugar, dissolved in water and heated to 112 degrees Celsius. At this stage, the sugar forms soft balls in the hand or when dropped into cold water.
Sponge Cake: A light cake made from flour, eggs, sugar and butter. The batter is whisked or creamed to incorporate a lot of air into the mix.
Stacked: A multi-layered cake effect in which each layer is place directly on top of the next layer down. Little support poles or separators are pushed into each layer to prevent the layers from sinking into each other.
Sugar Dough: A mixture of confectioners' sugar, water, cream of tartar and tragacanth gum that can be molded like clay and turns hard and brittle as it dries. Often used for cake decorations. Also known as candy dough or gum paste.
Sugar Lace: Lace patterns recreated on a cake using royal icing and a pastry bag with a fine tip. Often, the pattern is transferred to the cake using tracing paper and filled in with icing.
Tiered: A multi-layered cake effect in which each layer is separated by columns, often several inches in length. The open space between each layer allows for the placement of decorations on top of each layer.
Topper: A figurine placed on top of a wedding cake. Traditionally, the cake topper has been a bride and groom.
Torte: A rich cake, often made with little or no flour but instead with ground nuts or bread crumbs, eggs, sugar and flavorings. Tortes are often multi-layered and filled with buttercream, jams, etc.
Whipped Cream: Cream containing between 35 and 40 percent butterfat. The cream is whipped to add air and to convert the fat into a semi-solid form.
Yellow Cake: Cake made with only the yolk of the egg, not the white.
Read more about Wedding Cakes:
Wedding Cakes Glossary A-B
Wedding Cakes Glossary C
Wedding Cakes Glossary D-F
Wedding Cakes N-R
Wedding Cakes Glossary S-Z
Find more ideas and inspiration in our wedding cake photo galleries
See More: Wedding Cakes