Today we have a guest blog for you by the lovely Lorena from Pasticceria Lorena. It’s all about wedding dessert tables (the Italian Way!), and this one is guaranteed to leave you with a real cake craving!
Gone are the days of traditional iced fruit cake with sugar flowers. Today’s couple wants something unique! The wedding cake has evolved in many different directions from the most fabulous of sponges left naked to works of contemporary art with their pristine sharp edges. But what if you’re not a fan of the cake cutting tradition? What if you want to wow your guests with something sweet, but don’t like layers of overly sweet icing?
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Wedding dessert tables have become a growing alternative or addition to a wedding cake and boy, can they add the wow factor to your special day! From doughnuts to macarons, the joy of the dessert table is that you can give your guests choice as well as pick some or all of your favourite sweet treats to add to your big day. As an Italian pastry chef, I wanted to share with you some of my top tips on how to ROCK a wedding dessert table (The Italian Way), with some styling inspiration to give it that real impact.
Spoilt For Choice!
If you are a foodie, you will love Italian patisserie in its miniature form, like sweet tapas, it lends itself well to sharing. One of the most frequent comments I get about my cakes is that they ‘pack a punch!’ These are definitely grown up pastries due to their alcohol content and it’s something that definitely sets them apart from your average sweet treat. In an array of shapes, colours, flavours and pastry types, you would be spoilt for choice when selecting items for your wedding dessert table. You might want your desserts to match your colour scheme, but my advice is to choose flavour over colour. You can bring out your colour scheme in the styling.
My most popular wedding ‘centrepiece’ cake is the traditional Italian ‘Torta Nuziale’. It has the lightest sponge soaked in a vanilla liqueur and filled with layers of smooth vanilla pastry cream. Its topped with Chantilly cream, fruit and pastries. This showstopper of a cake literally melts in the mouth and gives the table a beautiful focal point.
Styling Your Wedding Desert Table (the Italian Way!)
Once you have selected your mouth watering treats, the next thing to consider is how to style your wedding dessert table. I love being creative with the presentation, as much as I do creating the desserts. You can be ultra extravagant and really make your dessert table reflect the theme and style of your big day or keep it simple and let the desserts speak for themselves. Either way, it makes a fabulous focal point for your reception.
Consider the style of the venue and your wedding and be creative with the presentation. Think outside the box when it comes to how to display your desserts, it doesn’t have to be on a table! Look at what other furniture your wedding venue has and utilise it. If you have a boutique hotel or stately home wedding there are bound to be beautiful antique tables, sideboards and vintage dressers you can create your display on.
Equally, you can hire in stands, props and furniture. Rustic ladders, Barrels, crates, work well at outdoor tipi, marquee and barn weddings. Flowers, candles and other props can all look fabulous! Make your feature cake stand out by framing it with a picture frame or cake arch or go all out and frame the display with a floral wreath or ark. This can also double up for your ceremony and top table backdrop.
The Sweetest Wedding Canape
I couldn’t finish without showing you this little beauty!! How about an Italian patisserie wall at your drinks reception? These treats make the perfect sweet canape along with a glass of Italian Prosecco. Having them displayed rather than served gives a more relaxed vibe where your wedding guests can help themselves. Perfetto!
If this blog has inspired you and you want to know more about wedding dessert tables, check out my website for more details – www.pasticcerialorena.com. I am always happy to chat ‘cake and pastries’ with you!
Arrivederci for now!
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