Mmm. Cake.

This weekend Torsten and I went to two different bakeries for cake tastings. I'm almost sorry to say that we found our perfect cake at the first bakery, because it means there will be no more cake tastings necessary. Although given how much Torsten liked this part of the wedding planning process, I wouldn't be surprised if he dragged us out on a couple more cake tastings a few months down the road, just for the free, and delicious, cake.

Anyway, the second bakery that we went to--the cake was fine. It didn't taste much different from what you'd get at the grocery store. The flavors were overly sweet and a bit too strong. The frosting was dense and heavy like cream cheese.

But the first bakery. Oh my god, the first bakery. I managed to take a few pictures, but only a very few because I had to shove the camera aside in order to eat cake. It was just too much willpower to take tons of photos when presented with a fork and a plate like this:


The cake itself was incredibly light and moist, and very flavorful:


And the buttercream frosting was delicious and fluffy and not face-twistingly sweet:


The baker was also really nice and when we showed her a picture of the cake we wanted, she was totally able to accommodate exactly what we were thinking in terms of design. She cooks everything from scratch using only natural ingredients, and you can tell. And her price was very reasonable.

So! Our baker is booked. The cake will have three tiers, each a different flavor: amaretto, yellow cake with fresh strawberries, and chocolate cake with raspberry filling. Mmmmmmmm. Believe me, I will be taking a temporary Weight Watchers hiatus on our wedding day.

And the design? Well, at the moment I don't want to share actual pictures, because I'd like to reserve some teensy element of surprise (I realize that I'm a bit late on this one after showing off my wedding dress to everyone except the groom) for those friends of mine who read this blog and will actually be at the wedding. So, I'm limiting myself to descriptions, at least for now.

The cake will be frosted in white with different sized purple dots all over. Each tier will have a purple ribbon tied around its base. There will not be bows. And there will be a cake topper. I was opposed, but Torsten had a strong opinion about wanting a bride and groom on the cake, so we looked for something that was a little more original than a stiff pose in an arch.

And we found the perfect thing--a hand painted, porcelain bride and groom designed to sit on the top of the cake with their bare feet dangling off the sides, heads tilted toward each other like they're just about to kiss. It is DARLING. And relaxed, and fun, and a little bit different from the norm, exactly like we want our wedding to be.

There is one question about the cake that we haven't yet resolved, though, and that's where I need your help. We have the option with our cake of either buttercream or fondant as the frosting. Fondant, for those of you who aren't in the know about the intricacies of cake decorating, is essentially stiff sugar paste that doesn't taste nearly as good as buttercream frosting but gives a nice, smooth look to the cake.

If we use fondant, there will be a layer of buttercream frosting directly underneath, so we won't lose its flavor or goodness. So the question is really an aesthetic one. To illustrate, I downloaded two photos from The Knot.

First, the fondant. See how smooth and matte it is, with the edges of each tier slightly rounded?


Now, the buttercream. See how it has a high shine and the edges of each tier are very sharply done?


I truly do not know which one I prefer. Originally I thought I definitely liked buttercream because I like those sharp edges, but then I thought I preferred fondant because it looks so smooth and not as shiny. And now I just don't know. So now I'm turning to you, as always, for help. Which do you prefer?